Please evaluate my profile
Here it goes:
Indian/IT/Female
Age-23
Gpa:8.81 from an Indian university(not really known outside my home state), top 10 of my department
Xth:90%, top 10 of my class
XIIth:96%, 2nd in school
gmat:720(q49 v40) awa-4.5
WE: 1 year in Asia's largest IT consultancy firm. If I apply this year, would be 2 years by matriculation.
I am working in Enterprise Resource Planning(Oracle EBS), our client is one of the largest corporations of US.
Identified as key resource in the project.
Primary point of contact for a module.
Good ratings.
Was Class representative during a technical training program.
EC: organized fests and cultural activities during school and college
- was class representative during college
- love photography
- charity events as part of company's charity organization
- love reading, so part of company's book club
Post MBA goals: I want to work in the finance sector(preferably in investment banking) in future and my plan is to gain experience and international exposure in that field.
Target schools:Tuck, Haas, LBS, Sloan, Duke, Darden, Yale, Johnson, Oxford, Judge.
My questions:
1.I realize that my experience is quite low compared to other candidates, and especially compared to the competitive Indian-IT pool. So, I know it makes sense for me to wait at least another year before applying. But I would really like to apply to atleast one school this year to get some perspective. Is that a good idea?
2.Are these schools within my reach? Would my prospects increase if I wait another year?
3. Should I retake the gmat? Would a higher score (say above 750) help?
4.What are my chances for scholarship?
I know a lot of these questions are difficult to answer, but some guidance and insight would be helpful.
Please evaluate my profile
This topic has expert replies
GMAT/MBA Expert
- Lisa Anderson
- MBA Admissions Consultant
- Posts: 3845
- Joined: Wed Feb 06, 2008 8:57 pm
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Dear sojourn,
You are correct that you are applying with a highly represented profile in the MBA applicant pool, especially for selective programs like the ones on your target list. Gaining another year of experience and/or increasing your GMAT score could strengthen your application, depending on how strong the overall package is. If you have solid reasoning for why now is the right time, at only 2 years experience, and gaining another year only add quantity not quality, then another year is probably not going to add value. If you have an opportunity to lead a team, increase your scope of responsibility on a project, or gain new transferable skills, then working another year would be advantageous. Likewise, your current 720 is a competitive score and at/slightly above average for most of your target schools. Increasing your score might not make any difference in your decisions, but if you have a potential weakness in your profile, like minimal extracurricular activities since college, then it could help balance that. You need to assess how strong you believe your overall package will be--your essays, recommendations, resume and interview--and then decide what will be the best course of action in terms of a GMAT retake and when to apply.
As for scholarships, it is never something to expect and awards from top programs are rare. If you want to increase your chances for an award, then you should consider altering your school list to include schools with solid finance programs that are not as selective and where your profile is above average.
Good luck,
Lisa
You are correct that you are applying with a highly represented profile in the MBA applicant pool, especially for selective programs like the ones on your target list. Gaining another year of experience and/or increasing your GMAT score could strengthen your application, depending on how strong the overall package is. If you have solid reasoning for why now is the right time, at only 2 years experience, and gaining another year only add quantity not quality, then another year is probably not going to add value. If you have an opportunity to lead a team, increase your scope of responsibility on a project, or gain new transferable skills, then working another year would be advantageous. Likewise, your current 720 is a competitive score and at/slightly above average for most of your target schools. Increasing your score might not make any difference in your decisions, but if you have a potential weakness in your profile, like minimal extracurricular activities since college, then it could help balance that. You need to assess how strong you believe your overall package will be--your essays, recommendations, resume and interview--and then decide what will be the best course of action in terms of a GMAT retake and when to apply.
As for scholarships, it is never something to expect and awards from top programs are rare. If you want to increase your chances for an award, then you should consider altering your school list to include schools with solid finance programs that are not as selective and where your profile is above average.
Good luck,
Lisa