Profile evaluation - Future MBA Aspirant

Hi Harii,
I like your focus on the people side of the organization. Of course you're quite young, so you have a couple of years to crank up your profile even further.

How to do that? International exposure, MAJOR community service leadership, and an awesome GMAT. If you're working for a small, local company, that's going to be a tough sell for a top international MBA program such as those on your short-list. So between now and then, you'll want to get a broader international profile. It's great that you can grow within the organization, but if you can also capitalize on that by moving to a multinational company that will give you more exposure to the US or Europe, either through travel or working overseas, or though collaboration with remote teams, that will help top business schools to grasp what you do.

In parallel, find a major community involvement, and take a leadership role. Again, because there are so many such involvements in India, you might want to look for a more global organization with a high profile. That way your b-school application readers will be able to identify what you bring to the program.

It's not too soon to get the GMAT out of the way, and you should plan on a trip to the states soon to visit the campuses you are interested, ideally during the school year when classes are in session. This will matter a lot to the schools on your list, all of whom take your commitment to their program very seriously.

Good luck!
Margaret Strother