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Hi,

Im a 24 year old Indian male from Australia and i just got my GMAT score - 720(q50,v38)
I grew up in India but have lived in Adelaide for the last 8 years. I studied Computer Science (class of 09) in university (Uni of South Australia) and have a gpa of 4.8/7. I realise this is below the curve in American standards but is above average-ish here. I have 3.5 years of work experience as a business analyst working in a couple of different companies both in Australia and overseas and have shown significant career progression in the last 3 years.
Outside of work, I play cricket and soccer for local grade A clubs. Im involved in charity events(Daffodil Day) run by the Cancer Council of Australia and have also done some fundraising. I have also helped design and set up a website for an organisation called 'Save the Murray', which works towards spreading awareness about the increasing salinity of river Murray and its effects in the ecosystem. They are also pushing for legislation that will see measure taken to counter this effect. (My involvement was primarily a favour for a friend but hey! if i can use it to leverage some brownie points, why not?!)
I will have 4 years of work ex by next fall so I feel like this is right time to do an MBA. Id ideally like to do something related to corporate financial modelling post MBA. I feel like i have the quant background for the job but an mba would give me the tools and the business knowledge to step into the position or a similar role in the financial services field.
I have researched a few programs and shortlisting them has been a pain. Since the deadlines are fast approaching for R2, I was hoping I could get some expert advice on which school i have a legitimate shot and which ones might be unrealistic?

Reach Schools: MIT, Yale
Target Schools (with a bit of good fortune): Emory, UNC, USC, Notre Dame, Georgetown
Target Schools (decent shot): Boston U, Texas A&M, Illinois Urbana, Rice, Ohio State
Safe Schools: Babson, Northeastern, Purdue

I have already been working on my applications and I realise there is too many on the list and i dont intend on applying to them all. I was hoping you could help me with shortlisting process and reduce it to about 5-7 schools. Also, if there are any programs i should look at that my fit my profile please feel free to advice.

Thanks a lot and i really appreciate the help.

daddyv,

We generally suggest applying to 4-5 schools, but given the current timing of the deadlines 2-4 might only be reasonable. Submitting high quality applications is very important.

I think you're on the right track with your distinction of schools across the categories, other than I suggest removing MIT and Yale at this point and I would instead identify your "target schools with good fortune" as your reach schools. Depending on how aggressive you want to be this year, I suggest a mix across those categories (reach, target, safety).

To narrow down your list, I suggest reviewing the following:
-Do you have any personal connections with the school (attended an event, met an alum or students, etc.)?
-Review the career reports for these schools and see which ones most align with your career interests
-Review the program length - Texas A&M for example is a shorter program
-Review the acceptance rates. From your 'reach' schools, Georgetown has the highest acceptance rate (49%)

Good luck!

Heidi