profile evaluation please!

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profile evaluation please!

by gt7er » Wed Apr 02, 2008 7:19 pm
GMAT:700
age: 25, indian ethnicity, grew up in US
GPA:3.89 B.S. in EE from top 10 engineering school (public)
work exp:
-3 years in semiconductor industry - test engineering in DRAM/FLASH memory manufacturing. There is some sort of leadership experience here in the fact that engineering has to lead manufacturing to make sure operations run smoothly.
-don't really have people directly under me or reporting to me, but led several teams to work on various test time reduction projects, equipment efficiency improvement etc.
-tool group owner of 70+ systems; in charge of process, device and I/F programs for all tools as well as new tool installation/ramp-up. currently working on new tool ramp-up in brand new 300 mm FLASH facility that was built about a year ago
-there are a lot of little things here that i can talk about like the responsibility we have as far as tool ownership goes, 24/7 coverage (getting paged in the middle of the night many times) and being charge of a particular process
-generally it's pretty stressful and a super fast-paced environment where a little mistake costs several thousand dollars or much much more.

extras:
-fundraising chair of habitat young professionals; currently organizing a fundraising event for austin habitat for humanity to try to raise 60K to fund the building of a house. this is where the vast majority of my leadership experience comes from--i lead a group of 15-20 people to organize the gala, acquire sponsors and sell tickets. im really passionate about this and easily spend 10-15 hours a week on this or more. im getting more and more involved with habitat for humanity and later on will head up the leadership council of austin habitat for humanity raising more money...
-was part of an emerging leaders class (had to apply and was accepted); it was mostly about being a leader in the community
-volunteered with some other things here and there

im going to pursue the entrepreneurial route so i will highlight that experience....im just getting started on some entrepreneurial pursuits. how important is it to actually have started a company or real experience in order to be eligible for a program at a top school?

that is my eventual goal....

what are my chances at a top 10?

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by Lisa Anderson » Thu Apr 03, 2008 5:11 am
Dear gt7er:

Based on the information provided, I would say you have a good chance at a top 10 school. Even though you only have 3 years experience, what you describe sounds like quality experience. The work with Habitat is also a good demonstration of your leadership potential and skills. It is not critical that you have started a company or the like, but demonstrating an entrepreneurial mindset would be helpful. My guess is your work with Habitat or your work with new technologies would provide evidence. Of course, you will need to put together a strong application and visit the schools you are targeting to increase your chances of being admitted.

Good luck!
Lisa
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thank you

by gt7er » Thu Apr 03, 2008 6:40 am
Hi Lisa, thank you very much for your quick response. You mentioned that visiting the schools would increase my chances—do you mean the networking that will occur when I’m there? What would you recommend is a good website to research the schools (besides the actual school sites)? I want to get a good idea of what the schools are like and which ones would be a good for me.

Thank you!

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by Lisa Anderson » Thu Apr 03, 2008 6:00 pm
Dear gt7er:

Visiting the schools is beneficial to you because it allows you to evaluate if the program is truly a good fit for you but also it gives you an opportunity to distinguish yourself in the admissions office. When the applicant pool is greater than or equal to 1000, you have to find a way to stand out as many folks will have a similar profile to you. Making a good impression, will help you to distinguish yourself.

There are many sites out there with school information. A few that I think have pretty decent information are princetonreview.com, mba.com and businessweek.com.

Regards,
Lisa
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by smkrn » Sat Apr 05, 2008 6:19 am
Lisa Anderson wrote:Dear gt7er:

Visiting the schools is beneficial to you because it allows you to evaluate if the program is truly a good fit for you but also it gives you an opportunity to distinguish yourself in the admissions office. When the applicant pool is greater than or equal to 1000, you have to find a way to stand out as many folks will have a similar profile to you. Making a good impression, will help you to distinguish yourself.

There are many sites out there with school information. A few that I think have pretty decent information are princetonreview.com, mba.com and businessweek.com.

Regards,
Lisa
Sorry to jump in here, but I had a question about using a visit to distinguish yourself in an application. Could you explain how to do this further? Do you simply make it a point to mention that you visited somewhere in your application? Or do you use the visit to meet people in admissions and try and stay in contact until you apply? Or something else? Thanks.

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by Lisa Anderson » Sat Apr 05, 2008 9:57 am
Dear smkrn:

Yes and yes. Putting a face and personality to your written application materials is always good (as long as it is a positive impression). When admissions is reviewing 1000+ applications, it is helpful to have a personal interaction to help you stand out a little. Following up with a contact in admissions is also positive so you stay fresh in their minds--but don't be excessive in your contact. Likewise, if you can relay something you experienced or noticed on your visit in your essays, it will help them to 1) remember you visited and 2) confirm that you are genuinely interested in the program.

The visit is also beneficial to you because it allows you to see for yourself if the school will be a good fit for you in terms of culture. Many programs look awesome on paper but you find when you visit you do not feel comfortable.

Regards,
Lisa
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