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Please evaluate my Profile & give your valuable advice

by apseekinganswers » Sat Apr 10, 2010 3:45 pm
Hello, I am new to BTG & also to the MBA-IN-THE-US scenario.I am from India and currently pursuing my Bachelor's degree in Computer Science & Engineering.My fourth & final year will be over by May,2011(I am appearing for my 6th semester exams this month).
I have not given GMAT yet but I think I would be able to score 690-720 on the test.
I have a grade point of 6.9/10 (I am trying hard to increase it to 7.2 or so).My percentage in 10th standard was 73% & in 12th standard,it was 74%.I have always been exceptionally good in computer science.To support this I have won several competitions in programming,cyber-olympiads,hacking competitions,etc).Also,I am an SCJP(Sun Certified Java Programmer)(Planning to appear for Sun Certified Web Component Developer exam after a month).Gone through internship from HP with an A+ grade.
I assume that I have a good command on English,both written & spoken.I also have good grades in French too(I opted it over German as one of the required foreign languages) but I can hardly speak a line or two in it.
For the last 2 years I have been working for a small scale IT company as a developer along with my engineering classes(9-2 college, 3-10 job,I know I've lost those best days of my life,but still I like programming & development work a lot).My work counts to somewhere around 42 hrs a week and I wish to continue working there to make my work experience 3 years when I apply to various universities.
I have a gap of a year after standard 12th as I was preparing for admission into some good engineering college.
Please evaluate my profile.I am aiming for the top 15 B-Schools in the US.
I would be grateful if you could recommend universities where I have a realistic chance.
*My main concern is:
How will this work experience effect my chances of getting through the top 15 B-Schools?Will it be counted as valid work-experience?Will it be a plus or a minus?
Thanks a lot for your valuable time.
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by Cindy Tokumitsu » Tue Apr 20, 2010 5:32 am
Hello,

It sounds like you are doing great in your studies and your professional initiatives.

That said, you will face a key challenge for top-15 US b-schools. You are (it seems from the information provided) a member of a group that is extremely over-represented in the applicant pool for such schools: an Indian with IT/technical education and career. Because of this fact, although you may be qualified for such programs, you wouldn't necessarily stand out within this group, and that is what you must do to be competitive. This group tends to have very high numbers (GPA, GMAT), stellar technical careers/advancement, and often solid extracurricular activities. Even so, because of the large number of such applicants relative to the overall applicants, they face significantly higher hurdles for admission.

The work experience you describe will be counted and noted for what it is - the adcoms view the applications holistically, so they will understand it in the context of your application overall.

Since you are fairly young and early in the process, you might want to wait a little and improve your profile to differentiate yourself more within your industry/demographic group. To improve your profile for your desired schools, consider looking for ways to gain exposure to or (ideally) experience with the business side to complement your technical prowess, and cultivating significant leadership at work at in a volunteer capacity.

Best regards,
Cindy Tokumitsu
Senior Editor, Accepted.com
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by apseekinganswers » Tue Apr 20, 2010 6:02 am
Thanks for the reply..I think,I'll work in the IT industry for 2-3 years & then apply to these schools..Can you suggest something that could make me stand out of the league of 'regular' Indian IT professionals..Anything that could help me improve my chances for the top 5-8.Things like ERP training in SAP R/3,writing papers and other trainings,seminars,conferences,etc..
I forgot to mention one more thing.I have a family business back here(which is around 17 years old) in pharmaceutical sales & marketing. I want to grow it into a manufacturing firm.Will this be of any help to my application.(But I actually do not want to work in my family business in future).I want to climb the corporate ladder & that too very swiftly & someday own a corporate ladder which others will wish to climb..
I badly wanna make it into some top B-School even if I have to wait for the next 4 years or so..
Regards,
Apoorv
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by Cindy Tokumitsu » Thu May 06, 2010 5:24 am
Hello, Apoorv,

To stand out among Indian IT applicants, I suggest a few things:

"¢ Try to gain business experience and exposure, either directly or indirectly, and be prepared to write about it in your essays, showing insight and understanding.
"¢ Gain as much leadership as possible, both at work and outside work.
"¢ Be active in extracurricular activities that are not typical for Indian IT applicants, and seek a leadership role therein.

In addition, your family business goal will be a differentiator; be prepared to write about it in detail and really "create a story" around it; doing so will differentiate you and be interesting in its own right.

Best regards,
Cindy Tokumitsu
Senior Editor, Accepted.com
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