Ask mbaMission

GMAT score: 700(Q49 V35, AWA 5)
Acad: B.Tech (Mechanical Engg.) from NIT Trichy(has got vey good brand value in India) GPA 7.8/10
Work ex: Will be 4 years by Jun'11.
I am working in Ashokleyland, 2nd largest Commercial Vehicle manufacturer in India.
I have worked on implementation of Cost Management initiative (migration from traditional costing to Activity Based costing) for Engine Assembly
I have worked on IT requirements of New 7 initiatives (Initiatives started for of Quality, 5S, Ergonomy, Cost, Critical Machines, Inventory) of my company (My work was not programming but deciding on system requirements & giving templates to programmers). Also maintained site of the initiatives
I have worked in production for 1 year managing frame assy. Shop with around 100 operators. Where primary responsibility was Quality, schedule adherence & volume adherence
I am a certified internal auditor of TS16949. Was responsible for TS related documentation
I was chosen as Best Cost Management initiative leader across whole company
Currently I am working in Process Planning. I am responsible for facility requirements for introduction of new models, PPAP, FMEA, Work instruction, process Validation, Work estimation using MOST for new models & processes, Facility planning, Layout planning
I have worked on implementation of MOST in Frame Assembly and Weld shop right from work estimation to proving. MOST implementation resulted in around 30% increase in productivity in both areas
EC: This is my weak area. I have won some awards in national level symposium of my college. I have actively participated in plays organized in company. Currently I am maintaining a social networking site for amateur musicians.
I want to continue in operations after MBA
Recos: can get recos from my plant head and division head
My target institutes are ISB, Nanyang, NUS, INSEAD & Haass

I am bit worried about my GMAT score but i dont have enough time.
Please comment

hemant.bedi-

Thanks for your questions. Your GMAT score is perfectly fine and within range for the vast majority of business schools. Increasing your score even 30 or 40 points might not make a measurable difference in your application profile. Your challenge is that you are a male, Indian, engineer with an operations background with solid professional experiences but without any outstanding extracurricular accomplishments. Your profile will be a reach at INSEAD and Haas.

Additionally, you seem to have made strides in your career to date and state that you want to return to operations after business school. However, be sure to clearly state why you seek an MBA because from what you wrote, this motivation is not clear.

Best,
Jennifer