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Stats:
Male, Indian-American, 23
GMAT: 710 (48q,40v, 6AWA), I believe I was in the 92nd percentile (don't have the sheet with me at the moment)
GPA: 3.14 from NYU College of Arts and Science with an Econ major
WE: 1 years of strategy consulting with Capgemini (I plan to apply next year, when I will have 2 years of experience)

Goal: Continue consulting at a top-3 strategy firm, business development at a technology firm (ie: Google, Facebook, Apple), or start/recruit for my own venture

Schools that I am applying to: H/S/W, Berkeley Haas, Columbia, MIT Sloan, NW Kellogg , UChi Booth

About my low GPA: I started a technology company in the Fall of my sophmore year and received a 2.1 GPA for that semester. Other than that, my gpa is ~3.3 for the other semesters. Honestly, I was arrogant to think that I could run a company and keep up my grades, but the failure of this venture gave me a reality check that inspired humility and a desire to further my technical understanding (I later finished a minor in Computer Science). That sounds a little hokey, but my point is that I did truly grow in a way that I think business schools will appreciate.

Work Experience: I have been doing well in my current position and was on track to get promoted after 1.5 years of experience (track is 2-3 years typically) until my VP left for another company and I was re-organized into a completely different practice. I have an offer from Deloitte Strategy and Ops (connection made through my ex-manager), but it would be for the same entry-level analyst position. I wanted to ask if a) switching after a year of experience would be looked down on and b) does working at Deloitte vs Capgemini have an effect on my admission chances? What if I am still an analyst when I apply next year? (I should also mention that my managers, who are now at different companies as well, are willing to write stellar recommendations for me).

Let me know if this sounds realistic and thanks for the feedback!

partese14,

I don't think you'd be enhancing your B-school chances by switching from Cap Gemini to Deloitte. There may in fact be some benefit in sticking to your current firm and maximizing your opportunities there. The key thing is to get as much leadership experience under your belt as possible. Do you have any leadership going on outside of work?

You have a solid/strong profile but you seem to be stretching, especially with respect to Harvard and Stanford. Can you raise the GMAT score? Your explanation for your GPA is fine but the top schools have the luxury of choosing multiple applicants who have nothing that needs explaining and may have a more unusual profile.

Hope this helps,

Hi Paul,

Thanks for the quick response.

I do have some leadership experience outside of work. Namely, I founded a student entrepreneurship group which connects aspiring entrepreneurs with VCs, angels, and mentors from the NYC tech community. I have also been involved in the community outreach programs within Capgemini. Leadership from a work perspective includes ownership over project deliverables as well as personnel management (2 direct reports and have led an offshore team of 20 in my last engagement)

It does seem like Harvard and Stanford are stretches for me. Does the following breakdown seem accurate:

Stretch: Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, Columbia
Target: MIT, Berkeley

In terms of the GMAT, would increasing my score to 720/730 significantly affect my chances of getting into my target schools?

Thanks again.

parteese14,

I don't think your profile is sufficiently distinctive to make HBS or Stanford at all realistic for you. They are true "long shots," not stretches in my opinion. If by "Target" you mean "competitive," then I'm not sure I consider MIT or Haas "Targets" for you; I might put them in the "Stretch" category as well. Whether you should retake the GMAT depends on how balanced your Q and V scores are. If they are already at or above the 80th percentile then there's probably no need. If one is significantly below then it might be wise to retake and raise it. If I were you, I would wait a couple of years and spend that time enhancing your profile so that more of your target schools are "competitive" rather than "stretches."

--Paul

Hi Paul:
What is your guidance for me - GMAT 710 (92 percentile), Q48 (88 percentile), V40 (82 percentile), Male of Indian origin.

I have 16 years of experience and am a technical leader with world's largest semiconductor company. In current capacity, I do have direct influence over new technologies and products definitions in PC industry as well as teams across various geographies. I don't manage any team directly, but do have direct technical leadership experience on projects involving 100s of engineers across geo's as well as very large OEMs like Dell, HP et al.

As for GPA, my university (in India) only scores in percents marks (not GPA). I topped the university in my class and major (computer science).

thanks much for your help,
regards