Requesting Profile Evaluation

[dcrage]

Hi,
Thank you so much for your time. I would really appreciate it if I can get an evaluation of my profile


I'm 26 year old male from Iran.
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Academic:

Master's: Software engineering from a university ranked second (or maybe first) among Iran's tech institutes
GPA of 17.7 (of 20)
Ranked :2nd in my class

Bachelors: Computer engineering from a university ranked first in Iran (and second in Middle East last year)
GPA of 13.5 (of 20)
Reason for low GPA: had to take care of my father and also in Iran GPA is not of much importance because academic progress usually will be done through national exams and as long as you've been to a top school your GPA doesn't matter much to employers.

GMAT: Not taken yet but I expect:
Total: 700-730
Quantitative:54-58
Verbal:46-50
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Work:
I have 2.5 years of work experience.
In my recent job (which I took after my master's degree)I worked as senior software developer for 8 month and after that I've got promoted to project manager of one of companies two products (by the time I apply I'll have 6 month experience as project manager)and I'm in charge of a very important project in my work right now.
I've also started a small web design and e-commerce consultation firm about 6 month ago

I've been doing some personal real estate investments for last 5 years.
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Extra:

*During school:
Member of main computer site administration team for 2 years.
Head of network laboratory administration team for 2 years.
Elected class president ,for 2 years

* Community:
I've initiated and been leading a group to raise awareness about environment. Part of things of that I've done:
Managed fund raising
Conducted seminars on how to live green , recycling ,....

*Sports:
Captain of Department of Electrical and Computer engineering soccer team for 1 year.(I had an injury so I had to stop playing soccer)
Electrical and Computer engineering soccer team Coach Assistant for 1 year.

Playing squash and member of a group that tries to spread squash among kids. (8-12 years old)

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Goals:
Short term: getting a job in a major tech company in US
Long term: Entrepreneurship in IT or Entertainment and media
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Essays and recommendations:
I can get good recommendations and I feel that I'm really MBA material so hopefully it will be reflected on my essays
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Target schools:

Stanford GSB
HSB
UCLA Anderson
Columbia
Berkley Hass
USC Marshal

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Questions:
1- Am I aiming to high or these schools are in my reach?
2- Will my low under graduate GPA will be covered by my strong graduate GPA and GMAT, or I'm doomed because of it?
3- If it's better to add some safe choice to my school list what are your recommendations?

thanks in advance

[Lisa Anderson]

Dear dcrage,

Without knowing your GMAT score, it is hard to comment on your profile in relation to your target schools. Assuming you score 700+ on the GMAT, here are the answers to your questions:

1- Am I aiming to high or these schools are in my reach?
These schools are possibilities for you, but they are some of the most selective in the US. While you do have a chance, I think it might be beneficial to identify some schools that are not as selective but where you can still achieve your goals.

2- Will my low under graduate GPA will be covered by my strong graduate GPA and GMAT, or I'm doomed because of it?
Your graduate GPA and a high GMAT will mitigate your undergraduate GPA to some degree. I would not say you are "doomed" and think you should still apply to the schools you feel are the best match for you.

3- If it's better to add some safe choice to my school list what are your recommendations?
I would suggest doing some research in the geographic regions near your preferred industries, IT and entertainment/media. Tech companies in the US tend to be concentrated in the southwest and west (CA, AZ, TX) or in the mid-Atlantic (DC, MD, VA, NC). You should find many great programs with good industry connections in these areas, but are not as selective as some of the schools on your list. These schools will generally have GMAT averages in the 640-700 range.

Good luck,
Lisa

[dcrage]

Dear Lisa,
thank you so much for your advices. i think i will add some less selective schools to my options.Particularly i'm thinking about UC Irvine and Pepperdine .i guess they are much safer choices.
Now , what i want to know is :
1-In this lower ranked schools like (UC Irvine and Pepperdine) how big is my shot at getting a fellowship _?
2- (I now this is not a right question and i'm so sorry for that)How big is my chances at those higher options (UCLA , USC,...)if you want to give a percentage ? i'm sorry again for this question but could you please give me a totally uncertain and raw percentage.
i would really appreciate your answers and thank you again

[Lisa Anderson]

It is impossible to put a number on your chances at any program, so I'm afraid I won't be able to do that. I do think your GMAT and GPA are competitive for UCLA and USC, so you should apply there if you feel the programs are a good match for you. Likewise, there is no way to know what your chances are at scholarships or fellowships. I do think your chances of a scholarship or fellowship is higher at Pepperdine or UC-Irvine, but there is no guarantee you will get one.

Good luck,
Lisa

[dcrage]

I thought my questions are almost impossible to answer. thank you so much for your response.