Profile Evaluation!

[maanand]

Hi,

Could you please help in my B school selection. My background looks something like this:

Numbers:
1. Std Xth(2000) : 90.4%
2. Std XIIth(2002) : 82.4%
3. BE (Information Technology, 2006) from MIT, Manipal : 3.5/4.00
4. GMAT : 670(V:31, Q: 49, AWA: 4.5)

Work Experience
Years: 48 months in July 2010.

Adobe Systems India Private Limited
- Working in the engineering team of Adobe Captivate (Screen Capturing Software, Video Screen Capture Software| Adobe Captivate 4). I have been involved in scoping, designing and testing of key features for the past three releases of Adobe Captivate. Bagged the Best Quality Engineer award for my leadership.
- Bagged a spot bonus for submitting four patentable ideas to the Patent Practice group at Adobe.
- Led a team of two to accomplish key critical testing task.
- Engaged with customers for their feedback on the product.
- Mentored new hires in the team.

Extra Curriculars
1. Participated in Urban Stampede Bangalore 2009 conducted by Runners for Life(RFL), an organisation dedicated to running and runners. Became a member of RFL and regularly participate in fornightly runs conducted by RFL in Bangalore. (August 2009 - present).

2. Started the Go-Green club at Adobe which is primarily committed to create awareness among the employees towards environment. Specifically we intend to decrease the paper and electricity consumption at Adobe Bangalore office.(July 2008 - present).

3. Active member of Action Committee at Adobe. This team is commited to organize various re-creational activity for Adobe Bangalore employees. Organized various re-creational activities in Adobe Bangalore employees such as food fiesta, Adobe premiere league extra. (June 2007 - present).

4. Play cricket for Adobe Bangalore Cricket Team.(June 2007 - present).

5. Was an active member at CITI (club for IT interaction) at MIT, Manipal. This club organized activities such as teaching juniors, conducting IT quizzes, conducting paper presentations extra. (2004-2005)

6. Was elected as the Class Representative of the MIT's student council for the academic year 2003-2004 among 5 contestants for my class of Information Technology at MIT, Manipal

Post MBA aspirations
1. Join a consulting firm in a position which would involve advising businesses on how best to use technology to meet their business objectives.

2. Join a technology firm(Adobe/MS/Google?Amazon extra) in a product management/product marketing type of role.

Schools that I have personally shortlisted for myself
1. Duke
2. Emory
3. Kelley
4. Georgia Tech
5. Purdue
6. Nanyang Business School

My queries:
1. First your opinion about my profile and my school selections?
2. What would be your suggestions pertaining to B schools I should apply to?


Waiting for your insights...

-Manish
INDIA

[Lisa Anderson]

Dear Manish,

I think your school list is appropriate and a great mix of schools. You have done a good job of assessing your profile and identifying programs that are a good match for you at reach/reasonable levels. The key for you is to distinguish yourself from the similar Indian applicants to these schools. Use your unique personal experiences or professional accomplishments to stand out, as well as convey the match between the school and your career goals.

Good luck,
Lisa

[maanand]

Hi Lisa,

Thanks for your reply.
This question is specifically for Duke. My GMAT score is 670 which is below the class avg at DUke(ie srnd 690+)...and given the fact that applicants from India tend to have higher GMAT score..

my query is:
CAN GMAT BE THE DECIDING FACTOR IN ANY CASE?

i hope you getting my question.

Manish

[Lisa Anderson]

Dear Manish,

Being admitted to Duke with a GMAT below the average GMAT score for the program is quite difficult for an international student, but it is not impossible. The few international students that do receive an offer when their GMAT is below the average are generally outstanding applicants who make a compelling case for admission and whose GMAT scores are usually quite close the average. Since you are quite close, then the question you must ask yourself is if you think you will be one of the unique, outstanding applicants that can make a compelling case for admission. Do you have a solid rationale for why you need an MBA in relation to your past experience and future career goals? Does Duke offer the curriculum and resources that best suit your needs to make your goals achievable? Do you have unique personal/professional experiences to distinguish you from similar applicants?

If you believe you are a unique applicant that can effectively convey your candidacy in this regard, then you should apply and see what happens.

Good luck,
Lisa

[maanand]

Hi Lisa,

I applied at Nanyang Business School in round 1. However, I have been waitlisted even before an interview call.

My queries:
1. What does this mean?
2. In the current situation,does school expect from anything in specific from the waitlisted candidate?
3. My GMAT score is 670. My CGPA is 3.5/4.0. I would have 4 years of work experience at Adobe Systems by July 2010. Shall I re-write GMAT and try to score more than 670 ( i know i will have to really stretch and write it in next 20-25 days). In this case, how reasonable will it look if I intimate the ad-com about my plan of writing GMAT and request the committee to hold any decision whatsoever until my new score arrives.

Could you please help me with my above queries....Thanks a tonne in advance..

-Manish

[Lisa Anderson]

Dear Manish,

The best course of action is for you to inquire to Nanyang regarding your waitlist status. You need to determine if the committee has a specific concern(s) or if it is simply holding your application to compare to the next round of applicants. Based on the response, you can then formulate a plan for how to address any concerns (i.e., retake the GMAT, write another essay, get another recommendation, etc.). Be prepared though for the admissions office to tell you they want to compare you to the next round. In years where schools experience an increase in applications, they tend to waitlist more candidates to do more comparing from one round to the next. If that is the case, then all you can really do is hope the subsequent rounds are less competitive and continue to express your interest on a periodic basis.

A final word of caution: if Nanyang provided you any instructions on how to obtain feedback or provide updates, be sure to follow those precisely. Do not give them a reason to reject you at this point because you could not follow directions.

Good luck,
Lisa

[maanand]

Thanks Lisa.