Profile Evaluation - Slightly Non-trad...

[Agastya]

Here's my background in brief:

30 years old.

Education:

Ph.D (Electrical Engineering)

M.S (Electrical Engineering) GPA: 3.75

B.S (Electronics and Telecommunication) -- Score: 80.3% (India) -- I graduated with honors and stood in top 3 in a graduating class of 70.

High-School (Class XII): Recieved highest score (90.3%) amongst the entire graduating class, and a Certificate of Merit for scoring in the top 0.1% amongst all students across the nation (India)

Work Experience:

I am currently working for a mid-sized defense research company in Boston. Started off as a Research Engineer. Was promoted to Research Project Leader in 2 years. Will complete 3 years in Dec.

- Currently managing a research group of 4 people, 1 Ph.D and 3 Masters
- Have written several successful grant proposals and am Co-Principal Investigator on three Government projects from various agencies as Federal Dept of Transportation, U.S Army Research Labs
- Published and spoken extensively in several renowned conferences and workshops
- My work recieved U.S Army's Research Award for innovative research in 2009
- Recieved Best Graduate Research Award for my Master's Thesis research
- Taught undergraduate university level courses in engineering as full-course instructor
- Done multiple internships

Extra-curriculars:

- Actively associated with a non-profit teaching under-priviliged school children throughout my undergraduate years.
- Taught children various subjects like English, Math and Science
- Actively involved in various recruiting and fund-raising efforts over 3 years.

- National-championship level badminton player all throughout high school
- Part of college tennis teams during freshman and sophomore years

- President of Indian Students Association at the grad school. Transformed the association from a relatively small-sized group to the largest group on campus in terms of event organization and budget. Recieved several commendations from University officials.

I plan to start my own technology firm in the near furture, or work for a company in quantitative fields like finance, risk management etc.

I am planning to take the GMAT in September. Based on my current prep-levels, I hope to get a score in the 720+ range. HBS and MIT Sloan are my first choices due to proximity. I am looking at schools mainly in the Northeastern region. Wharton, Yale and NYU Stern are also on my list.

I am looking to get expert guidance on the entire admissions process. I am particularly interested in getting help with school selection.

1) Given my profile, is it reasonable to target these top schools?

2) Which schools might be more suitable given my goals and quantitative background?

3) Could you please shed some light on which areas in my application should be highlighted and which aspects need strengthening?

Thanks in advance to the experts.

[Scottie@VeritasPrep]

Your profile is strong and positions you to be a strong candidate for the programs you are targeting especially if you can achieve a competitive GMAT score. Both NYU and Columbia have strong entrepreneurship tracks however I strongly recommend that you research the curriculum of any school you apply to in order to make sure it provides the courses you need to strengthen your skillset. Also, try to speak with some students on the entrepreneurship track and/or find out more about the entrepreneurship club to get an idea of how well prepared the graduates are to start their own businesses.

When discussing your professional background, highlight your career progression and any instances of leadership, innovation, and problem solving. When deciding on a program, geography is important but also try to visit prior to applying so you can get a feel for the culture and learning environment in person.

[Agastya]

Thanks for your response Scottie. I appreciate your advice.

A quick follow-up question - How essential is it to have a single concrete career goal charted out and depicted in the essays? Although enterpreneurship is high on my charts, getting a job in a quantitative field is also an attractive option for me. I have not really made up my mind yet. In fact, I hope that my time at the MBA program can help me chart out a course. Is this something that's a big no-no, or can this be worked with. What is your general opinion about this?

Thanks again for your response.

[Scottie@VeritasPrep]

Be careful about stating too many goals. Business schools like to know that your career goals have been well thought out. This will help you to get the most out of your MBA program and help the school understand how to meet your needs. Short-terms goals are especially important because the career services office likes to know that they can place applicants after graduation and you make their job easier by clearly stating your goals. It's okay if you plan to go into a quantitative job (be specific about what it is) initially and then venture into entrepreneurship later in your career.