My Profile - consultants...bail me out pls!!

[crazy_genius]

Hello,

My first post here. I am planning to apply for fall 2011 intake...


Here is my profile view -

EDUCATION:

Bachelors of Commerce - with 70% ( approx 3.25 on GPA) from a Top-20 Universityof India
Master of Commerce - 73 % ( 3.30 on GPA) From the the same university

Professional Qualification -
Certified Management Accountan (CMA), USA
Cost Accountant, INDIA

All India topper for two subjects ( Business Valuation, Strategic Management(OPMC) ) in the Cost Accountancy Final examination.

Also hold a Diploma in Import Export Management from one of the top 5 B-schools of Mumbai,India

PROFESSION:

i am an ENTREPRENEUER. I run a textile manufacturing factory for past 3.5 yrs ( By the time I attend a B School, total work ex will be 4.5 years)

Key achievements -

1. nominated for " The Entrepreneuer of the Year" award ( 2009 )
2. Increased company revenues oy 230% during last three years
3. First in the industry to opt for Solar system for sundry electricity usage ( Achieved the " Go Green" status)
3. Increased profits by 180% in last three years.

Extra curricular acitvities:
1. Founded a non profit organization to fight against corporate and govt. corruption. Have 100 volunteers registered till now.
2. Part of Teach India Program and have done teaching for about 210 hrs in last 3.5 years to the underprivileged children.
3. Done active AIDS awareness campaigns and also done tree plantaion, blood donation on a regular basis in last three years.

In short, very active on social fronts.

I am NOT a typical Indian applicant with IT background. Rather I have a business background.
My long term target is to set up a strategic consultancy company ( esp. for helping USA cos establish their businesses in India) in India. With my entrepreneurial background, I hope to leverage on my skills . An MBA can help me prepare better for this and also help me establish a strong network that will help me in my future business activities.

MY GMAT - 680 ( Q 83percentile and V 75 %ile)

Target schools -
1. HBS
2.Wharton
3.kellogg
4.Ross

And yes, i'm planning to give my GMAT again and try to cross the 700 mark

Please advice me on my choice of B schools and also tell me chances ( Rough judgment) at these b schools . IEhat are the areas where i can improve my profile??

Thanks for being patient and reading this long thread.

[Jessica@VeritasPrep]

Dear Akshay,

I think your profile is a strong one and there are many components that you will be able to draw from as you write your essays and complete your application. One challenge for entrepreneurs can be finding the right people to write recommendations - recommendations are a very important part of the application and you will need to think about who will advocate for you in a credible way (since it sounds like you are the "boss").

The schools you intend to apply to are all very competitive. All of the applicants will have strong and interesting profiles. I think you could be competitive, but, your challenge is to make a compelling argument for why the school should accept you. The fact that you already have a diploma from a business school is interesting. I don't think it will work against you, but, you need to be careful how you present this. A business school is unlikely to accept someone who has already attended business school. And, the Adcom will have higher expectations (in terms of achievements and GMAT) from an applicant who has a business background and has attended a business program than it may for someone with a different background. Your goal is to make sure to explain why a business degree from a US school is necessary for you to achieve your goals.

And, remember, you will have a better chance of being admitted if your profile fits that of the school - you have interesting experience but your GMAT and GPA are both on the low side for the top schools. Excellent recommendations and essays can help but you want to be realistic!
Good Luck!

[crazy_genius]

Dear Jessica,

Thank you very much for your promt reply! Your views and thoughts are very important and helpful for me. I am aware that to compensate my 'below average' GPA, I must get an 'Above Avg.' GMAT score. My GPA of 3.25 is just a mere conversion of my percentage score (70%). Considering the competitiveness of my undergrad university, I belong to top 10% of the students. If I explain this in my additional essay, will then AdCom percieve this score differently? Anyways, that doesn't take away the importance of having a better GMAT Score.

Secondly, the Diploma course was done thru 'Distance Learning', so technically I have not attended the B-School.

About recommenders - yes, you are right, I do not have a typical 'superviser' to write my Reco. Letter. However, I know some people who could write excellent Reco Letters and convince AdCom about my leadership qualities, business maturity, managerial skills etc.

Given this, I would like to know fom you -
1. What kind of a GMAT score would really put me 'up' in the race?
2. Are my target schools out of 'reach' even with a gr8 GMAT score?
3. If so, which other schools you would like to suggest me?

Thank you again!

[Jessica@VeritasPrep]

Hi Akshay,

Your schools are not out of reach, I simply want you to appreciate that these are all top tier schools and that there are no guarantees even for the most qualified of applicants. I think that your GPA is fine and probably doesn't require an additional essay (if you do decide to write an explanation, I'd suggest that you keep it very brief - only a sentence or two explaining your conversion method and that you graduated in the top 10% of the class - however, you could also convey this on your resume or elsewhere in the application thus avoiding the "extra essay"). Keep in mind that extra essays often only draw attention to a weakness when it isn't necessary to do so!!

I agree that you would want a GMAT score about 700 to truly be competitive, but, again, a score is only one data point - even a 750 will not guarantee you a spot! (although it wouldn't hurt!)

Your goal is to present yourself honestly and make a good case for what you will bring to business school and how you will use what you learn there to succeed and give back in the future!

[crazy_genius]

Hello Jessica,

Sincere thanks for your quick and detailed feedback. I really appreciate your views. Because of your critical analysis, I, now, know which issues I should handle with more care while making my application to B schools.

My endeavour would be to get a 700+ GMAT score (higher the better!) and thus, make my application more competitive. I also appreciate the fact that there is a cut throat competition at my target schools ( almost each of the four schools having a 10% acceptance ratio). As you rightly pointed out, even the best of applicants wont be certain about their acceptance. I will definitely apply to the relatively lower ranked schools ( Ranked betwn 10-20) to be more competitive while having a full hearted shot at the above mentioned schools.

I will get back to you after my GMAT exam!

Thank you again and have a nice Day!
~Akshay~