where do i stand?

[ananth]

I posted a similar message on another board but realized it would be more appropriate here as I would like Stacy's advice. I am presenting my profile in the suggested format:

- GPA, major, school: Went to hotel school in Europe and I have a 4-year bachelors in science (honors degree, grade average 5.05/6.00).
- GMAT with breakdown: Overall 700 92%, Q45 77%, V40 89%.
- resume highlights: Been in hotel consulting for 3 years (2 firms) and worked in hotel operations for 1 year. Focussed on hotels.
- extracurricular involvements: event organizor in college
- awards, patents, publications: published twice in industry newsletter
- interesting personal facts: lived and worked in 5 countries in asia and europe and attended a high school and college that had over 80 nationalities represented in the student body.

I am aiming for top schools (wharton, insead, columbia, harvard and LBS). By the time I hope to start the MBA I should have 4 years of experience in my specialised field (hotel consulting). I intend to stay in the hotel industry but move onto investment-related activities post B-school.

How strong of a case do I have?

Many thanks in advance for your input.

[Lisa Anderson]

Dear Ananth:

I would say you are building a strong profile for your future applications. The academic profile (GMAT and GPA) are high and your work experience seems solid. The best things you can do between now and applying are to find ways to get leadership experience / increasing responsibilities in your professional life and add some community involvement outside of work.

Best of luck!
Lisa

[ananth]

Thanks Lisa. It seems that community involvement is quite important. I was very active in high school and college, and in fact received an award upon graduation for having made significant contributions to the student community. Does this count as community involvement?

Following graduation over the last 2-3 years I have had no community involvement in any form. Secondly, the nature of my job requires me to work independently on each assignment with minimal or no collaboration between employees. Furthermore, the assignments themselves are very standardized rarely requiring a 'new way of doing things'. One is expected to take on all responsibilities for an assignment and deliver a high quality ouput in a timely manner. This is not going to change in the near future.

For these reasons, in my working life, I have had very little opportunity to take initiative, add responsibilities and 'show leadership potential' in any way. How does one present such a case in the application?

Thanks again for your help.

[Lisa Anderson]

Dear ananth:

Community involvement in college "counts" in that you can use those experiences in your essays if you wish. It is always good to have outside interests/activities you currently participate in as well to demonstrate another aspect to who you are as a person.

You need to present your professional experience in the best way possible. Perhaps you secured new clients or have successful projects you can highlight in your application? Use other experiences to demonstrate your leadership potential and teamwork skills, whether they were extracurricular, in college, or activities at work that are not necessarily part of your daily tasks.

Good luck,
Lisa

[ananth]

Thanks Lisa, really appreciate your input.