Profile Evaluation and College Related Query

[varunnith]

Hi,



This is my first post in BeattheGmat. Got to know about this website some time back from my friend, who said "Dude, they can help u wil anything regarding ur prep" [:)]. I will be giving my GMAT on 1st of august. I wanted advice on the Bschools list that I should provide to the GMAC at the time of the test. Following are my details and constrains :



Profile : (NATIONALITY - Indian)



Expected GMAT score : 720-750(AWA should also be good enough).

Experience : 3 yrs(will be 4 by the time i will join the college) in Semiconductor Industry - Currently working for European Semiconductor Giant.

BTECH : Electronics and Communication Eng. From NIT Hamirpur (batch 2008) - CGPI 8/10

12th : 92% (Recieved Merit awards and Dhirubhai Ambani Scholarship for BTECH education)

10th : 86% (Maths-Science = 92%)

ExrtraCurricular : COrdinator at College Festivals. Conceptualised COllege's First year book. College Placement Cordinator. Recieved Intra-organisation excellence awards. Working for an NGO presently and was previously involved in teaching of underpreiveledge children.



Constrains :

1. Interested in Specialisation in MARKETING.

2. Majorly Interested in MBA from US or ASIAN usniversity.

3. Budget is the constrain : Would need scholarship and loans heavily.

4. As my GMAT date is a little late, so would be in a rush while applying for colleges. Need spaced application dates.

5. Please also suggest me the rounds in which i should apply for which college (Sorry if i m asking too much )



My List as of now :



1. Kellogs (Please tell me if its true that it has a bad reputation with Internation Students)

2. Darden

3. Haas Berkley -California University

4. ISB

5. Kenan-Flagler (University of North Carolina) - / (I am selecting it over Kelley Indiana University considering Kelley's bad Reputation for international student placement)



I would be very much grateful if anybody can help me through this.



Following are the questions that i have :

1. Is the list good enough, other wise please suggest me other colleges in replacement and also the reason why.

2. I am confuse between selecting Indian college ISB or any other ASIAN college. (Considering the cost of education at some other Asian colleges like NUS and Nayang is comparable, which one has better future prospects and study approach)

3. Kelley is Good for marketing, but its reputation among international students is playing it down. It is true ? (Because Kelley provides good Financial Aid and cost of education is also very reasonable)

4. Last but very important. Depending upon my profile, if i am able to get a good GMAT score that i have mentioned, are the schools good enough. Or I should apply for more schools. AND what is the best time strategy to follow for these schools (Considering all schools in round 1 or dividing them between round 1 and 2 (How?)).





Thanks a TON in advance



Regards

Varun

[Bryant@VeritasPrep]

Varun:

My responses to your questions are as follows:

1. Is the list good enough, other wise please suggest me other colleges in replacement and also the reason why.

I think you have a reasonable list, but your profile is a little light on details, so it's a bit difficult to comment. Frankly, your background and experience sounds very familiar, so standing out in the crowd may become challenging. If you cast your story with passion and use anecdotes to distinguish yourself from others with a similar background, you should be able to get some positive attention.

2. I am confused between selecting Indian college ISB or any other ASIAN college. (Considering the cost of education at some other Asian colleges like NUS and Nayang is comparable, which one has better future prospects and study approach)

One key thing to consider is where you plan to work geographically when you are finished. If your plan is to work mostly or entirely in your home country, you could indeed do very well with ISB. If you plan to work in Asia, you can perhaps carve out a niche and build a network there with b-school. For the US, assuming you have the H1B, you should definitely look to US schools vs. ISB.

3. Kelley is Good for marketing, but its reputation among international students is playing it down. It is true ? (Because Kelley provides good Financial Aid and cost of education is also very reasonable).

You are on the right track to speak with other international students to get their perspective. You should also feel free to contact the school directly to discuss their view of international applicants. This would not only get you introduced to some key admissions insiders, but also give you some direct information "straight from the horses mouth."

4. Last but very important. Depending upon my profile, if i am able to get a good GMAT score that i have mentioned, are the schools good enough. Or I should apply for more schools. AND what is the best time strategy to follow for these schools (Considering all schools in round 1 or dividing them between round 1 and 2 (How?)).

Your list is good, but again, without knowing exactly what you want to do and where you want to do it, it's hard to say. As i mentioned, because you are applying from a deep applicant pool, I would encourage you to apply to more schools than I would suggest for a client from a country that is more "in demand." because so many Indian applicants have a technical background, you may need to apply to 6 or more schools to make sure you are getting the right attention. do this only if you have time--better to just do 4 or 5 than to do more,but sacrifice quality in the application. First and second round are preferrable, with no real advantage to either round really. You might apply to your top 3 in round one, and your next three in round two, for example. I would avoid waiting until round 3 for any school,unless you add some safety schools into the mix.