Profile Evaluation and recommendations

[suyogshukla]

24/male/Indian

Education - Bachelor's degree in Electronics Engineering with a GPA of 8.1/10 from BITS-Pilani which is one of the top Engineering colleges in India
-Scored 93% marks in high school securing myself 4th rank in the state. Was recognized by the governor of the state for the academic performance in highschool

GMAT Score - 750 (49 + 44V)

Work Experience - 26 Months in Semiconductor Industry working with the biggest firm in this business. Working mainly on product development (Circuit designing) and customer support.
Currently working as the unofficial leader of a team of 6 members. Have mentored couple of new joinees.
Prior to that had 3 different Internships with big names in telecom and semiconductor industry.

Extra Curricular (At College and earlier) - Developed a business plan while in the final year of college that won the 2nd place at a national level business plan competition and was recognized at an international level competition.
- Was part of the college cricket team
- Was a national level athlete during high-school

(At Work) - Part of the company Cricket team

Community service - During college was part of a local community service group called "Protsahana" where the members (including me) used to go to the local schools to teach underprivileged children.
- Was an active member of the International Human Right's association for good 2 years.
- Currently part of the core committee of "Ujala" that is a community welfare group catering to the needs of local orphanages. This has recently been taken under the umbrella of a registered NGO. This is work in progress.

Interests - I am interested in Entrepreneurship. Although to further my learning process before I try to start a firm of my own, I would like to get some experience in some other areas of business, such as Finance (I am already getting product development and customer support experience with my current job), to be better equipped for the 'plunge'. So my areas of interest would be Entrepreneurship, Finance and Operations.

Target Schools - Wharton, Stanford - GSB, MIT-Sloan, IE Business school, Insead and the likes

Questions-
- What do you think are my chances of getting into:
(a) Top 5
(b) Top 10
(c) Top 20

- What else do you think I should work on over the next 2 years before I start applying? For instance do you think I should try to get some professional certification to counter my not so good GPA for the top schools?

[suyogshukla]

Hi Stacey

I am awaiting your response on my query

Thanks
Suyog

[Stacey Oyler]

Hi Suyog,

Thanks for your post. It is so great to see that you are thinking about ways to improve your profile two years before you plan to apply!

As I look at your profile it is obvious that you are on a path that would indeed qualify you for admission to the schools on your list. However, being qualified and getting in are two different things! You'll want to continue to seek out leadership opportunities either inside or outside the office. It's great that you have been given a leadership opportunity at this point in your career. You'll want to continue to develop your leadership skills and learn from your mistakes over the next two years.

The other area of your profile to think about is your extracurricular activities. It appears that beyond the cricket team you have some involvement in a non-profit. Try to step up your involvement - meaning don't just volunteer, but step up and take on a key role. Lead teams, fund raising or projects. This is another great way to boost your leadership skills while also having some key experiences that you can write about in your application.

Regards,

Stacey