Profile Evaluation

[nitintripathi]

Hi Stacy,

I am an Indian IT professional with 7 years of work experience in a US based IT company (Almost 5 years in US) for different clients. My GMAT is not that good (Overall : 690, Verbal : 37 and Quant : 47).I don't have any significant (rather none) extra curricular and I am 31 years old (Not sure whether that can be a deal breaker). My undergraduate GPA was 76/100.
I have couple of questions.
1. What are my chances at Carlson/Tippie/Tepper/Johnson/Olin (Carlson is my first choice).
2. How can I differentiate myself from typical Indian IT crowd (You must have heard this question millions of times).

Appreciate your reply.

Thanks,
Nitin

[Lisa Anderson]

Dear Nitin,

I actually disagree with you on your GMAT; your 690 is a competitive score for many great programs, including those on your target list. Your age is not a disadvantage. With your substantial experience, you do want to directly address why you are applying to full-time programs. Perhaps you are wanting to make a significant career change? The lack of extracurricular activities might be an issue, as you need to find a way to stand out from other IT professionals from India. Maybe you have some interesting stories about acclimating to the US? or funny stories around your experience moving to/working in the US? I do think your current list is appropriate for you, with a good mix of reasonable and reach schools--I would say you are competitive for Carlson.

Good luck,
Lisa

[nitintripathi]

Hi Lisa,

Thanks a lot for the evaluation.
Appreciate your quick and prompt reply.

Regards,
Nitin