Please Evaluate

[felix123]

Hi Admissionado,

Please help to evaluate my case:

Chinese male
Age: 32 (by end of this year)
GPA: 2.5 (Econ major)
GMAT: 760 (Q51+V41)+AWA 5+IR 8
TOEFL: 106 (will retake and aim at 110+)
Work history: I joined a big IT company whose HQ is in US right after I graduate from university and have been working for the company or almost 9 years now. I started as a sales trainee and went through a one year training program in US, then spent 5+ years working as an account manager in China covering different customers. Two years ago, I transferred to my current Hong Kong-based role - a regional partner account manager managing a strategic service provider partner. I'm responsible for developing the partner's channel business in APAC, Greater China and Japan. I work with a virtual team of over 15 people across the region. I will be promoted the 4th time this October to the highest grade an individual contributor in the Sales organization can be.

My question is: out of the top 15, which schools do I have the best shot and which ones could be my stretch goal?

Thanks!
Felix

[Jon@Admissionado]

Well Felix, given your age and work experience, my first piece of advice would be for you to look into EMBA programs (if you are interested). At 32, you CAN still apply to regular MBA programs if you feel they are a better fit (and please feel free to elaborate your thought on this), but with 9 years experience, EMBA becomes more up your line, maybe. Depends on your goals too. So maybe you can elaborate on those as well??
Finally, what is your official title and how many people do you lead?

Also, which company are you working for? And would they be willing to sponsor you?

If you can write a bit more about yourself, I am sure I can advise you further.

[felix123]

Jon,

Thanks for getting back to me. I work for Cisco Systems.

It is for family reasons that I want to apply for a regular MBA: my fiancée is in US (she just finished her MBA this May) and plans to stay. So I need to find a US based job and move there. But without a MBA education, it's very difficult. Even within Cisco, cross continents transfer is not easy nowadays.

If I can find a job in US first, I will for sure do part-time MBA. But again, a chicken and egg situation - I probably won't get a job there without a MBA. I do plan to stay in high tech after the program but not in sales capacity. I'm considering strategy& planning/operations/product management etc.

And no, Cisco will not sponsor me. My title is Global Account Manager with no direct report. But I do have the overall responsibility of developing and executing the channel strategy of that strategic partner and I work with about 15 people from many different countries in the region on a regular basis - that's why I call them a virtual team: they don't report to me but we do work together to execute the strategies and plans that I lay out.

Your advice?

Thanks,
Felix

Well Felix, given your age and work experience, my first piece of advice would be for you to look into EMBA programs (if you are interested). At 32, you CAN still apply to regular MBA programs if you feel they are a better fit (and please feel free to elaborate your thought on this), but with 9 years experience, EMBA becomes more up your line, maybe. Depends on your goals too. So maybe you can elaborate on those as well??
Finally, what is your official title and how many people do you lead?

Also, which company are you working for? And would they be willing to sponsor you?

If you can write a bit more about yourself, I am sure I can advise you further.

[Jon@Admissionado]

Ok I got you. Now it all makes sense.



So my advice to you would be to apply to a variety of programs that have tech strengths (or that are geographically suitable, since anyhow this is your reason for moving). Keep in mind that your age is a wee bit of a disadvantage, and you may want to see how you can justify this (I mean from a professional perspective) when you apply.

Apply to Stanford (stretch) just because why not? (gotta dream, and who knows?) Haas, Tepper, Anderson for their tech strengths. Then for other Top 15 programs, I would simply suggest you choose the ones that you either like because of fit, or because which fit because of personal reasons (like location). Apply to more schools rather than less (esp. if this is a personal choice, you really don't want to wait one extra year, so apply to 10 schools rather than five if you can make the time).

[Jon@Admissionado]

And although Im sure you have already tried this, but before you do that you may want to use whatever leverage you have to get posted abroad. Or if that doesn't work, at least apply to a US position at Cisco with management's blessing.