<profile eval>IndianMale - Semicondcutors(HighTech) -

[av.rakeshkumar]

Hello All,

Could anyone of you please evaluate my profile.I am targeting for 2014-2016 MBA program.

A brief abstract of my profile.
31 Yrs - Male - Semiconductor Engineering Background

Academics :
Bachelor of Engineering - Electrical Engineering , Osmania University, India

Grade :
8.1/10 - Top 5% University (University ranker) Year 2004

Haven't written GMAT yet, has been scoring consistently 740-760 in Mock tests.

Professional Experience:
7 Years - Semiconductor Industry.Currently working for a Top Semiconductor Industry in Bangalore,India
Responsibilities include a part of HDD and SSD Project Development and interaction with Customers based out of US,Japan or Korea.

1.5 Years - Computer Assembler & co-owner for a Computer Assembly Firm

Voluntary work :
- Worked for AkshayaPatra an NGO in India which serves mid-day Meal.

- Freelance Instructor at few Engineering colleges. Specialize in teaching Digital Electronics,Semiconductors and handle Engineering Projects.Coached around 5 teams with 4 members in each team till now.

- Was instrumental in setting up Semiconductor Lab in my Graduation College with funds from Alumni.

Why MBA ?
Working with my company's Customers on different products gave me a thorough knowledge about the product we manufacture.Being a development Engineer doesn't give me ample opportunities in learning the business,So I chose to do MBA.
I took many of my Company's directors (MBAs from Sloan,Haas etc) as my role models in building the motivation.

Target Schools :
HBS
MIT Sloan
Wharton
Kellogg

I have been discouraged by many for the risk involved in taking up MBA at this point of career (I'm 31!!) and targeting Top schools.Is it 'impossible' to get into Top schools at age 31 ?

Rakesh

[mbaMissionJenK]

Hi,

Thanks for posting. I wouldn't say 31 is too old... with 7 years of experience you are definitely on the higher end though and the sooner you apply the better in many cases, unless you consider in the future more of an executive type program, based on your experiences and goals etc. But most US programs have an average of 5 years of work experience. 7 isn't too far off from that. Some European programs have 6-7 years average, it just varies.

The schools on your list however are all pretty big 'reach' schools. I would encourage you to look more at schools ranked 10-20, with 1 or 2 in the top 10, for better chances. Also I'm not sure you articulated your post-MBA goals... these are crucial to your admission as well as may guide you to what exact schools are the best fit for you.

As an Indian IT/engineering applicant you will have to work hard to stand out from the crowd.... think about what makes YOU unique. What do you bring to the table that others do not? What key experiences do you have in leadership, teamwork, people and project management, communication skills, etc?

Finally keep in mind that the GMAT plays a big role too so be sure you DO score as high as possible and don't just assume it until it happens if that makes sense.