Young Indian Applicant-Need advice

[MyBiggestAmbition]

Hi! I'm Vamsi Krishna from Hyderabad, India.I follow this forum closely and this time I feel its my turn to ask for help.

A brief profile of mine:

X class:85%
+2:95%
Bachelors in Civil Engineering (Non IIT-JNTU Hyderabad):3.0 GPA
Work Ex:2 Years with India's No:1 construction & engineering firm and my profile is a techno-managerial one.Can boast of good work done in Hyderabad International Airport Project
Extra curricular:Nothing spectacular except for some participation in sports at undergrad level.
My mainstay would be my work experience.
GMAT score:700(Q:49,V:35) AWA:4.5.
I reported my scores to the full-time programs of the following schools.
1)Indiana University-Kelley School of Business
2)Purdue University-Krannert
3)Carnegie Mellon-Tepper
4)North Carolina-Kenan flagler
5)University of Texas (Austin)-Mccombs

I would like to hear from you whether I should go ahead with the application process or wait for one more year to add meat to my profile.If I can proceed with the application part, which of the above schools would be kind to me?

Thanks/Regards,
Vamsi Krishna P
Hyderabad.

[VP_MBA_Guru]

Hi -

You have good credentials for the schools mentioned below, but its hard to gauge your candidacy into these MBA programs based on profile/stats, as much of the decision is based on your essays, LORs, interview. That said - here is my feedback.

Overall, you are (unfortunately) in one of the most competitive applicant pool - Indians with IT/Engineering background. Therefore your biggest challenge is how to best differentiate yourself. What makes you different from the thousands of Indian applicants that will apply to the same schools with similar stats?

You might want to consider waiting another year. This year is shaping up to be one of the most competitive years to get into a top MBA program. Since you are young, you could wait another year - build more work experience, pick up some extra curricular activities and then apply again next year - after doing more research and applying in R1.

Regards,

NP

[MyBiggestAmbition]

Thanks for the reply Nikhil!
But on what basis do you define this year to be a tough one to get into the top programs ?
Will it ease a bit the next year?

Thanks/Regards,
Vamsi Krishna
Hyderabad.

[VP_MBA_Guru]

Hi -
Its widely known that in economic downturns, the number of MBA applicants goes up. Last year was very competitive and since the US economy hasnt gotten any better, most believe this year will be even more competitive.

In fact, check the following article:

https://www.bostonherald.com/business/ge ... iz_school/

Regarding next year, its difficult to say.. and based on what I mentioned above, I sure hope the US Economy gets better!!!

Regards,

NP