Indian male, Non-IT; should I apply in round 3?

[TAgg]

Hello,

I am looking to apply to - UNC Kenan-Flagler, UCLA, Ross, Fuqua, Darden, Tepper.

I have 2 questions -
1) Would you advise against applying to round 3 (considering I come from an over represented pool)?
2) Have I targeted the right schools considering my profile (below)? Please let me what other schools I can apply to.

Here's a brief description of my profile.

Indian male, 26, Non-IT


1) Brief description of my full-time work experience.
Nearly 4 years of work experience at an Indian EPC firm. Currently working as Manager (promoted straight from deputy manager to manager). Part of a program where all my peers were from the IITs. Excelled in that competitive group and promoted twice (with a double promotion) in a span of 3 years

2) GMAT - 730 (96th percentile) (Q-50, V-39)

3)College info:
College - Delhi College of Engineering (Univ. of Delhi)
Percentage - 78.08% (among top 10 of class); 3.84 (as per WES iGPA, unofficial)
Major - Electrical engineering
Grad. year - 2011

4) Extra-curriculars:
-Monthly contributor to UNICEF and Save the Children monetary fund since 2012. Additionally provide support to NGOs working for medical treatment of children from underprivileged families.
-Presently fundraising to provide blankets for the homeless braving Delhi winter; have collected enough funds for 275 blankets and counting - 2014
-Provided pro-bono technical consulting to a startup working to install small capacity solar panels on individual rooftops
-Made it to the penultimate 6 of the Hindu-Hitachi scholarship - a national level scholarship in collaboration with Hitachi, Japan - 2014

5) Post-MBA goal:
Short term - General management and strategy role in the power sector
Med/Long Term - Venture into alternate energy sector, leading position in the energy sector, to work towards the development of energy (fossil + alternative) in India.

Thank you for your time.

[Jon@Admissionado]

Hey there,
So the first question is WHY do you want to apply R3? I mean, both for you AND for the Adcom, unless you have a really really good reason it makes no sense - besides coming from an overrepresented pool, there are few if any spaces left, you might run into Visa problems, and you will have to compromise on schools (meaning you will get into a less good school than you normally could). Now that doesn't mean that it's impossible to have really good reasons to do so, but just be sure that your only reason is not "Because I'm in a rush." It won't work out well.

Otherwise, speaking let's have a look at your profile.

The good stuff:
- Your direct promotion
- Your managerial role.
- Non-IT!!!
- Good Volunteer work
- Excellent GMAT


The challenges:
- Non-IIT
- So-so grades
- Still a tough applicant pool

So, basically there are some challenges there which will make Top 10 schools a bit tough (although you can and should have one or two on your list). Overall, I like your school list. It's a good mix between realistic and ambition, and any one of those schools will give you the career boost you are looking for.

Juuuuust be a bit patient, and wait till R1 next year. It'll also give you pleeeenty of time to make totally perfect essays and applications, and that alone is worth a lot.

Best,
Jon