Top tier?

[rcw]

Hi Stacy,

I recently took the GMAT with an eye towards a regionally respected program in the second tier of schools, and was blown away when I ended up with a 770. This has me thinking that I could work a few more years and take a shot at a top 10-15 program. Please let me know what you think.

Education - No-name state school
BS Computer Science - 3.15
MS Computer Science - 3.0

Work -
2 years as a "Software Solutions Engineer" for a mid-size (800 employee)software company.
I spend about half of my time as a billable consultant architecting and implementing custom software for large companies. The other half is spent working in prototyping and new product development. Overall, a real blend of business/tech. I often coordinate ad-hoc teams of 4-10 other consultants and developers, but have no potential to be formally promoted as I work directly for a company officer.

My job is infinitely spinnable for essay/interview purposes, and references would not be a problem, but I worry that my lackluster academics (and especially percieved low quality of my university) will be an obstacle if I decide to wait and shoot for top 10's.

As for extracurriculars. I have founded a small but profitable web based business, and nothing else.

So here are my questions -

1. Is it reasonable to expect that I could shoot for a top 10 given 2 more years of similar work experience.
2. If so what kind of extracirriculars would you recommend to beef up an application to a technology-focused top tier MBA program?

Thanks very much in advance.

[Stacy Blackman]

I think you could shoot for top 10. Here are some things to think about:
- Become involved with some sort of extracurricular activity that you are truly excited about and perhaps is linked to prior activities. The quality of what you do is more important than quantity, so try to take on a leadership role where you can make a real contribution.
- Since you will not be promoted, you will need to make sure that you show progression in your job in other ways - formal management, leading special projects, company recruiting and more. Your recs can also speak to the fact that you have progressed although were not promoted.
- What classes did you do poorly in? You might want to consider taking an outside business course to prove your academic abilities.
Good luck!