Peofile Evaluation : 760 GMAT, 3 years IT exp., Indian

[apurv.nitham]

Dear Manhattan Team,
Please help with the profile evaluation and prospective school to apply for Fall 2014 admission. My profile details are as below :
-760 GMAT (51Q,41V) June 2013, (660 first attempt, Sep2012).
-Indian Male, Age 24.
-AWA 4.5 and IR 4 . Surprising low IR .First attempt it was 7.
-8.24 Undergrad CGPA (american eq. CGA of 3.9-4.0 )
-2 years experience currently(3 at time of admission). in IT division of Large Indian Conglomerate and decent career progression with 2 promotions. Manager level employment currently.
-Above par Extracurricular involvements at college and school(captaining a sports team , organising college festivals etc..).
-Social Initiative : Founded a mid sized charity for underprivliged children and managing the same
-International Exposure : 4 month Internship at Stuttgart,Germany in a University funded research Project.

Scores submitted to (at the time of test ):
1. Columbia Business School
2. HEC Paris
3. Stern Business School , NYU
4.UCLA Anderson
5.Booth Business School Chicago.

P.S : pls address my concern over relatively low IR score and scholarship possibilities.

[mbamissionjenK]

Hi there,

Thanks for sharing your profile, and congrats on an outstanding GMAT score. Your GMAT score will be above average which is a plus; in many other ways your profile is fairly common though-- there are many applicants from India with IT experiences, some extracurriculars, and a handful of years of work experience.

What you will need to do is focus on determining what is it about YOU that is unique and what you will bring to the program. How are you different, in terms of professional and non-professional experiences and traits and abilities, from the rest of the applicant pool?

Your mention of 'founding and managing a charity for children' could be a unique and interesting experience to discuss, especially if you can support it and explain your rationale and honest passion for the project, etc. You'll also want to detail your goals and plans, how the MBA fits in and why now, and why each particular program you apply to is right for you.

In terms of the IR score, yours did seem low given the other scores, but the IR is still 'young' and schools are still learning how best to use and interpret it. So while a 5 or above would be ideal, in most cases it won't be as much of a deal-breaker as the rest of your application (i.e. no matter what your IR score, if you don't convince the admissions committee that you have a lot to bring to the program, you would not be offered a place... but if you demonstrated exceptional character and skills and experiences, a lower-than-desired IR could be overlooked).

As for scholarships, it is good to keep in mind that scholarships are not as common in the b-school world as say, US undergrad programs or even some other graduate degree programs, and those that are offered are for the most competitive applicants. The majority of b-school students finance their education with low-interest loans for education that they pay off with their post-MBA salaries. Anything is possible but I wouldn't bank on scholarships per se. To learn more, contact specific schools and ask about their scholarship offerings.

Let us know what additional questions you have and how else we can help! Good luck to you.

Jennifer Kedrowski
MBA Admissions Consultant
http://www.mbamission.com
jen@mbamission.com

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[apurv.nitham]

Thanks for the reply. Any other opinion from someone ?.