Please give opinion about my profile

[Brighttemples]

Hello
I have recently given gmat and scored 680 (quite disappointing, i think). The break up is Q47/V37.
Here is a snapshot of my other profile and credentials:
BE-Mechanical Engineering 2003-- GPA 3.6
MS-Mechanical Engineering - 2005 from the US (University of New Mexico, Albuquerque). GPA 3.91.
I have research experience of 2.5yrs during my masters and have published a couple of journal papers.
After masters, I have worked in the R&D division of fortune 500 company in the US for 5.5yrs. Since last 2years I am working as a R&D manager in a product and technology development division in India.
This makes it a total of 2.5yrs of part-time experience (In UNM) and 7.5yrs of full time work experience (out of which 5.5 is in the US).
Just a note: All of my work experience has been in research and development and in the broad area of mechanical engineering.

Other details:
Age:31
Nationality:Indian

I wish to get a business degree to enhance my R&D and innovation experience into the area of innovation management and innovation strategy. In future I will like to work as a consultant in the area of innovation and business strategy.

I am predominantly interested in a one year MBA, however will have to consider a few 2yr programs since most of the schools in the US dont have a 1yr full time MBA program.

My target schools are
ISB and IIM Ahmedabad
INSEAD
NUS and NTU
Tepper School of Management
Sloan School of Management
Booth
Any top business school in Australia may be.

Would you be able to recommend any other top business schools that I could apply which will help me in innovation management, business strategy and consulting.
Any advise, insight or opinion about my chances of getting into such programs will be much appreciated. Also, i will like to get an insight about my GMAT score and if it is a deal breaker.

Thoughts please. thank you.

Bright!

[mbamissionjenK]

Hi there,

Thanks for sharing your profile. You should have a chance at the schools on your list, but it will be more difficult at the current GMAT level... if you've only taken it once, you may want to consider re-taking. In fact since schools take the highest score, some admissions reps may even wonder why you DIDN'T try once more. With an Indian IT/engineering profile, you'll want a higher score if possible as there are so many applicants with that profile. You would also really need to stand out with your essays and showing what you'll bring to the class that is unique.

In terms of other one-year programs, you may want to research Judge (Cambridge) and Said (Oxford). With all of your experience, a 1-year does sound like it makes sense, and you may even want to look into EMBAs as a few programs only require 5-7 years of experience... though most likely a regular MBA will be best suited though you'll start to be on the more-experienced end of applicants, so you want to reassure in your application that you truly NEED the MBA for your goals.

Good luck to you!

[Brighttemples]

Thanks Jennifer for your reply and suggestions. I may think abt taking the gmat again. I will also look at the schools you have suggested.
However, just so you know, I am not from an IT background (neither is my education, nor is my work experience). I am not sure how much difference that makes in "standing out".

Secondly, knowing how the world economy is doing, do you think its better to go to business school in singapore, india or australia. Esp. since europe economy is not doing good and finding a job in the US is always tough. Could you throw some light on this? Also, any recommendations with respect to australian business schools?

Thanks!

[mbamissionjenK]

Hi there,

Apologies for incorrectly including IT along with engineering when I described the common applicant profile; I believe I saw the 'technology division' mention in what you described though I realize you are engineering. Unfortunately Indian applicants with engineering backgrounds are also extremely common, and with both scenarios the challenge is to show that you are more than just a "technical/numbers/analytical guy" (girl?? not sure you mentioned) ;). Anything you can do to highlight people skills, communication skills, leadership, teamwork, people management, etc will help show that you are more than just quantitatively skilled, and that you will bring more to the class/program, and helps you stand out from other applicants with similar backgrounds. The essays will be where you will do this primarily.

In terms of what country to go to b-school in, you may want to think most about what country you'd like to work in afterwards. You can of course go anywhere and work anywhere, BUT it will be EVEN EASIER to make contacts in the country you are studying in! Just think how much easier it will be to do research, learn about local companies and opportunities, apply to jobs in person, etc, and there will be more local networks. In terms of just what b-schools around the world are generally most reputable, outside the US the most commonly-cited rankings are the Financial Times MBA rankings, taken with a grain of salt as they vary year by year, but especially programs who have been consistently high-ranked here tend to be most well known globally. It also lists average salaries etc. http://rankings.ft.com/businessschoolra ... nking-2013

In terms of Australia, the 2 most well known are AGSM and Melbourne, fyi.

Hope that helps!