Profile evaluation

[gautam.sao]

Hi,
I am 32 year old Indian male with diversified education & experiences.I did bachelor of engg in electronics & telecomm in 2003.and the Master of Technology in Nuclear Engg. in year 2007 from IIT Kanpur.I have very good academic record through out(CPI 8.0/10).I worked 4.5 Years in IT sector as a software developer and then switched to Energy sector and working in the field for past 2 years.Now I am planning to get an MBA as I feel MBA is the only way to enhance my skills and provide me a top notch place and role to work. I am targeting a GMAT Score 720+.can you please evaluate my profile.. among thousand of MBA aspirant where exactly I do stand?I am an ambitious guy and targeting only for top B schools in US/UK and my area of Interest are entrepreneur/General Management/Energy Sectors(open mind actually :))

Thanks,
Goutam

[mbamissionjenK]

Hi Goutam,

Thanks for posting. It sounds like you have a strong academic background with good grades and the masters in nuclear engineering and some solid experience, BUT you are part of SUCH a competitive applicant group (Indian IT & Engineering applicants), that it will be challenging to gain acceptance to a top-ranked program... not impossible, but challenging. Yes a 720+ GMAT score will be pretty much a requirement.

Your goal will be to brainstorm what about YOU is different... what makes you unique and who you are, what will you bring to the class that no one else will. And you'll want to particularly focus on things that differentiate from the typical IT/engineering applicant.. for example, showing leadership, people management, communication skills, extracurricular involvement and passion... those help show that you are 'more than just a technical guy', if that makes sense.

You'll also want a strong sense of WHY.... why you want the MBA, how your goals look shorter and longer term post-MBA... that can make a difference in a competitive environment.

As for schools, the Financial Times MBA ranking is a good place to get a general feel for reputation of US and UK schools internationally, though it's not set in stone as things change year to year. For the energy sector interest you may want to research Rice, Fuqua, Haas, McCombs, Warwick, Cranfield.

Good luck on the process!