Early applicant - Profile Evaluation Please

[vchivuku]

Getting started with R2 applications.. Kindly evaluate my profile for my target schools

BS (03-07) Mechanical Engg (Premier Institute in India) GPA: 9.15 (Rank: 1/90)
MS (07-09) Mechanical Engg (Top 10 Colleges in US) GPA: 4.0
GMAT: 730(Q 50, V 39, AWA 5.0)
Work Experience: 2 yrs (by the time I join MBA) in a fortune 500 company in US with a big brand name. Work duties were into design optimization, mechanical analysis and cost reduction. Have a Six Sigma Green Belt certification too. Received an employee appreciation award within a year.

Other experiences: Few internships in big companies, journal and conference publications and a patent.. Not sure if any of these count!

Extra curricular: Was very active in few technical (headed one too) and a community service club in undergrad ...also, currently involved in local community service projects..

Interest in MBA:
Having a strong technical background with bachelors, masters and industry experience, I am planning to focus on technology/innovation and organizational management .
Target Schools: Yale, Kellogg, Stanford, Ross, UCLA Anderson, CMU Tepper, Univ of Virginia Darden

While most of the people I talked to suggested me not to apply this yr, I feel that my current job (which is purely technical) would not provide any major value addition in terms of where I want to be by working extra couple of years. Just my thought!

Do I stand a chance at my any of my target schools with my profile and limited work exp?
Would it drastically effect my reapplication in case I get a reject from all the places?

Thanks in advance!

[mbamission]

Hi vchivuku,

Thanks for writing in and sharing those details. You clearly have very strong academic credentials but I also share the concern of the others that your work experience is a bit slim at this point. Instead of viewing another year or two in your job as more of the same skills, you can use that time to demonstrate leadership and try and work on new projects that will help you reach your post-MBA goals. And if those opportunities don't exist at your job, then you can use the time to work on leadership and new skills in your community.

If you do go through and apply this year, you'll want to explain why you are seeking an MBA now, and why another 1-2 years of experience will not beneficial.

If you do apply and get rejected, when you re-apply the following year you'll have to show what has changed in your application since you first applied. This can be difficult to demonstrate, and should be a consideration when deciding whether or not to apply this year.

Good luck!
Daniel Richards
http://www.mbamission.com

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[vchivuku]

Thanks you so much for your inputs Daniel. I was thinking that the community service roles I can participate in would be similar to what most of the other applicants would to and be mentioning. And I already have been doing such work from the past year. Also, the additional work experience would involve me in a couple of other projects but of the same technical nature. Had I been explaining my work to a technical audience, I will be able to explain how each project is different from the other or the different technical skills involved. But, when addressing to a general audience (in my mba essays) I will have to admit that I was working in the same role and in similar nature of work.

Here's one question/confusion I have. Do you think my work exp of 2 yrs instead of the common 3 or 4 yrs itself would carry a negative impression and that itself could be the grounds for rejection. In other words, would the adcom strongly believe that someone with 2 yrs or work exp would not have clarity regarding what he wants to do?

Would be very grateful if you can comment on the above..

Thanks

[mbamission]

Hi again,

As a general trend, schools are becoming more receptive to younger candidates with 1-2 years experience, or even straight out of college. While it is unlikely this would be automatic grounds for rejection, your minimal work experience will likely get noticed. From there the onus is on you to prove that there is a reason for the schools to accept you this year, and not in another 1-2 years. Good luck!

Daniel Richards
http://www.mbamission.com

Read the mbaMission Insider's Guides (14 individual school titles)

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