Evaluation for top 15 MBA programs

[namit.joshi.ncsu]

Hi mba mission

Few details about me:
GMAT : 700 ( Q50, V34, AWA 6.0)
BE Engineering (Univ of Mumbai, India)
Masters In Engineering, 2007 (NC State Univ, USA) (GPA:3.53)
Working : Software Engineering role @Cisco, USA for 3 years

Additional:
Chicago Booth -a month Business Scholar Program

Some non-profit work exhibiting leadership, but generally weak on non-profit work
Major Leadership experiences only at work at Cisco

I understand detailed profile review is necessary, but in general-

Can you please suggest which MBA programs should I target ?

My analysis has narrowed my focus to following 7 schools-
Chicago Booth
UCLA
UC Berkeley
MIT
Duke
Michigan Ross
Tuck

I plan to apply to only 3 among above schools, so please provide some insights on which 3 schools should I consider that will be realistic with my profile.

Thanks...

[mbamission]

Hi Namit,

Thanks for writing. You are going to have to work hard to break out of the Indian IT cohort, so I suggest looking for differentiation points in your profile wherever you can find them, such as leadership at work or in the community. From your list, I would target MIT, Chicago Booth and Duke.

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

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[namit.joshi.ncsu]

Hello Daniel

Thanks for your suggestion.
Chicago Booth, MIT and Duke sound 3 solid schools.

2 Important questions-
1- I have started with UCLA applications, so far. How would you judge UCLA for my profile ?
If yes , then which school among 3 above could be substituted for UCLA ?
If no ( meaning - not suitable among good 3 schools in my previous list), I haven't invested a lot of resources (> 3 days) yet and can cancel out UCLA.

2- Stacey, from Manhattan GMAT, referenced that mba mission will be a perfect place to ask opinion on GMAT scores
My GMAT distribution is
700 (scaled score) , Q 50 and V 34 AWA 6.0/6.0
Should I be considering retaking GMAT targeting above schools ?

Thanks Daniel

[mbamission]

Hi again,

UCLA seems like a reasonable choice when compared to the others, I was only evaluating based on the schools originally provided. I think it would be most comparable to Duke from those three, if you're looking to swap target schools.

A 700 is a competitive score for the schools we're talking about, although if your practice tests indicate you can raise the score slightly, or at least balance the distribution between quant and verbal more, you may want to consider taking the GMAT again.

As I mentioned before, I think the primary area you should focus on is differentiation. You will want to clearly state why you are seeking an MBA (especially since it is a second graduate degree for you), and why you are looking to transition away from engineering.

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

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Visit the mbaMission Blog

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