Profile Evaluation, Extenuating Circumstances, Chances?

[rippersid]

A little about me.
25 ,
Indian M,
BS in Chemical Engineering from Purdue (2006),GPA 3.1.
For the past one and a half year, I've been back home, working for my parents. We have a family business.

So somewhere in the middle of this year, I decided to pursue an MBA. There were a lot of reasons as to why, but for this post, I will not delve into the real reasons.

On Monday (11/10) I gave my GMAT. Ended up with a 580 (V 28, Q 42).

I had a lot of health issues during the time I was preparing for the GMAT. I've been sick since February of this year, and have been running from one doctor to another, getting every part of my body scanned, poked, pierced etc etc. I was diagnosed with Anklyosing Spondilytis (AS)(an autoimmune disease) somewhere around March, then diagnosed with collagenous colitis ( a manifestation of the disease localized to the colon) in september, and I was recently diagnosed with steroid induced diabetes just 5 days before the test. My test report also showed a higher than normal levels of cholesterol. Too much going on with all the tests. I don't want to hold my health responsible, atleast I want to believe that this did not affect my performance, but I don't really know if it did get to me.

Unfortunately for me, AS is not a curable disease. It can only be controlled thru treatment like chemotherapy, and continuous physiotherapy. One more reason I need an MBA now rather than later is as the disease progresses, it has been shown to reduce mobility and cause tremendous joint pain. I've made up my mind that I want and I will get my MBA, and I won't let this stop me from living my dreams.

I know my GMAT is uncompetitive amongst the pool of indian applicants. I plan on taking it again on the 8th of Jan.
My question is : Is my GPA on the lower end, and together with the extenuating circumstances under which i took the GMAT a cause of concern? should I explain this in the optional essay, and if yes, how do I go about doing it?

I have clear goals as far as my post mba plans are concerned, and I think I am doing a decent job of stating why I need an MBA now rather than later (need to take the reins over sooner since my dad doesn't keep too well).
My short term MBA goals briefly include - working for a couple of years in the US to gain some experience and then returning back to India and applying what I've learnt to the family business, and trying to replicate the work culture.
My long term post MBA goals include taking our company public, starting a Carbon Nano Tube manufacturing facility, and starting up an import business amongst others.

I've worked for L'oreal for a year in NJ, and I had a short stint (4 months) in a start up in Long Island. Unfortunately I had to return to India because I did not get my H1B visa. In the short time I was with the start up I co authored 2 papers that appeared in a management magazine. Clearly my GMAT scores don't represent my true ability in either verbal or quant. I've had all A's in my undergrad calculus and quant courses.

Currently working for the family business, I am learning and applying MBA level techniques on my own to the business. These include but are not limited to sales forecasting and production scheduling, and I have done a lot to improve the general productivity of the manufacturing plant.

I have to get into a MBA program this year, and I want to know what is the best program I can possibly get into. Currently I am applying to the following schools (looking for entrepreneurship, operations and general management programs)

Ohio State University (Fisher)
University of Rochester (Simon)
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (Kenan-Flagler)
Purdue University (Krannert)
UC Davis
Georgia Tech
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
University of Washington (Foster)
University of Minnesotta (Carlson)
University of California - Irvine (Merage)
Penn State (Smeal)
University of Wisconsin Madison

Should I target some of the higher ranked schools and if so which ones, and what are my chances of getting in to these or the other top ranked schools?

Undergraduate Research:
Project Title: Adsorption Reversibility Tests of Proteins at the Air-Water Interface and Design of Lung Surfactants.
- Developed lung surfactant formulations for the treatment of Respiratory Distress Syndrome.
- Research considered for publication in Journal of Interfacial Science.

Publications:
o 2007. Tax Deductions Brighten Returns on Lighting Upgrades. Building Operating Management.
o 2007. Very Efficient HVAC Systems May Qualify for Tax Deductions. Building Operating Management.

Interests and Hobbies:
- Flying - slated to become a Private Pilot, reading management books, consulting friends on technology, trouble-shooting computers, composing electronic dance music, playing drums, traveling alone through Europe, running, bodybuilding.

Worked for a couple of months in France, and speak fair french.

Any advice, insight or suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Cheers,
Sid

[MBAApply]

First, take care and hope you get better.

However, if your medical condition will have a significant handicap on test day, I believe that you can arrange with the testing center for accomodations on the exam (i.e. longer time to complete it) - the most common conditions are learning disabilities such as dyslexia, ADD, eyesight issues, and so forth. If your medical condition can't get you an extension of time or accomodations on the exam, then unfortunately there's not a whole lot you can do or explain.

Keep in mind that a b-school application isn't a place to win sympathy points. I assume that's not what you're intending, but discussing your health problems in too much detail can backfire - because it can suggest that you're trying to get the adcom to feel sorry for you.

Anyhow, not sure what else I can say - you seem to be applying to a bunch of schools, and assuming you can do well in the applications, I'm sure you'll get into some.

Alex Chu
alex@mbaapply.com
www.mbaapply.com
http://mbaapply.blogspot.com

[rippersid]

Alex,
Firstly, I appreciate your concern.

Besides mentioning that I have a medical condition, I haven't delved into the details of the condition. What I've tried to do is use my fight against it as a means to support some of my personal attributes like dedication and perseverance. Hopefully, that shouldn't look like winning sympathy points. I plan on taking the GMAT on the 8th of this month. Lets see where I land up.

Any other pointers or advice is still more than welcome.

Appreciate your time.

Cheers,
Sid

First, take care and hope you get better.

However, if your medical condition will have a significant handicap on test day, I believe that you can arrange with the testing center for accomodations on the exam (i.e. longer time to complete it) - the most common conditions are learning disabilities such as dyslexia, ADD, eyesight issues, and so forth. If your medical condition can't get you an extension of time or accomodations on the exam, then unfortunately there's not a whole lot you can do or explain.

Keep in mind that a b-school application isn't a place to win sympathy points. I assume that's not what you're intending, but discussing your health problems in too much detail can backfire - because it can suggest that you're trying to get the adcom to feel sorry for you.

Anyhow, not sure what else I can say - you seem to be applying to a bunch of schools, and assuming you can do well in the applications, I'm sure you'll get into some.

Alex Chu
alex@mbaapply.com
www.mbaapply.com
http://mbaapply.blogspot.com