Some help please! Opinion on profile and choice of schools.

[singhamit2204]

Hi,
I have already given my GMAT and am currently in the essay writing phase. Any suggestion/tip/advice is highly solicited.

Schools aiming for in order of preference(my reason in bracket) :
LBS(global leadership, very strong in consulting, Presence in London),
HBS(general management and leadership focus, Case Based method and plus its HARVARD :) ),
Insead(Very Very Strong Alumni NW in Consulting, 1 yr course, access to Australia via singapore campus),
Cambridge(1 yr, strong in consulting, lots of hands on consulting experience due to vicinity to entrepreneurial hub of cambridge) and
ISB(being an Indian, ISB is a natural choice :) ).
Will consider Stanford, Sloan and Tuck later.

Interested in Consulting(Management/Strategy) no interest in finance(though I have no pre-conceived notions, I've heard MBA can do funny things to you :) )

Gave GMAT last week : 730(96 %ile) Quant 50(93 %ile), Verbal 38(83 %ile). I know, not the strongest score, but will have to suffice.

Above Average Acads
(High School)10th:81.2%,
(Intermediate college)12th:88%,
Engg from BIT:81.5%(3.5/3.6)).
Very strong extra curricular(Long list of certificates in Debate, Elocution, Dramatic(Acting/Directing plays in school and college)......).
Avg in Sports(Table Tennis, new found fascination for Golf)

Social Contribution: Have done a lot of teaching(Pro Bono of course) as a kid, in college and also while at work. Even now I teach the kids of my Brazilian and Romanian colleagues. Strongly believe education is the stepping stone to success. Dont find the idea of giving out stuff for free appealing. so not too much in favor of giving out food for the needy, kind of social service. Sorry!

WorkEx : got 3 yrs of workex now and I am going to apply for Fall 2010.
I am 25 now... will be 26 by the time I join next year!
Started off as a good Indian in the SW business. Got placed straight out of college and I have been exploring opportunities withing the company since. I am still working for the same company but in a consulting division.
1. While in India, serviced Vodafone Germany as tech architect(Steady progress, first in entire batch to be promoted(In India, batches are BIG :) )).
2. Consulting exp in Australia(3 months then came back to India for a little while)
3. Currently SW/Business Consulting for Telia Sonera in Norway. Job was hosted on companies internal portal for guy with 7 yrs exp. Very challenging profile. I applied for it anyway and got lucky as some other guy with my name applied for it and I got interviewed by mistake... that went well, so I am here he is not :)

Got top grades in every evaluation so all in all, workex is good.

Need suggestions on
1. Choice of schools. Is it comprehensive or have I missed out on some schools I should be considering? I am not too much into "I wanna go to the US" so that is not my criteria. I am looking for international leadership position and US schools dont figure high on that!
2. Word limit in the essays is killing me. Should I focus on more number of accomplishments and leave them open ended to be discussed in interviews(If I land one) or should I take one or two accomplishments and furnish them with excruciating detail?
3. Recommendation letter: One is a supervisor from my company and the other one from the Client manager. I can go higher up in the client corporate echelons if need be. Should I get recos from the CTO or the manager is good?
4. Points that you think I should highlight in my Essay that could help bolster my candidature.
5. My package is substantially high(exceeding 6 digits American), should I allude to this in my essays? I have to specify that in the application anyway, but my question is, will pointing to it sound corny?

Thanks a lot in Advance!

[mbamission]

Hi, thanks for your inquiry and for the detailed background. Let me address your questions one at a time:

1. I do think it's a reasonable list of schools. You are in an over-represented demographic but I see no significant weaknesses in your profile that would prevent you from being competitive at them.

2. Word limits are really hard, but do your best to stick to them. (For US schools you can go over by around 5% on a couple if necessary but the non-US schools tend to be stricter). I would focus on a broad theme, using 1-2 examples that support that theme. There's no need to go into "excruciating detail" on the specifics of the project; the schools are more interested in challenges you faced and overcame, your thought process, leadership you displayed, and your lessons learned. If you think in terms of theme with supporting evidence rather than stories, that may help.

3. The best recommendations are from people senior to you who know you extremely well. A recommendation from the most senior person in the company who has only met you in a few meetings will be far less effective than a rec from someone one level up who has worked with you daily. If the most senior person can also write a detailed and compelling recommendation and has time to write many, it's fine to ask them. But don't prioritize seniority over relationship to you.

4. this one is vague! But stress leadership, decision-making, increasing responsibility, thought processes, international exposure and clear goals. It's hard to be more specific without going into every essay question! But be sure that each application shows you as well rounded - don't just focus on work experiences for example.

5. I don't think mentioning the salary other than where they ask for it will add anything particularly.

Best of luck

Jessica Shklar
MBA Mission
646-485-8844

Website: www.mbamission.com
Blog: www.mbamission.com/blog

[singhamit2204]

Thanks a lot Jessica. That was very insightful!
I really appreciate it.

and thanks for your wishes too... I hope they come true :)

Cheers!
Amit