Hi Deepa,
While the caliber of the undergrad institution does play in, it only does so much. In other words, it would help equalize someone with a 3.2 at a really difficult school with an applicant who has a 3.5/3.6 at a lesser ranked program. And while it will help you, it can only help so much. Keep in mind, schools look at the GPA and GMAT to do two things. For one, it impacts rankings so schools do care about how you affect the average, Secondly, they want to know you can handle the academic rigor of an MBA. The requirements in a PT program are generally lower than a FT program so that will help! I'm not saying it's going to kill your application, merely that it will take a concerted effort to put forward a story that lets the adcom know you've got what it takes to handle their program.
As for programs, I believe you're interested in programs regionally located close to you? In which case Haas and UCLA are great options. If you're willing to travel, Kellogg has a fantastic PT program that could really help you make the switch to product management, etc. I know certain BUs within IBM are open to their employees relocating and potentially even offering tuition assistance so it's worth a shot. You could also add Ross to that list for the same reason.
Bhavik
While the caliber of the undergrad institution does play in, it only does so much. In other words, it would help equalize someone with a 3.2 at a really difficult school with an applicant who has a 3.5/3.6 at a lesser ranked program. And while it will help you, it can only help so much. Keep in mind, schools look at the GPA and GMAT to do two things. For one, it impacts rankings so schools do care about how you affect the average, Secondly, they want to know you can handle the academic rigor of an MBA. The requirements in a PT program are generally lower than a FT program so that will help! I'm not saying it's going to kill your application, merely that it will take a concerted effort to put forward a story that lets the adcom know you've got what it takes to handle their program.
As for programs, I believe you're interested in programs regionally located close to you? In which case Haas and UCLA are great options. If you're willing to travel, Kellogg has a fantastic PT program that could really help you make the switch to product management, etc. I know certain BUs within IBM are open to their employees relocating and potentially even offering tuition assistance so it's worth a shot. You could also add Ross to that list for the same reason.
Bhavik