kartikdatwani wrote:
Hey
Thank you Jon for such an honest reply. Almost all the consultants I've talked to, so far, have encouraged me to apply this year. One consultant even went to the extent of telling me that I'm not a part of the "Indian-IT-Male" demographic, hence, my chances are pretty good for the above mentioned schools. From my study for the Critical Reasoning section of the GMAT, I know that this line of reasoning is faulty and specious![:wink:]( "Wink")
![:wink:]( "Wink")
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I will take your advise to broaden my search in order to determine whether Anderson and Tepper will be great for me.
Would you say it is advisable to apply this year to a few of the schools - from the list - in which my chances are at least good if not worse? I understand that I am from a VERY competitive pool, keeping that in mind which schools from the list do you suggest I apply to this year?
Also, as you've said I too believe that I have ample opportunity to improve my volunteer work, but I am confused about the contribution of volunteer work to the strength of the application. Can it be the make or break decision point for the Adcom? Also, which kind of volunteer work gets the most attention from the Adcom?
[I understand this question is against the spirit of volunteer work but each one of us is selfish, and that's what makes us human![:(]( "Sad")
![:(]( "Sad")
]
Please answer these follow up questions.
I really appreciate your reply. I can't stress enough about how lost I am at this juncture of time. Your reply comes as a relief.
Thank you Jon for such an honest reply. Almost all the consultants I've talked to, so far, have encouraged me to apply this year. One consultant even went to the extent of telling me that I'm not a part of the "Indian-IT-Male" demographic, hence, my chances are pretty good for the above mentioned schools. From my study for the Critical Reasoning section of the GMAT, I know that this line of reasoning is faulty and specious
. I will take your advise to broaden my search in order to determine whether Anderson and Tepper will be great for me.
Would you say it is advisable to apply this year to a few of the schools - from the list - in which my chances are at least good if not worse? I understand that I am from a VERY competitive pool, keeping that in mind which schools from the list do you suggest I apply to this year?
Also, as you've said I too believe that I have ample opportunity to improve my volunteer work, but I am confused about the contribution of volunteer work to the strength of the application. Can it be the make or break decision point for the Adcom? Also, which kind of volunteer work gets the most attention from the Adcom?
[I understand this question is against the spirit of volunteer work but each one of us is selfish, and that's what makes us human
]Please answer these follow up questions.
I really appreciate your reply. I can't stress enough about how lost I am at this juncture of time. Your reply comes as a relief.
You got it my friend,
Well I do try and tell it like it is.
Again I think you CAN apply this year, because you have a good profile, BUT I think next year is better because 1. You can get that extra boost of work experience 2. You can improve the few things to improve 3. You can begin your applications not at the end of August, but at the beginning of July. I don't know about this whole you "not being an Indian Tech Male guy"... I can see why you got a high score on the GMAT But again this decision should probably be taken in consideration of personal/professional circumstances of which I am totally ignorant, so I defer to you there, dude.
As for applying to SOME of the schools this year - TERRIBLE idea! I'm serious. If you apply, you go all out. Because otherwise then you will have doubts about "oh, what if I applied there" or you will have regrets "I should have applied there..." The best way to apply is to all the schools you want to in R1. It's the safest, gives you the most time to react, and the best potential for scholarships. So of you decide to apply this year, go all out!
As for the volunteer work, you are right that if you "progress a bit" in volunteer work, it won't help THAT much, BUT if you do something of a totally different order (I mean run some fund-raising for a big NGO.. say the Red Cross... found your own NGO, get some massive leadership experience, get some managerial position is some important NGO, yes it can help a LOT. You have a great profile, and what differentiates a GREAT profile from a FANTASTIC one is all the extra stuff. The best candidates not only do well in work and school, but are involved in an almost inhuman amount of other activities (volunteer, social, religious, politics, extra currics) and that makes them really stand out. Aim for making a big impact on the organizational level, and that will really help!
And I hope this post helps too...