Mr. Corporate Monster

You’ve got a powerful story to tell here but there are also some potential landmines in your profile. A first generation college grad who got a full ride and then nailed it with high grades in a difficult subject–mechanical engineering–is super impressive. And your 750 GMAT rings the bell at Wharton or, for that matter, any business school. Plus, you have a master’s degree from Rutgers University and boast several impressive big wins in your professional background. But at the end of the day, Wharton only accepts about 22% of its applicants and you fall right into the most overrepresented part of the elite MBA applicant pool: An male Indian engineer. And while you got a full ride at Anna University, it’s not an IIT. So I fear my colleagues and the community have vastly overestimated your odds at Wharton. Don’t get me wrong: As a first generation college grad myself, I have the utmost admiration for all that you have accomplished. It seems to be that you have grabbed every opportunity you have earned and made the best of it. I would admit you in a second. But as is often said, when Wharton compares you to other Indian engineers in its pool who are from IIT, will they still like you more than them? I would. But they might not.

Your work experience spanning product development and process improvement should be very attractive the Wharton adcom. You are truly a “Corporate Monster.” And actually quantifying your results makes you a rare MBA candidate since many others are either too reluctant to do so or just unaware of how important this is. Your stated post-MBA goals are a logical yet challenging extension of what you already do. Smart move! Your undergrad major in ME, GPA, 750 GMAT and master’s degree are outstanding. Pro bono consulting, active sports and international exposure really round out your personal profile. With strong essays, recs and performance in the Wharton Team-based Discussion, they’d be crazy not to admit you! In fact, I’d probably add Harvard and Stanford to your target list. You’re the real deal.

Hello Mr. Corporate Monster! Thanks for posting! Krista Nannery from mbaMission here.
On the surface, I’d say “Wow! Great stats! Great work experience! Great ECs!” BUT I’ve learned in working your demographic that it’s important to understand the details. How many years of US work experience? How international is your exposure? What were your undergrad extracurriculars? How involved are you in the community today? To truly understand your chances at the top schools, these are the questions I’d want to delve into with you. I like that you have Cornell and Tepper on your list already — they seem like great, safe options. It’s harder to gauge the rest without knowing more about you and how unique you are compared to your competition. I know that’s probably not the answer you wanted to hear but I want to be very clear — you come from one of the toughest demographics out there. You need to stand out! I’m putting you at 30% because I think you have a slightly better acceptance change than the average at schools like Wharton and Booth.
Krista

Hello Corporate Monster – it’s Lisa Cummings from Stratus Admissions. Your numbers are solid and I like your quant heavy grad degree, hopefully you had a high GPA there as well. As others have noted, you will be in a very competitive part of the pool at your top choices. When I have worked with applications with similar stats in your demographic, we have focused heavily on work experience as a way to set the candidate apart. You have been innovative engineer and it has produced results. You will want to pull out details there. I suggest you choose a recommender who can discuss this impact as well to strengthen your case. More detail would be helpful to find other ways to make you stand out. I’s start with your volunteer work, Service Corps could be a good angle and I like that you have done pro- bono consulting given your interest in pivoting to consulting. You have a good list of schools here and if it’s not Wharton for you, Johnson or Tepper could be good fits given your profile.