Mr. Fuel Cell Research

Hi, it’s Nisha from mbaMission! I think it’s great that you are thinking ahead about graduate school (too many decide to apply at the last minute). However, you are relatively early in your career at under 2.5 years of work experience, so you’ll likely be a stronger candidate a year or more down the road, especially at a top program like the ones you’re targeting. In the meantime, I’d 1. continue making your mark in your PM role, particularly in the area of leadership (which is of utmost importance to bschools), and 2. retake the GRE for a stronger score (for the schools you are targeting, I’d go for a 164+ on both the Q and V sections). Also, you’d mentioned “Machine Learning Powered Fuel Cell Research” under Extracurriculars – is that a formal involvement? Continued impact in this area also will strengthen your profile for when you are ready to apply, especially if it has involved heavy collaboration with/leadership of other people (since teamwork and leadership are valued so highly by business schools).

Over the next year or two, I would also look into other MBA programs that are strong for product management. Kellogg, Haas, and Michigan are just a few that come to mind because of their strong connections in tech.

Hope that helps a bit – best of luck!

Hi, it’s Jennifer Jackson from Stratus Admissions. I like your experience in engineering and product management but with a softer GPA and GRE (I don’t know the breakdown but the overall is lower than a top school would be looking for), top schools like HBS and MIT will be very big stretches for you. You’re also on the lighter side of work experience and would probably benefit from another year or two of work experience. I can’t tell too much from your extracurricular as far as your role, your level of involvement, etc., but it does look interesting! I also like chemical engineering/systems engineering as a background for an MBA because it’s a little more old-school and will stand out more than it did 20 years ago. Paired with product management and tech, you’ll have some great experience. Just be sure to explain the WHY MBA really clearly. What gaps do you have now in your skillset that only an MBA can fill in order for you to reach your goals? I would also encourage you to think outside the Top 5 and Top 10 programs because there are fantastic programs with amazing career resources sitting in the Top 15 and Top 20-25 schools as well. You sound enthusiastic and ready to learn — I wish you lots of luck!