Ms. Software Engineer

Hi, this is Deepak Punwani from MBA Exchange. Great achievements in a short span of time. Congrats on a very good academic record and also on securing great internships with a consumer facing tech giant and also with a younger unicorn. Its great that you are looking at deferred programs. Maybe you could also add GSB to the list. If tech is where you are headed then a possible order of schools can be S/W/H/MIT/Haas. You have 3 out of these 5 on your list and curious if there is a reason for not having west coast schools on the list. With your stats, I wouldn’t advice looking at other schools as am guessing you should be able to get product / engineering roles once you complete the NIT / IIT degree. Then your opportunity cost doesn’t justify other schools. And look for schools which give you the ability to work for 2-4 years pre MBA. Allow the chaos in the job market to settle down as time is on your side. Execute well on showing the adcom that you have a balanced personality and that you will make a great addition to the class based on your worldview and other interests. You are in sweet spot for all schools on your list. Good luck.

Hi, it’s Nisha from mbaMission. You have an excellent profile for a 2+2/deferred MBA candidacy – strong academics at a top institution within a STEM major, substantial extracurricular leadership, and a great start to your professional career with the tech leader and startups. I think you’re a viable candidate for the programs you’re targeting – I’d also expand the list to the deferred programs that other top schools (such as Stanford, Kellogg, and Booth) are offering, because even for strong candidates, admissions can be a numbers game. To maximize your chances, I’d focus on strong application execution (compelling essays and securing excellent recommendations that attest to your exceptional potential), making a strong case for why each program is right for you based on its culture and resources within and outside of the classroom (this will require good research and talking to students/alumni) and explaining the motivations behind your career goals in technology based on your experiences/observations so far.

One important thing to note – even if for some reason the deferred MBA doesn’t work out, it won’t impact your chances of applying through the regular cycle in the future in any way. We’ve seen that a proportion of people who secure admission into top bschools were deferred candidates years prior. Best of luck to you!

Hi Ms. Software Engineer. This is Donna Bauman with Stratus Admissions weighing in on your profile. Congratulations on a very impressive undergraduate performance and excellent GMAT. That’s a powerful combination! It looks like you are a recent grad considering the deferred admit programs and your STEM background fits right into the sweet spot for this. I think you could be a compelling candidate for Wharton and I also think you should look at the increasing number of schools with this option – yes HBS and GSB and Sloan—but also look at Booth, Yale, Darden, CBS, Kellogg and Haas. It is a unique opportunity. Yale’s silver scholars program is the only one where you matriculate right away—otherwise you would work for 2-4 yrs before joining. I could see your profile being very attractive if your essays are also strong. The ball is in your court here and I encourage you to get busy submitting applications. Happy to talk to you further in a consult if you would like to talk further about this