This is a wonderful site. Thanks to the admissions consultants here, you guys have given me some extremely useful information.

Here's me:

Age: 29

Grad: PhD in Electrical Engineering from a top-5 US EE program (Univ. of Illinois, Urbana). GPA 3.9

Undergrad: India. GPA: 3.7

Work Ex: Two years (will be three by the time I start school), as a Quantitative Researcher/Trader at a Hedge Fund in New York
I also worked as a Research Assistant for 20 hrs per week all through graduate school. Does that count?
And do internships count? (full time, paid internships for 9 months)

GMAT: 750

Extracurricular (undergrad)
-Won a national debate competition. Captain of debate team.
-Won a national trivia quiz competetion
-Cultural Secretary of my college.

Extracurricular (grad)
-Graduate Mentor: Advised incoming students on coursework and research
Not much else :(, too busy in research.

Extrcurricular (job)
-Mostly voluntary work, in charitable organizations. And as a mentor for poor kids


Why MBA
I need to understand businesses in my work (Fundamental Analysis), not everything can be understood in terms of pure numbers. Nothing like business school for a good grounding in business and finance. Moreover, a lot of the jobs that I would get 'promoted' into require a business degree.




Questions
-Do I have a shot at a top-5 school (HBS, Wharton, GSB, Kellogg, Stanford)? There isn't any point for me to apply anywhere else: in the Hedge Fund industry, brand names count for a lot, and these 5 are well-noted.
-Will I fall into the "Indian Engineer" cliche? How can I position myself uniquely?
-Will the lack of work experience outside of school hurt me? Can I position my work as a Research Assistant in grad school for 5 years as relevant work experience?
-Should I wait another couple of years, get more experience, and then apply? Won't I be too old by then?


Thanks in advance![/list][/list]

If you want a shot at a top school (not just the schools you mentioned, but any of the top-16 to be honest), you need to focus on becoming more well rounded in your candidacy. Right now, you come across as a guy who is great with numbers, but whose ability to deal with people or anything outside the narrow world of finance and numbers is completely unknown - you have no real history showing that (your extracurriculars don't seem substantive enough to show that you're not just a numbers guy).

Of the schools you mentioned, the only one that is the most forgiving is Chicago -- and even then, given their quant reputation they'll have plenty of quant heads like yourself to choose from (and will more likely choose the more well rounded person). That's why I honestly think the top b-schools will be a stretch for you unless you can really ratchet down the "numbers geek" factor in your profile (plenty of Asian/Indian math geeks to choose from regardless of specific occupation, and adcoms will choose the least geekiest).

If you have the energy to apply this year, by all means give it a shot, but my recommendation is if you really want to improve your chances, get more involved outside of work somehow some way in some organized group activity.

Also, no they won't count your RA or internships as real full-time experience.

Alex Chu
alex@mbaapply.com
www.mbaapply.com
http://mbaapply.blogspot.com

Thanks a lot for the reply, your perspective really helps. A realistic view of my chances is extremely useful.

If I wait and apply for the 2010 school year, how can I 'tone down' the geek factor, and show that I'm good with people?
I volunteer whenever I can find time (because I enjoy contributing, not because its good for my resume), but this is mostly as a "contributor" than a leader.
Do you mean I should take positions of responsibility in the things I do outside of work, to show that I'm good with people?

Any other tips on toning down the 'geek' factor and coming across as a more 'well-rounded' person? I actually don't think I ever was a geek in real life, but my profile seems to indicate that, which I would like to fix.

Once again, thanks a lot for the help!

There's no quick fix to be honest.

To be a leader, you need others to follow you or to entrust you with leading them. And you only get to that point if you have the credibility or history with the people you're working with. You can't just walk in and proclaim yourself leader unless you have the experience to back it up.

From a practical standpoint, get involved in whatever it is that really interests you (other than something math-oriented haha) and go from there.

Beyond that, it also comes down to how you execute the application (essays, rec letters, and interviews).

Alex Chu
alex@mbaapply.com
www.mbaapply.com
http://mbaapply.blogspot.com

Thanks for the help.

It seems like I should re-evaluate whether even an year of working on 'non-geek' activities would be enough for me to have a shot at a top b-school. Perhaps more time is required, so maybe I should shoot for 2011, although there's the age factor to consider.

Thanks anyway!

If you really want to apply this year, by all means go for it - just keep your expectations realistic.

Worst case, you can just reapply next year (as opposed to being a first-time applicant next year) - and no, there is no disadvantage (or advantage) being a reapplicant.

Alex Chu
alex@mbaapply.com
www.mbaapply.com
http://mbaapply.blogspot.com