Evaluation of profile for Fall'25

[aaddd]

I would be interested in applying for the Fall'25, targeting the top 10 programs and need evaluation of my profile. I will have almost 2 years of work ex by then. I am employed in a multinational consulting firm as a technical consultant where I work with a top-7 US based bank as my client and help them in their credit card portfolio. As of now, my work mostly revolves around SQL and building reports and dashboards.

Graduated in 2023 from a top 5 IIT in Chemical Engineering. Grade: 8.85. Edit- GRE Quant: 169

Courses taken for Math background: Transform Calculus, Numerical Solutions of Differential equations, Probability and Statistics, Linear Algebra and Matrices, Differential Equations and Complex variables, Economics. I have secured grade 'A' and above in all of the above except for Probability and Statistics where I secured 'B'.

Programming background:
Undergrad Courses: Programming and Data Structures, Big Data Processing, Machine Learning.
Projects and Internships: Did several data science related projects and internships in my undergrad.
I am comfortable with C++ and Python.

Finance background: No significant finance background. Completed two courses where I was taught some basic concepts such as different financial statements and several ratios to access profitability and liquidity.

Please give a feedback for my profile as well as what can I do to improve it.

 

[arohan]

From my experience with applications this year, the things that the adcoms are most concerned about are:
1. Mathematical and academic background (includes grades and alma mater).
2. Relevant work ex. (internships and/or full-time)
3. GRE Quant (more of a barrier to entry than something that would improve your profile. Anything below 167 can kill you but a 170 won’t really help you stand out).

You have 1 covered. 3 I would think would be manageable. 2 not so much. So, I’d suggest start working on having a clear goal in mind about what you wish to pursue after the masters, how your experience till now indicates your drive to move towards your career goal, and how the masters can help you achieve said goals. Leverage the Essays, SoP, and personal statement to drive this point home. And get some strong LoRs. I’d think you should get admits from top 10 schools with strong Essays, SoP, and LoR (although wouldn’t hurt adding in one or two safeties). For top 5, it’s a gamble even with the best of profiles.

 

[aaddd]

From my experience with applications this year, the things that the adcoms are most concerned about are:
1. Mathematical and academic background (includes grades and alma mater).
2. Relevant work ex. (internships and/or full-time)
3. GRE Quant (more of a barrier to entry than something that would improve your profile. Anything below 167 can kill you but a 170 won’t really help you stand out).

You have 1 covered. 3 I would think would be manageable. 2 not so much. So, I’d suggest start working on having a clear goal in mind about what you wish to pursue after the masters, how your experience till now indicates your drive to move towards your career goal, and how the masters can help you achieve said goals. Leverage the Essays, SoP, and personal statement to drive this point home. And get some strong LoRs. I’d think you should get admits from top 10 schools with strong Essays, SoP, and LoR (although wouldn’t hurt adding in one or two safeties). For top 5, it’s a gamble even with the best of profiles.

Thanks for the detailed response. I forgot to mention that I have a 169 quant score in GRE. Also, if you don't mind, can I DM you?

 

[arohan]

Thanks for the detailed response. I forgot to mention that I have a 169 quant score in GRE. Also, if you don't mind, can I DM you?

Sure. Feel free

 

[aaddd]

Sure. Feel free

Done!

 

[Yifeifu]

Overall a good profile, definitely possible to reach top 10 programs. I'm not sure what your GPA will be in a 4.0 scale. The thing you can improve is your work experience. Top programs, especially the top 4 (Baruch, Princeton, UCB and CMU) are looking for candidates who has strong QUANTITATIVE internships. Lack of finance background is not a problem.