Take a look at http://www.find-mba.com/board/27082

There's a lot of good schools that might fit your profile, especially if your GMAT score lands on the top part of that range.

Maybe consider targeting a reach school, like Duke - Fuqua or Cornell - Johnson, where admissions will probably be a little more competitive than the schools you mentioned. These programs will generally give you a better alumni network and career services, so they'd be at least worth applying to.

Also, there might be specialized program that would be specifically relevant to your career goal of working in your family business. Columbia has some family business MBA curriculum. Likewise, UNC Kenan-Flagler has a dedicated family business center as well as a handful of associated electives.

You might consider checking out an online Executive MBA from the Jack Welch Management Institute -- it's the only MBA personally developed by CEO Jack Welch and designed to give you winning business skills that you can apply immediately.

I think you'll find that Jack Welch stopped being a CEO in 2001. The idea that the programme is personally developed by him is great marketing, but his involvement seems to be limited to videos. The Institute is part of for-profit Strayer: See: http://www.gocomics.com/doonesbury/2012/08/09

<blockquote>You might consider checking out an online Executive MBA from the Jack Welch Management Institute -- it's the only MBA personally developed by CEO Jack Welch and designed to give you winning business skills that you can apply immediately.
</blockquote>
I'd personally strongly advise against this program, especially if you are considering ranked programs like Anderson, Rutgers, etc.

As Duncan mentioned, Strayer is a for-profit institution, which is rarely a good sign.

Thanks for your advice.

Is there anything I can do to set myself apart from others with similar profiles to mine?

Volunteer. Learn a second European language. Learn to dance. Lead a sports team. Have some fun.

Write something, volunteer for the obama campaign team, climb mountain, go to tibet, visit israel and palestine, eat snake

lots of exotic things to do my man

<blockquote>eat snake</blockquote>
That's an application essay that I'd read!

In all seriousness, I'd imagine that your goal should be to stand out from the pack. Many applicants from India have a strong background in engineering or technology - so if your career is not in these areas, this would set you apart.

Other than that, there's a lot of good advice in this thread: highlight your involvement in clubs, your volunteer commitments, or other community activities that have led to the betterment of your community.

The one thing I'd stress is that you don't want to start joining clubs and volunteering right when you start applying. Adcomms want to see long-term commitments and established interests, rather than activities that are transparently undertaken just because you want an MBA.

Well, my family's business is in shipping and receiving - and I'm involved on the logistics end - so I guess that will set up a bit apart from other, similar students.

I've also been regularly volunteering with an NGO that coordinates the provision of clean water to rural residents, so I'll mention that in my applications.

What about the fact that I play on a local cricket team? We're actually quite good, if it helps.

Well, your logistics background might set you apart from the more technology-heavy students that tend to come out of India. And the NGO experience could further round out your profile.

Although a general MBA from a top school is a good option, you might want to take a close look at programs that are strong in logistics or supply chain management, if you want to drill down a bit more in your functional area. A couple of schools you might want to look at, depending on your GMAT:

Pennsylvania State - Smeal
MIT - Sloan (they have a great dual-degree MBA/MSc in global operations that might interest you)
Wisconsin

Thanks for the insight. I checked out the MIT Sloan MBA program, and it looks great - especially because of its specialized supply chain and logistics elective offerings.

Just one problem: my GMAT is only 700, which I think is low for this program. What do you think my chances are? Is this a "reach" school for me?

Sloan would be a reach school for you - the average GMAT tends to be between 710 and 720 - and it's a very competitive school.

With this GMAT score, Duke - Fuqua and Cornell (as I suggested above) are more within your reach. Why not apply to two schools of this caliber and then Sloan as a reach? You'd have to make a solid case that your work experience sets you apart from those with similar profiles.

Thanks. Yes, that's what I figured. I may do some test preparation and retake the GMAT - it seems that with just a small bump, I'll have better chances at some higher-caliber schools.