Aiming to apply for Round 2 ISB

Question

Hey Guys,

I've been preparing for GMAT since last one month. 
Able to score of average 690+ after a couple of mock tests (Princeton, Manhattan)

I am planning to give my final GMAT by mid October and apply for Round 2 at ISB.
Apart from GMAT, I have 2 years of core work experience with established startups.

I just wanted to have some advise if my plans sounds correct to get into ISB.

Profile stats:

Education: 
D.S.C.E Bangalore
B.E Mechanical (2012-2016): Mechanical 
Overall percentage: 72%
Delhi Public School (C.B.S.E)
10th: 83.2%
12th: 65%

Extra curricular-work during college:
Jun, 2013- Sep, 2014: Co-founded a startup into sustainable packaging aiming to reduce plastic pollution.
Oct 2014 –Jan 2016: Founded another startup into internet based discovery/review service specifically designed for colleges. Reached to a level of 60,000+ user reviews.

Was placed in Robert Bosch, Accenture and Cognizant through campus, but didn’t join.

Sept 2016 – Dec 2017
I joined a Gurgaon based startup as Strategy and Operations Associate.
My role was into core strategy and operations.

Dec 2017 till present
Moved to a New York based startup which is backed by one of the biggest investors like Goldman Sachs and Kleiner Perkins
Role: Operations Analyst.
Responsibilities: Strategic Operational planning for India operations, analytical reporting of capital markets (US)

ABatExpertsGlobal · Answer

Hi Ashutosh Nigam, While your work experience is not quite on the higher side, the start-up experience, as well as the international exposure will certainly help your case

Towards that end, your profile is in good shape and with a set of well-crafted essays that speak of your career progress and achievements, as well as portray a logical set of career goals, you should be able to make an impact. Yes, taking the GMAT in mid-October sounds like a decent plan but do not delay it any further. However, we suggest you aim for a score upwards of 720 as that will place you a bit above the ISB average and boost your chances of gaining an admit!

All the best!

Ashutosh Nigam · Answer

Thank you!

Sent from my Redmi Y1 using  GMAT Club Forum mobile app

GyanOne · Answer

Hi Ashutosh

Thank you for posting. Your work in strategy and ops certainly seems very interesting. Here is our assessment: 
- You should try for a GMAT score of 700 and above, and possibly try and hit the 720 mark, as your academics are decent but not outstanding. Also, when taking mock tests, try and take a GMATPrep mock, as that will be more accurate in predicting your score than other options. 
- The startup work you did before you graduated counts, though it will not be formally part of your work experience as ISB sees it. The second startup seems to have got good traction - why did you move on from there? 
- The placements with Robert Bosch, Accenture, and Cognizant are good points of information, but they will not carry weight for your application to ISB. They may, though, be used as data points to indicate your passion for startups in an interview.
- Almost all your work so far has been in startups, but what does the future hold? Do you plan to get back to a startup in a management role or do you wish to be an entrepreneur again? 
- October is still some time away, and you seem to have made some headway already in terms of your GMAT preparation. If possible, see if you can apply for R1, but if you feel that is not doable then the priority should be putting in your best application with your best score.

Hope this helps. Feel free to come back with more queries as needed.

bb · Answer

Aiming to apply for Round 2 ISB

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