Ask ApplicantLab

Hi Shiv24!

Great to hear from you! Let's jump in:



Ok, so -- to cut right to the chase, a 680 isn't great. The unscientific and imperfect rule of thumb is to deduct 30-ish points from your score if you're from an over-represented group, and while you're a woman (YAY!), you're still an Indian Software Engineer, which is quite possibly the largest applicant group there is. Given that, the pressure / competitiveness within that group is so high (and the resumes are all so similar), that to stand out, the GMAT does need to be high to show that you can handle the work.

The video in this blog post might help explain a bit more why GMAT matters so much: https://blog.applicantlab.com/mba-admissions-committees-needs-meet-needs/

(and BTW, since I'm from the U.S., I have no idea if your high school grades are good or not -- in fact I don't think you should even mention them in your application. Regarding your undergrad GPA, that's also something that's difficult to determine, so I'd urge you to instead put on your resume something like: "GPA: 7.73 (top 5% of the class)", so that way someone from another educational system can immediately grasp if it was a strong performance or not.

In general, Canadian schools tend to have lower GMAT averages, so they might be a better place to look. In fact, Rotman has found that the most important section of the GMAT in terms of predicting post-MBA employability is the A.W.A.!!! So that's a school that for sure values other factors (see also the fact that they helped pioneer the video interview), and not just The Total Raw Score alone. (btw, should you decide to apply to Rotman, I'm in the process of updating the advice in ApplicantLab for how to tackle their brand-new, just-released essay question! It's a fun [ok, so also a little challenging] one!)

The other benefit of getting an MBA in Canada is the work visa situation. There, you get 3 years post-MBA to find a company to sponsor you (vs. 1 year in the U.S., where even if a company wants to sponsor you, they might not be able to if the lottery doesn't go their way), and also if a spouse follows you while you study, that spouse *IS* allowed to work, vs. in the U.S. where the spouse does not have the right to work. I don't know if that applies to you or not, but figured I'd mention it for others who may be browsing this thread.

If I were a non-U.S. student looking to do an MBA during times like these, I'd place Canadian programs quite high on my list, especially if I were concerned about, e.g. repaying the loans needed to get the degree.

Hope this is helpful!


Thanks!,
Maria
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Hi Maria,

I would really appreciate if you could provide some inputs on my profile.

Indian, male, 30 years
GMAT Score: 710 (Q49, V38, IR6)

Education
- Bachelor's Degree in Information Technology - 76.0% (top 10%)
- co-founded first ever technology club that has helped over 2000 students over the past 8 years

- Master's Degree in Management Information Systems (University of Texas, Dallas) - GPA: 3.7
- Recipient of dean's excellence and impact scholarship; leadership positions in various clubs with over 2000 students; elected student senator

Work Experience:
Have been working in the US for the past 6 Years in a Fortune 100 company (the company employs over over 30K people and has offices worldwide in over 150 countries)
- Working as a Business Intelligence and Data Analytics Manager in the Business Strategy and Operations group for the most profitable business unit with revenues over $6 Billion/year.
- Managing a team of 4 to solve complex business problems using advanced data analysis techniques - data mining, data visualization, prediction, forecasting, etc. Started of as an intern and now leading the team. (3 direct reports, 2/3 managing indirectly)
- Consistently rated among the top 15% employees and got promoted three times (from an intern to a manager) within 5 years, compared to a usual promotion time of 12+ years for manager roles;
- Youngest manager in a team of over 250 people. Average age of the people with my title/pay grade is 36-38 years.
- My role is a unique blend of business and technology. I've tried to focus on solving complex business problems using my technical abilities, part of the reason for quick promotions. So even though the profile looks technical, my role does require a deep understanding of business operations and strategy.
- Managed off shore teams in India (5 people) and Australia for product development and was a a product manager for over a year for a product that is widely used by over 10K people all over the world.
- Strong experience working with and training teams located in Australia, India, and Germany.
- My current team has folks from 10+ nationalities (therefore, very strong experience working in a diverse group of people)


Extracurriculars
- Vice President of a local organization that helps businesses and professionals in various aspects of their careers/businesses. Have helped a number of business owners and local professionals over the past 4.5 years.
- Have been involved in my company's volunteer group. Helped in a few fundraising and volunteer events geared towards helping the local community.

Post-MBA Goal
I plan to transition from a data science/analytics role to a corporate strategy/consulting role. I have gained a lot of technical experience working with the data to solve complex business problems. Now I wish to be on the other side and use the power of data to create business strategy. My short term plan is to get into a top tier consulting firm and the long term vision is to open up a management consulting firm tailored towards helping local businesses, using the power of data science and artificial intelligence.

Target Schools (full time - 2 year MBA program)

- Booth
- Wharton
- Kellogg
- Tuck
- Duke Fuqua
- Michigan Ross
- Yale SOM
- Darden


Questions
1. Given my profile and applicant pool, do you think I have a decent shot at the school listed above?
2. I know my GMAT is on the lower side for Indian applicants and even below/around average for the schools above. I am still thinking of giving it another shot and raising the score by 30-40 points. I can do it but it will take another month or so at least and I'd miss the Round 1 deadlines. So I can apply with a 710 in Round 1 vs give GMAT another shot and apply in Round 2. Any advise?
3. Are there any other schools that I should consider given my career goals?
4. Any other advice/tips?

Thanks a lot for your help!!

Hi All,

I would really appreciate a profile review for the following Bschools : Haas, Ross, Sloan, Kellogg

Background: Indian, Male, Clean energy industry
GMAT: 740 (50Q/39V)
GPA: 3.58 (8.6/10)
Degree: B.E. Mech Engineering from BITS Pilani (Top 6 Eng. Institutes in India)
International Experience: 1.2 Years
Experience: Total 4 Years, 1+ in German Chancellor Fellowship Leadership Program, Germany. Role : Enhancing German collaboration and investment in India's clean energy startup ecosystem - Provide market entry consulting to German Startups, Investment analysis and advisory to a Large solar multinational. 2+ years of experience in a leadership role (business strategy) role at a fast-growing clean energy startup in India
Extracurricular: Have experience as an organizer for Hyderabad Trekking Club, Ambassador to German Indian Startup Exchange initiative, Content writing and blogging. No leadership role, however.
Post MBA goals : Wish to remain in the clean energy/sustainability field. Energy Consulting.
Recommendation : Strong recommendations. One from a current Venture Partner and other from COO of a large solar multinational.

Hi sdlife and Ni Hao from China! Internet access has been a bit spottier here than I had hoped, but let me jump in now!



Ok so right off the bat, your age gives me a bit of pause, and the GMAT score is, honestly, probably too low given your target schools. Granted, STELLAR work accomplishments will make up for a lower GMAT any day of the week, so I'll need to read on to see... but assuming a typical work profile, the GMAT seems too low.


Ok, so decent academics, and I like the co-founding of a club in undergrad that's helped 2,000 students... any chance you're still actively involved in it, say, through the alumni board? Put aonter way, as an admissions reader, how can I ascertain if you were the reason those 2,000 students have been helped, or if it was rather club leadership after you that really pushed things forward? Either way, it's nice that the club still exists! Tons of people start clubs that then die after the founder(s) graduate...

For the graduate school extra-currics, I'd also like to know how much impact was held... just because some "leadership positions" are actually just fluff, whereas others can help shape the campus / other students' experiences pretty deeply.

In the resume, be sure to mention the impact. Also don't be afraid to leave off any club involvement that may have just been fluff.


Ok, so this is promising -- US-based and you have direct reports. Data analytics is a field that's heating up these days. What elevates Analytics types is, what's been the impact of those analyses? Have you helped the company or a client really change course in how they were approaching something? Have you ever taken a risk, or taken a stand? Or are you simply crunching the numbers obediently as requested, or are you using those insights to push for change?

Ok so it's going to be VERY IMPORTANT THAT YOUR RECOMMENDERS go to bat for you on this. It's a little awkward to crow about the early accomplishments, but your recommender can brag on your behalf. Have THEM point out that the promotion path is accelerated and the title is usually reserved for people with 6-ish more years.

This is especially important since, I hate to say it, but simply being "top 15%" is certainly nice but for the tippy-top schools (ie, those with acceptance rates below 15%, ha ha) ideally it'd be more in the top 1-5% type of range.

Cool; you know then that your essays will be key in portraying that facet of your experience, so that you aren't dismissed as "just a number-cruncher"!!!

This shows potential for some good "EQ" / mentoring / managing diversity stories... which you can mine for your essays / interviews.

The devil is in the details on this one. Based on your description, it sounds OK but also a little blah. Company's volunteer group may not even be worth mentioning; you might want to instead devote what I call the "resume real estate" instead to elaborating on a few key "wins" from the first organization mentioned. As written, it's not clear to a reader if you've really had a huge impact on someone's life, or if it's been more of a half-baked thing. This is why the application is so important! To convey the strongest things in the strongest way!

Hmm. I guess this could work -- perhaps the consulting firms are, I'm assuming, increasingly looking for data-types to help bolster their analyses. It's not my first choice though. My first choice would have you staying in whatever your current industry is. If you're not currently working with external clients, or not currently doing strategy-type things, then if you're gonna use that story, ideally you'd have done the "career vision homework" to get a sense of what the recruiting prospects / transferrable skills might be. Yes, the top firms all have huge data-crunching divisions, but those are usually off-shore. To transition to the "front of the house" as it were, it's not just about problem solving but also things like "executive presence", etc. Also, do some research into whether or not 33 year olds (since you'd be 32 or 33 when graduating?) tend to get those post-MBA Associate roles at the MBBs.


Yeah, I worry that the GMAT is a bit of a non-starter. Yes, you've got an early promotion track, but usually if someone with your general background is getting into Wharton with a low-700s, it's because they have had more "ooomph" in their impact.

While of course the ideal is R1 with a higher score ("Tell me something I don't know, lady!"), man ---- this is a toughie. R1 is by far the better round to apply in, but I do worry that with the 710 the rest of the app might not be given Very Serious Consideration.

Are you sure that you can't power through and do a re-take AND write your essays in parallel? This blog post might be useful: https://blog.applicantlab.com/can-re-take-gmat-write-essays-time/

I mean, at age 30, you're sort of approaching being "past the expiration date" for full-time programs.... argh. If it's a matter of "low GMAT in R1" or "higher GMAT in R2", then I have to say, I'd pick the latter. I'm just too worried about the candidacy not being taken seriously enough.

In terms of school selection, if you're at a Fortune 100, surely others from your company have made it into top MBA programs in recent years? Can you find a "resume twin" and track them down to try to get the skinny on their GMAT scores, etc.? https://blog.applicantlab.com/mba-admissions-chances-determine-odds/

If you've been in the US for a while, you may want to look at any programs that are in your region / city where you're living. The geographic proximity can help with things like class visits, etc. to really get to know the school.

In terms of narrowing things down, I'd do it based upon which schools are emphasizing data analytics... since they will be more open to accepting you, since IMHO you'd be adding something of value to the class. So research the offerings and see which schools (Booth, obvs) within your list have stronger data programs. Off the top of my head, I'm not sure Yale will fall over for a profile like this, esp. given their apparent obsession with high GMAT scores these past few years. Given both your age and the GMAT, I'd consider casting a wider net beyond the schools listed above.


Thanks!,
Maria
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Hi! Thanks for reaching out!

Ok, so far so good – the academics are solid...

I really like the international experience, especially since Europe is such a strong leader in clean energy and so the lessons learned there are probably super-relevant.
It’s also good that you’re at a start-up (one that I’m guessing is doing well, vs. floundering, since you called it “fast-growing”)…

…and also good that you’re in a business role, not engineering only.

What your candidacy will hinge upon, REALLY HINGE UPON, is just how “leadershippy” that “leadership role” has been. Have you had a dramatic, positive impact on the direction the company has taken? Have you developed new ideas and then persuaded the company to pursue them? Have you demonstrated courage and effectiveness?
If the answer is “yes”, then what will separate your candidacy from others in clean energy will be how well you explain those leadership stories. Teaching people how to do this (in the essays, recommendations, resume, and interviews) is my specialty, and what I teach via the ApplicantLab platform.

The “German Indian startup” thingee is cool. I hope you’ve been proactive in doing stuff within it, (vs. simply being a passive “member” ambassador). This is the key experience you should highlight.

Don’t mention the content writing / blogging. I have no idea why candidates think that their blog matters. Unless you’ve got over 100k readers, or unless your blog posts have been picked up by a major newspaper, etc. leave this out. I have yet to EVER find a candidate’s blog compelling. They are usually pretty lame, with less than 100 posts and like 5 comments, 4 of which are from their mom. NOT WORTH IT. Leave it out.

Seems reasonable – make sure that you specify what, specifically, within “energy consulting” you mean… so that you don’t end up, e.g. on a pipeline project in Canada. Presumably you mean renewable energy consulting. Also, make sure you explain what it is about consulting that you’ll be good at (and what appeals to you about it – if you’ve been so hands-on at the start-up, with the more “removed” work of consulting be emotionally satisfying?), and ideally do some “homework” proving that this is a viable goal. Might not hurt to mention a “Plan B” goal as well.

Does the COO actually know you well? If it’s not the COO of YOUR company, my immediate gut reaction is: “Will that person be able to actually answer the questions asked in the recommendation form?”. IF this COO has not, in fact, been your direct manager, then consider trying to find someone else within your company who is senior to you to write it.
Between the Venture Partner and the COO of another company, I’m a teeny bit worried that neither one of those people can speak to who you are, in the “Day to day” job.

For your school list, I would also be sure to add Duke and UT Austin to your list. Both of those schools have strong renewable energy programs worth checking out. Maybe even another school or two in Texas (e.g. Rice), and/or another school or two in Canada in R2, on the back-burner.

Kellogg is a great school overall, but isn’t a school I usually strongly associate with renewable energy??? I just visited them last month and (searches my feeble memory-banks...) I don't seem to recall a lot of BALLY-HOO around renewable energy (unlike when I visited Sloan and they did A Whole Presentation just on their sustainability initiative. I mean, YES OF COURSE, every school has SOME stuff with sustainability etc. -- I just mean in terms of it being A Big Focus Area.

The other schools on the list seem like solid choices -- good energy focus, etc. INSEAD might like the German experience -- you might want to check them out too.


Thanks!,
Maria
_________________

Hello,

Please evaluate my profile for B School Applications

GMAT Score : 720 ( Q51 , V35 , IR7 , AWA5.5 )

Age - 25 , Indian , Male

Education :

B.Tech + M.Tech in Mining Engineering from IIT ( ISM ) Dhanbad - Overall grade = 7.01/10
10th ( Secondary Education ) - 92.2 % . Scored 94% in Mathematics.
12th ( Higher Secondary Education ) - 81.4% . Secured 100 % marks in Mathematics and got Certificate of Merit for being in top 0.1 % of students in India.

Work Experience : ( 3 Years by the time I go for MBA)

A) July 2016 to Present: Founder and Owner of Shilpi Crafts (Ecommerce Store of Imitation Jewelry)

1) Developed the idea from the scratch into a fully-grown E-commerce store with nationwide services.
2) Designed the complete website. Built up the brand value of Shilpi Crafts via Digital Marketing.
3) Product finalisation entailing product research, designing, photography, and cataloging.
4) Managed more than 12 artisans during peak sales month.
5) Developed and ran marketing campaigns on Facebook and Instagram, achieving a relevance score of 10(maximum) in several campaigns.
6) Learnt Jewelry Making and became Certified Artisan recognised by Government of India.
7) Participated in the Regional and National Level Art and Crafts Exhibitions and increased the customer base by more than 50%.
8) Increased the Revenue by more than 200 % to 2 Million INR in the second year itself.

B) June 2016 – 21 Days Gurukul Program in Dharamshala by Foundation for Universal Responsibility of His
Holiness The Dalai Lama

1) Got 100 % scholarship on the interview basis. Overall 30 students selected from all over India
2) Learnt Buddhist Meditation in detail. Even got the fruitful lessons from His Holiness Dalai Lama.
3) Through daily classes, learnt about Brain Science, Mind Philosophy and Meditation Techniques.
4) Got a chance to interact with the President of Tibet in exile, Mr. Lobsang Sangay.

C) June 2015:1 Month Internship at Paradise Real Infra Ltd.(Real Estate Trading Company) Surat, Gujrat

1) Gave needful suggestions for enhancing the marketing of its products with customer centric approach.
2) Studied their marketing “Blue Ocean Strategy” in detail.
3) Closed the sales of more than 400,000 INR

D) January 2012 to June 2013: AIESEC ISM Dhanbad

1) Lead more than 15 people
2) Became and played role of Vice President of different departments: “Outgoing Exchange”, “Incoming Exchange”, “Finance” and “Business Development”.
3) Organized Bal Kalakar, a fund raising event, which involved singing and drawing competition in Dhanbad
involving participations from more than 500 school students. We raised more than 100,000 INR for the students
of Blind School and Jeevan Jyoti (School for differently abled kids)
4) Organised a social event, “Swacch Parivar” to raise general awareness about Cleanliness among the rural
population in the vicinal villages of Dhanbad.
5) Organised “Youth to Business Forum” in our college IIT(ISM) Dhanbad. It involved Panel Discussion among
Businessmen of different backgrounds, followed by a presentation on “Importance of MBA”. More than 200
college sophomore students participated in it.
6) Contributed in developing strategic plan of action for the growth of AIESEC ISM Dhanbad in National
Expansion Conference organised by AIESEC India at Indian School of Business, Hyderabad.


E) June 2012 to July 2012: GCDP (Global Community Development Program) Internship at University of Mauritius

1) Worked in a team of 10 interns from 8 different countries.
2) Conducted presentations on different management topics such as Effective Learning, Creativity and Innovation and Time Management for the students of University of Mauritius.
3) Organised Social Awareness Programs on AIDS and Diabetes among general population of Mauritius.

Post MBA, I want to leverage my entrepreneurial skills and want to specialise in Marketing/ Finance. I've shortlisted following schools :

Ambitious :
1) Ross School of Business
2) Darden School of Business
3) Stanford Graduate School of Business
4) Harvard Business School

Safe :
1) W. P. Carey School of Business
2) Simon Business School
3) Tepper School of Business
4) Eli Broad College of Business

I've planned to apply for Class of 2021. Please suggest if I have made the appropriate selection . Also, if there is any other school I should include in my selection as per my profile.

Thanks for your time and concern.

Ayushman Mathur
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Hi Maria,

I would greatly appreciate your feedback.

Overview: I am a 28 year old male from the Dominican Republic
Work Experience: 4+ years working for a PE/VC fund in the Dominican Republic specialized in investing in the financial service & finch industry in the Latin American region.
Post-Grad Goal: return to my current employer (they will sponsor the MBA) as a manager and eventually become partner.
GMAT: 710 (Q48/V39)
Undergrad: BS in Business/Finance, Minor in Mathematics from Southern Connecticut State University, 3.44 GPA (I received a scholarship for swimming).
Extracurricular: 3x All America college swimmer, Financial Management Association (FMA) Chapter President
Graduate studies: Finance Masters from Harvard Extension School (GPA: 3.65); Certificate in Advanced Valuation (high honors) from Stern School of Business, NYU.
Recommenders: Managing partner and Sr. Partner at the fund I work for.
Schools applying to: Columbia (early decision), NYU (R1), Haas (R2), Yale (R2)... I am open to a recommendation for a 5th school

Regards,
Miguel

Hi there!

You know, I just skimmed this profile and I think I'm going to suggest that perhaps you consider waiting at least one more year to apply because I think you might be a stronger candidate later on. For a few reasons:

1) Only two years of work experience right now... this could make for a stronger "Masters of Management" application, but I am a little concerned about competitiveness re: years of work experience for an MBA. If you've been able to double company's revenues in 1 year, that's wonderful! But can you point to a longer term trend? Yes, 100% increase is great! But I just converted 2 million Rupees and its less than $30,000 USD. (["i]Can he afford this degree / the loan?[/i]", they might think)

2) I'd like for you to re-take the GMAT. Given your earlier academic test scores -- e.g. if you really were in the top 0.1% of students in India -- I'd expect to see a GMAT score that's a little bit higher. I'm not saying it needs to be a 780+, but it looks like maybe that score was not a true indicator of your full potential?

3) As an entrepreneur, why walk away from a growing business at *this* point? If you're really committed to the vision, why not stay another year or two, grow it even more, and then have staff in place who can take over the operations of the company while you take 1 - 2 years off to go to school? Otherwise, would you need to shut down the business?

I'm not saying DON'T apply now, I'm just saying, I can see a version of events where -- if you continue on the current trajectory -- you'd be a stronger candidate in a couple of years.

That having been said, you want my feedback for schools for now so what I think is:

- Look into the NYU "Fashion" MBA. If I HAD to pick ONE program for you to apply to, it would be this one: https://www.stern.nyu.edu/programs-admis ... luxury-mba

- As an "ambitious" school, you could also apply to Columbia, since its NYC location has many of the same benefits as the NYU program. It's not too late to apply in their early round!

- The other schools on your "ambitious" list -- I mean look, I will never tell anyone to "not" apply to schools they are dreaming of -- you miss 100% of the shots you don't take, after all! As long as folks go in with eyes wide open about the rejection rates, then... why not? And hey, I get why people are drawn to the siren song of GSB and HBS...but... why Ross and Darden? I guess maybe Ross could help you get a job / do a project with Shinola , an exciting accessories company based in Detroit... Darden though is more of a head-scratcher. I don't see the link?

- Your "safer" schools may be more attainable, but make sure that they offer the sorts of offerings (curricular, extra-curricular, etc.) that will support your goals?

- Speaking of goals, "marketing and finance" is way too broad. You need to narrow that down, for "Admissions Story" purposes. Maybe marketing analytics?

- This is SO minor, but instead of calling it "imitation" jewlery, refer to it as "handcrafted" jewlery - has a nicer ring to it


Finally, you went to an IIT (which is great!) -- aren't there alums from your programs at the top business schools? Can you start to network with them, right now, to see who's gotten in to these programs at the two-year post-graduation mark? Try to find your "resume twin": https://www.applicantlab.com/blog/mba-a ... mine-odds/

In sum, your career seems off to a great start! If I were in your shoes, I might feel more comfortable applying with a bit more experience / some more post-college accomplishments. In my experience, when younger candidates are in a big hurry to get the MBA, they may need to settle for programs just a smidge lower than the ones they might have gotten in to had they continued on the same trajectory and waited a few more years. Also, look into Masters of Management programs, which might really embrace this profile at this time?


Thank you!,
Maria



_________________

Hi Miguel,

I like this profile quite a bit. Are you a re-applicant? That is, did you apply last year and not have success, and thus you're targeting different schools this year?

Yeah, the GMAT's a smidge below average but my hope would be that your work accomplishments could balance it out. I'm not worried about the GPA as much if you were a varsity athlete (3x all American, no less!!!).

The one thing you may need to address is "Why an MBA?" if you already have a masters in finance (answer: you need more holistic management training to lead broader operations, not JUST the valuation / numbers component.

A lot of what will make or break this profile is... what has your *impact* been at your VC fund? A lot of people apply from VC firms... some of them are doing lower-level things, like marketing / investor relations, whereas others are helping drive investment decisions and sitting on the boards of portfolio companies. What's interesting here is that I see VC folks from Argentina, Chile, Mex, Brasil... but the DR is more unique! (umm, hello, will you hire me? I'd love to work in LatAm VC by day and then bailar un merengue sabroso by night! Hahahaha....!) :D

For a 5th school... does MIT offer things that would be beneficial? I think being immersed in so much cutting-edge tech could provide a cool angle to your future investment hypotheses... if you're looking for a suggestion for a 5th school that is maybe a little less insane to get accepted to, check out Cornell's Emerging Markets investment center. I'd actually swap out Yale (I don't think of them as a VC school? Though I suppose their holistic education lens might be a great complement to your quant-finance heavy training?). What about European programs like an LBS?


Un saludo,
Maria



_________________

Hello! Please see my profile below. I apologize for the length, but I wanted to provide as much detail as possible as I know how helpful and thorough your evaluations are. Thanks in advance!

**Personal**

Male

26 years old

American with Pakistani heritage



**Stats**

GMAT: 710, Q47/V40/IR8/AWA6

I've taken the exam twice and scored a 710 both times. The latest was Q47/V41/IR7/AWA6

Undergrad: Bachelor’s of Science in Business Administration/ Majored in Finance with Cum Laude distinction.
3.44 GPA, decent Midwest public university. GPA suffered in freshman year with science heavy classes; I was originally premed and hated it. Switched to Finance and did much better while actually enjoying learning, so upward trajectory. My general education requirements were completed at a community college with a 4.0 GPA and are not factored into the above average. Also, I worked full time while completing my last two years of university.


**Extracurricular**

Not too much in college; I participated in a few events for local non-profit organizations, but most of my time was spent working.


Post graduation, I have been actively volunteering regularly through my current job at a nonprofit mutual health care company; we have a huge presence in the community.


Also, I have been volunteering and have organized charitable events through my place of worship for about a year (I organize a food distribution the first saturday of every month that serves 70-80 families), and also provide tutoring.


I also teach jiu jitsu to kids aged 6-14 and run the kids’ program at my gym.


Finally, a few years ago, I had a bad shoulder injury in the gym and was assigned physical therapy by my doctor. After visiting my local clinic, I hit it off immediately with the owner and lead therapist and we talked about his dream to convert his clinic from a post-op specialization to sports medicine. Since  then, I have been doing pro bono consulting for them the last three years. I've helped enhance their community presence by starting two initiatives; the first was to partner with a local nonprofit health organization and assign one therapist a week to provide free therapy services to uninsured members of the community (we do this every Thursday). The second is a “Practice What You Preach” program where we invite health care professionals to come train in our new facility to see the benefits of physical exercise and recovery methods over heavy prescriptions. This has been a tremendous success and caused a huge spike in patient referrals from doctors who have participated in this program.

**Work Experience**

1 year as an economic technician with the state government; first job out of college. Performed economic analysis on employment trends and wage figures in coordination with the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

2 years as a financial analyst at big 3 auto company: forecast and analyze tooling, material, and labor costs across several high profile vehicle programs; worked on several high impact cost saving projects, as well as managed our tooling audit team that recovered over $5M of overspend during my tenure (sounds like a lot but our program budgets were colossal).

2 years as a senior financial analyst at large non profit mutual healthcare company: more corporate finance work; responsible for my entire department’s month end financial reporting and account reconciliations. Have implemented several process improvements and automated data entry processes. Managed three projects that have had high visibility and impact throughout the company; currently managing fourth and largest project to consolidate our two invoicing systems. Also sit on board of our protected health information committee which is responsible for upholding HIPAA regulations and client confidentiality throughout the company; received two promotions.

**Goal of MBA**
While I want to stay in healthcare, my goal is to move out of corporate finance and into strategy consulting, with a concentration in healthcare. I think I have a solid base with my professional experiences on the payor side, as well as my volunteer experience on the provider side. I'm hoping that an MBA will help bridge the gap I have in my comprehensive understanding of the industry, and also give me exposure to other players in the industry that I have not yet had (biomedical/pharmaceutical companies), which would allow me to be better equipped for a move into consulting. Long term, after gaining experience in various segments of the industry through consulting, I'd like to come back to the payor side at a Director level (I’ve talked to some of the directors at my current company and this is a common path they take).

**Target Schools**
My absolute dream school is Ross. I’ve done a lot of research on them and have attended about a dozen of their admissions events, completed a campus tour, visited their leadership center, spoke with a few adcoms, and several current students. I love their commitment to experiential learning and feel like this program fits me like a glove.


Aside from Ross, I am also planning on applying to Fuqua, which I am just as excited about. I've attended several of their events as well, spoke with a few current students and a director at their Health Sector Management program. Both programs have excellent placement in consulting, and healthcare courses that align exactly with what I'm looking for. They both also have a  'learn by doing’ theme, and I would be thrilled with an acceptance to either.


I'm planning on applying R1 for 2019 intake.



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Hi Maria,

I'm interested in signing up for the ApplicantLab tool and have a few queries before I start. I was hoping you could help me with them.

1. Along with MBA, I will be targeting a few MiM colleges (ESSEC & WHU Beisheim), so is there any chance you can include the essay process for MiM for only these 2 colleges(ESSEC & WHU Beisheim)?

2. Since I currently have 2.5 years work experience and will be applying with lower than average work experience, does the tool help people such as me with for whom work experience will be a factor.

3. Lastly, can you please do a profile evaluation for me? I just need to know what MBA colleges in US I have a realistic shot at getting:

Profile:

Indian Female currently 23 years. Will be 24 when I join

Undergraduate: Electrical Engineering (B.Tech) middle tier college

CGPA: 8.35/10

GMAT: 740

Work Experience: Currenly 2.5 years in Accenture in a FMCG and products project. Work as Application Development Analyst(Software Engineer)
Got promoted once in these 2.5 years.

Academic Experience:
Was in the top 200 of the whole state in my class 10 board exams
Was department topper for 2 semesters in college
Was class representative

Professional Work Experience:
-My team(consisting of 5 people) won the "Best Software Product team Award" for FY18Q2.
-I lead a team of juniors in organizing the office outings, dinners and events. We have the newer recruits working under us in organizing every aspect of any office outing from budget to planning to transport and are given awards for well organized events.
-Received a promotion

Extra-curriculars:

-Had a part time teaching job(3 students) in high school
-I was one of the founding members of the NSS (an Indian government-sponsored public service program conducted by the Department of Youth Affairs and Sports of the Government of India) society of our college. For 3 years I held co-ordinator position and had juniors work under me. Every weekend we went to slums and under-privileged societies to teach children and women. It was a very humbling experience which made me continue social work even after leaving college and joining Accenture. I work in the CSR wing of Accenture which does many activities like organizing blood donations, teaching children, distributing food, etc.
-Member of Toastmasters International
-Organized many events and competitions almost single handedly in school and college
-Perform in dance and fashion shows of office events
-Model UN delegate
-Was selected for Young Leaders for Active Citizenship (YLAC) which was founded by Oxford and Harvard alumni to increase participation of young people in democratic process. However, I didn't attend.

Main reason I want to do the MBA is I'm not seeing any growth in the line of work I'm doing. I don't wish to remain in the technical field I'm in and in my country it's not possible to move to a business analyst role if you are from engineering and without an MBA.
Also for some personal reasons I wish to apply for the MBA this year itself and can't wait 1 more year.

Targets:
NYU:Stern, Michigan:Ross, UNC-Kenan, Carnegie Mellon:Tepper, Rotman, Schulich

How likely are my chances in the above schools and also can you suggest me a list of 10 colleges I have a legitimate shot at?

Thanks and regards,
Arunima

Undergrad: IIT (top 2), 7.2/10
GMAT : 720 (50Q, 38V)
WE: 7 years at enrollment

Management Trainee - > Manager 3 years at Indian e-commerce market leader (recently acquired by Walmart for $16bn)

Interesting work experience across business development, supply chain and corporate strategy. Promoted once, worked directly with founder COO on special projects. Large impact - one role involves leading a team that added $18 m to bottom line.

Senior Manager - > Head of Growth (mid 2015 - Apr 2018)
3 years at a high growth, well funded startup in India - market leader in category.

Early employee, Promoted once, helped grow grow revenues 10x to $9 million over the period

Chief of Staff (present role)
High growth startup in the bike rental space, head hunted to be the CEO's Chief of Staff - leading product, growth & investor relations functions at the moment.
Early employee, driving rapid growth (4x in 4 months)
Helped close Series A round with largest bike manufacturer in India and largest cab aggregator in India as well as large US based VC fund (think Uber in the region)

Short term goal: International growth at a large consumer tech company (think Amazon, Netflix, Spotify, Uber)

Long term goal: Entrepreneurship

Target schools: M7

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The good news is, you can use the optional essay to explain the poor grades freshman year -- a common occurrence. The GMAT is a smidge low for Ross, esp if you work in an "over-represented" function like finance... my hope is that your "industry" experience is interesting and balances this out!



Also can be explained via optional essay -- see my advice in the Mapping & Pre-writing module for how to address these weaknesses.



These are fine; the most interesting / unique one is the jiu jitsu one. If you're cramped for space on the resume, perhaps only really focus on this one and the physical therapy clinic one.



Cite the #s / impact to the business (for the 2nd thing mentioned) and the # of people helped (for the first thing mentioned) and put this under your "extra curriculars" in the resume.



Two promotions in two years at the last job is great! The work itself is solid; it will help a lot if you were the driving force / innovator behind some of these ideas (vs. executing someone else's ideas)



The good news is that others have taken this path before, so be sure to mention that in the career vision section (note that for Ross, you can't explicitly state the long-term goal in the essay); have your recommenders attest to the feasibility of the goal as well.



Ross is all about community (I visited them myself in June and loved it) -- so they will definitely appreciate the effort you've put in. I'd be interested if any current students in their healthcare club have a background that is similar to yours, in terms of responsibilities before school. The healthcare program at Fuqua seems like a good fit as well, and Fuqua's avg GMAT is lower than Ross', which is also nice.


Best wishes!
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It depends upon when you'd need them, what the essay questions are, etc. Usually MiM programs ask for a "statement of purpose", which I do have lots of advice for. I usually require at least one week's notice to upload a new school, and usually I would like to see several paying users request a program so that it's beneficial for many people. Often, VERY often, ApplicantLab users find that there are very similar essays for other schools out there, so while they might think at the beginning that they need a "new" school "added", thanks to the training they receive for the other programs, they often find that they can take what they learned for other programs and apply that knowledge to "new" programs as well!



Yes, there is a section in the "Strengths & Weaknesses" module for younger candidates. It's good that you realize that applying at this age does indeed put you at a disadvantage! One of my favorite AdCom quotes, is, when it comes to younger candidates: "Why are they in such a hurry to hear 'no'?" Realize that AdComs will have a high expectation for work performance for someone who is making the argument that they can contribute at the same level as people with 2x or more experience. Yes, it's possible to get in to programs at the 2, 2.5 year mark, but usually you'd have to be willing to settle for a less-competitive program.



Hold on -- you work for Accenture? Then you should have a VERY clear sense as to whether or not it's realistic to get into a top MBA program at this phase in your career? Find your "Resume Twin" -- a large company like Accenture should have many people going to MBA programs: https://www.applicantlab.com/blog/mba-a ... mine-odds/

I suspect that many of them are coming from the consulting side though, not the engineering side. My concern is that this profile isn't quite strong enough (again, for competitive programs) to make up for the young age. My advice is, honestly, to not be "in such a hurry to hear 'no'," try to get into the consulting side (UNLESS of course people from the engineering side also have a strong track-record of acceptance!!! You'll need to do some research!!!) , develop a strong leadership profile and then apply to MBA programs in a couple of years.

This brief description isn't telling me a lot about leadership -- are you leading teams? What size? etc.?



"Class 10" is from before college, right? Then it doesn't really go into an MBA application, I'm afraid. The college extra-curricular seems a bit lacking. If there was a good reason for not doing a lot of engaging actvities, you can always mention why in an optional essay? Or maybe as a "class respresentative" you actualy did a bunch of cool stuff! Again, it's not possible to tell based upon this limited description. Of course, great leadership at work will always outweigh extra-curriculars, and they are usually vital for younger applicants to show a "habit of leadership".

*CORRECTION: I see below that you did in fact have a more substantial leadership role in the "NSS", so that's good!


You're leading a team of five people, or you're a member of it? If you're leading it, then is that on part with the folks who usually go to MBA programs? "Best software team" ...out of how many teams? Yo'd need to be sure to mention since outsiders won't otherwise know how selective the award is.

It's nice that you're getting involved in organizing social events; can you formalize this in some way, perhaps by starting or leading an Employee Resource Group in your office? *CORRECTION :you then mention below that you do CSR work with Accenture -- this is a good start.... next, try to move up in that and don't simply lead it but innovate in some way!



As mentioned above, any activity from before college doesn't "count". The thing you were selected for and didn't attend doesn't "count", since you didn't go?

The NSS thing sounds like a solid collegiate extra-curric. As mentioned above, for Accenture, move up in the CSR activities and don't simply start to lead (vs. participate in) these events but try to introduce an innovative new idea / concept / enhancement to the current activities/



Regarding that you're not seeing growth, you got a promotion, right? So that's a good sign? Have you already spoken with your boss / HR about trying to move to a business role, or... if that is too big of a jump, can you try to get more closely involved with the business consultants, even if informally?

I can't give you a list of ten colleges, but I think the U.S. schools you mentioned might be a bit of a reach. The reason I say this is that, when I think of previous clients who have used the Lab to get into programs like this, they are usually leading teams, driving innovations, etc... and it seems that you have the potential to become someone like that!... but that maybe you're just not quite there *yet*. So if I'm in admissions and I'm comparing two candidates from the IT field, one of whom is in charge of 6 other people and building software with budgets of $2M, who talks to the overseas client about requirements, negotiates timelines, etc.... then that person is a "safer bet" in terms of leadership potential than someone who certainly seems to have lots of great potential ! But who hasn't yet gotten some of these concrete accomplishments quite yet.

I mean sure, go for it! But see if you can first do some student outreach, or if you can search on LinkedIn for people from your department in Accenture in India who end up going to those schools -- based on their LinkedIn profiles, see if what they were doing prior to getting accepted (it might end up being encouraging news!)

Aside from that, I'd recommend the Canadian schools, not only because they are more lenient re: acceptance rates, but also due to the much more favorable work visa situation. You didn't really give a solid reason for getting an MBA ("I hate my job" needs to be developed more into something concrete), but if it includes design thinking at all, I visited Rotman and their Design offerings are super-cool.

I think doing some research on "resume twins" will really help you start to develop clarity around programs that might be the most promising!
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Ok, so this is a little smidge on the older side... and the GMAT's lower than what one would expect from an IIT grad, but the rest of the profile is so strong, that I'm not totally stressed out about it



HMMMM...I WONDER WHICH company it is? Ok, so this job sounds really cool, because you were not only working cross-functionally, but working directly for the founder AND you can point to an $18M contribution... which today may not be a huge # for them, but back then was probably an even higher % of total revenue ? (that is, the 18M = a higher percent of revenue a few years ago than it would have been today)?

This profile is off to a strong start so far!



I like the impact here as well... and growing it to $9M again is great (esp. in India!). I think one bummer sometimes for Indian small-company applicants is that while they might be increasing revenues dramatically, it's like: "And now the revenues are $20k per year!" and my heart sinks because then I start to stress out about, e.g., "How will this person pay back the loan?" , etc. A history of growing revenues to $9M would, I'd hope, be music to the ears of future VCs.



Oh, this is really sexy. Both the role and the industry. Though: here in the States, those companies are facing consumer backlash, but they may fare better in India (given infrastructure differences, consumer differences, etc.)

Overall, this is a strong story.



WHOMP. And so here is where the strong story flies off the rails. You can NOT apply with a career vision saying that you might want to work at a place like "Amazon, Netflix Spotify, or Uber". I don't need to tell you that those companies are INSANELY different (ok maybe Netflix / Spotify are in the same galaxy, but you can't mention those since you have no media experience?).

I STRONGLY recommend finding a MUCH tighter post-MBA goal. Check out the Career Vision module in the Lab for some guidance here.



Seems like a natural path; again though, it needs to be specific and it needs a strong "hook".



I think the work experience is so strong here that I hope they overlook the "Low-ish for an IIT grad" GMAT. I think M7 is doable, but realize of course that each M7 school is very different so don't just apply to all of them willy-nilly; you need specific reasons why each one makes sense. Some of the M7 schools will reject strong candidates who don't have a strong enough "why our school?" rationale!
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X

Hi,

Thank you for that thoughtful and super helpful response.

I do realise the GMAT is a bit on the lower side, unfortunately, just got really nervous on test day. My new role is really intense, so I don't know if I'll be able to put more time or do significantly better on a retake.

I have a 331 GRE (169 Q, 162 V) which as per ETS is a 740 GMAT - would you recommend applying with that instead? Wrote that when I was a couple of years into my career and considering a master's program. It is valid through Jan 24 2019.

Will tighten the career goals - I am keen on growth strategy as a role and at this point, am keen on consumer tech / shared economy players. But, if I had to pick, I think e-commerce and transport would win out. Will try and pick one and aim for that.

On school choice, I am keen Stanford / MIT as dream schools, given my interests in consumer tech. However, I would be happy with a top school on the East Coast, especially given my fiancé is keen on Columbia (she's from an investment management background)

Do you think applying to Columbia ED with these goals makes sense? Would prefer for us to be in the same city if possible, and I know that Columbia places well at Amazon / Uber etc (have friends from IIT who went to Columbia and took that path). In addition, there are some exciting high growth startups in NYC.
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YES. YES. YES, a THOUSAND TIMES YES.

If it translates to a higher score, why wouldn't you use it?

Run with that, man!

[ start shameless plug ] ...and then use ApplicantLab to help you tackle the elements of the profile (essays, resume, etc.) that are worth 3x more than the test score alone [ / end shameless plug ]
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(post removed at original poster's request -- too much identifying information divulged)
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Hello,

Please find a brief of my profile below. I thank you in anticipation for your help!

Age – 30 years Male, Nationality – Indian, planning to apply for Canadian citizenship if I end up in a good MBA program so that I can avoid H1B circus post graduation (applying only for US universities)

Education: B.Tech & M.Tech in Mechanical Engineering/Energy Technology from one of the top 5 IITs in India (GPA – 3.6/4 as per WES assessment), MSc in Mechanical Engineering from one of the top 5 Canadian University (GPA – 3.8/4)

GMAT – 690 (Q51, V31, IR6), planning to apply only for safe schools during R1 2018, need to retake GMAT to cross 730 to be able to apply for target schools during R2.

WE: Total 5 years by next year (4 years in Canada and 1 year in India - 2.5 years in a top energy management consultancy firm which runs energy efficiency programs in North America, 1.5 years in other energy audit firms, and 1 year in a big oil)

Internships: 2 research interns during undergrad – 3 months in an European university and 3 months in SIEMENS in its energy research group)

Publications – Couple of publications in reputed journals (Electrochimica Acta, Journal of The Electrochemical Society)

Scholarships – 1 during undergrad, 3 during grad school (2 of them are pretty reputed)

Extra curricular – Organized few tech events, member of choreography and light music team (as an acoustic guitarist) during undergrad, volunteered for a program during grad school that was meant to spread cultural awareness of my home country through presentations in schools, currently volunteering as a mentor and registration presenter for an engineering regulatory body of a Canadian province

Post MBA Goal – Energy Consultancy/Trading/IB

I will be applying for MBA programs and universities that are reputed for energy. On that note, I will appreciate if somebody can please suggest few safe as well as target schools I could pursue based on my profile. I am targeting to matriculate by Fall 2019.