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Your honest feedback would be greatly appreciated.
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bv8562
Hi everyone,

I’m getting ready to apply to Indian B-Schools this year. After looking at my profile, I’ve found a few areas that are tricky to deal with. Sadly, I’m not sure how to fix them. So, I’m asking for your help to figure it out.

Here’s a quick look at my profile:
- Academic Background: Class X - 55.6%, Class XII (PCM) - 69.8%, M.Sc. (Tech.) General Studies from BITS Pilani in 2011 with a 5.9 CGPA.
- Work Experience: Worked in IT for a couple of years, then switched to photography and freelancing.
- Why MBA: Realized I needed better business skills, so decided to do an MBA in 2021.
- GMAT Score: Got a 680 after 2.5 years of studying.
- Personal Achievement: Completed a half-marathon in 1 hour and 51 minutes in 2020.

Current Challenges:
1. Can’t prove my income from freelancing, never filed taxes.
2. No work experience certificates for freelancing and apprenticeship.
3. Don’t know who to ask for recommendations when needed.

I’m wondering if my profile fits the requirements for programs at IIMA, IIMB, IIMC, IIMI, IIML, IIMK, SPJAIN, ISB, XLRI, and MDI. Any suggestions on strengthening my application, such as acquiring more work experience, and on overcoming these challenges?

Thanks for your help!

Best,
Bharat Vohra
­bv8562 I hope my honest feedback can be useful to you. I did not get a clear idea of where you want to go after the MBA. Do you want to continue as an entrepreneur or do you want to completely turn your career around and take a stable job? If you want to continue as an entrepreneur, the adcoms might wonder if the MBA is even a good investment for you, as you could use your money for something better. You will need to make a very convincing argument as to why you are only now considering an MBA.

How you approach your challenges will also depend on your goal strategy. For example, if you plan to use the MBA to enter the digital marketing field(lets say), you will need to look for people you may have worked for in gigs related to digital marketing, advertising, etc. Your academic record is not the best and your career choice was unconventional. As a self-employed person, you will need to provide business schools with proof of your income or tax returns. I have worked with self-employed applicants who have submitted tax filings to MBA programs and got through. But in your case, it may not be so easy if you have not filed taxes (the adcoms may wonder why). I highly recommend you get help from a professional who can help you create a presentable application for the programs you are seeking.

Feel free to connect should you need guidance

Best wishes
Aanchal Sahni (INSEAD MBA alumna, former INSEAD admissions interviewer)
Founder, MBAGuideConsulting
LinkedIn |WEBSITE:https://mbaguideconsulting.com/ | Message(WA): +91 9971200927| email- [email protected]­
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MaxBlack11
Hey! I am a 25 year old male working professional aiming for ISB. I’m having a hard time concentrating and doing it on my own. I was wondering if anyone would be okay with being virtual study partners or something if that’s not too weird a request?
­Are you looking for a study partern for your GMAT prep MaxBlack11?

If yes, dis-associate ISB from GMAT and post your question here.
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Gprabhumir
Is working for a Family Business considered better over a consulting job? How are the two individually treated?
­It really depends on what your future goals are Gprabhumir, because goals should be tied with your professional experiences.
--
Ashish.
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Rohansid10
Hi All,
Need help for my profile review

Gmat - 720
College cgpa - 8.5/10
Inter-96.8/100
School-9.8/10

Work ex(2yrs at DBS Tech)
Working as an iOS Developer.Got promoted this year as well.Worked on various projects for HK,India and Singapore teams.Also lead my own project successfully.

Volunteer experience:
Active volunteer at Goonj.Have organised collection and blood donation camps for 2years now.

Start up experience
Started my own clothing brand a couple of months ago.Still in the early stages but I think I can make some decent progress before the application deadline.

Already rejected last year in the interview round.I am hoping my startup experience and my advancements in my profession will help me land an admit.Please give your feedback on my profile.It would help me a lot.
­A bit surprising that you don't consider your college degree or your college name, important enough to mention as part of your profile @Rohansid10. 

These things do matter.
--
Ashish.
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ISBeacon
 

A bit surprising that you don’t consider your college degree or your college name, important enough to mention as part of your profile @Rohansid10. 

These things do matter.
--
Ashish.
Fair enough Ashish.
I studied at VNR VJIET,Hyderabad specialised in information technology with a CGPA of 8.5/10.Please give your feedback on my profile.It would help me greatly.
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++
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Rohansid10
Fair enough Ashish.
I studied at VNR VJIET,Hyderabad specialised in information technology with a CGPA of 8.5/10.Please give your feedback on my profile.It would help me greatly.
­Please write to ISB, seeking feedback on your last year's application and interview. That might give you some idea in terms of how/where to improve.

Also, you have not mentioned your career goals. That might be another area to look at.

Good luck!
--
Ashish.
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Hi All,

I need help reviewing my profile.

GMAT: Currently preparing

Education:
College CGPA: 7.2/10
12th Grade: 69.2/100
10th Grade: 9.8/10
Background: Engineering, Tier III University

Work Experience:

Total Work Experience: 4.5 years in Business Development
Career Progression: Started as an Associate, promoted to a managerial position, led a team of 10 associates for approximately 2.5 years
Industry: Edtech, currently working in an advertising agency to have more time to focus on GMAT preparation and applications
Extracurricular Activities:

Sports: Captained the football team in high school at the district level for 2 years and the cricket team for 1 year
College Activities: Organized a couple of events
Target Colleges:

ISB
IIMs (Not A, B, C)
SP and Other institutes

Question: Considering the current backlash against the edtech industry in India, will it negatively impact my profile? I will obviously aim to score as high as possible on my GMAT, but is it viable to aim for these institutes with this profile?

Advice: Any advice?

TIA

Cheers :)
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Ashish_Singh
IIMs (Not A, B, C)

 
­Why not?
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Didn’t make it to your dream B-school this year? Read on...

The 2023-24 MBA admissions cycle was a long ordeal for those who were in the thick of it.

Kudos on (trying to :)) stay sane during the process. :))

If you didn’t make it and wish to try again this year or next, let’s first TOGETHER figure out what went wrong.

I’ll be conducting 30-minute ding analysis (1-1 sessions) starting Saturday for the whole of next week.

Last year, I did a lot of them probono and a few folks booked the slots and didn’t turn up/had last-minute cancellations.

Hence, charging a nominal amount this time around to (hopefully) drive some seriousness!

https://calendly.com/mananpuri/ding-ana ... th=2024-06
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ISBeacon
Why not?
Cause couple of consultants said that with this profile workex and score it’s going to be a no show! You can still try but don’t rely on it! Hence apart from holy trinity I’m very keen on applying to other IIM’s!

Cheers!

ISBeacon
Why not?
What’s your take on this? Now you know about my profile and all can you help me with anything!
Higly appreciate it :)
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Ashish_Singh
Hi All,

I need help reviewing my profile.

GMAT: Currently preparing

Education:
College CGPA: 7.2/10
12th Grade: 69.2/100
10th Grade: 9.8/10
Background: Engineering, Tier III University

Work Experience:

Total Work Experience: 4.5 years in Business Development
Career Progression: Started as an Associate, promoted to a managerial position, led a team of 10 associates for approximately 2.5 years
Industry: Edtech, currently working in an advertising agency to have more time to focus on GMAT preparation and applications
Extracurricular Activities:

Sports: Captained the football team in high school at the district level for 2 years and the cricket team for 1 year
College Activities: Organized a couple of events
Target Colleges:

ISB
IIMs (Not A, B, C)
SP and Other institutes

Question: Considering the current backlash against the edtech industry in India, will it negatively impact my profile? I will obviously aim to score as high as possible on my GMAT, but is it viable to aim for these institutes with this profile?

Advice: Any advice?

TIA

Cheers :)
Hi,  the worst an applicant can do to himself is to prematurely rule themselves out without even trying. I had mentees from IT background (nothing special) who got into IIM A PGPX with a little above 4 years of experience. Reconsider advice from taking consultants who discourage you from trying. You should obviously make a thorough plan regarding how you present yourself to the schools. Your stories should be interesting, and learnings/insights should be unique. 
And your concern for the edtech industry is without reason. How well you have done your work and gone above and beyond to make your projects successful will be the only basis of judgement for the professional aspect. You did mention taking a light job after so you could prepare for the GMAT. Ideally your new job should seem like a step up where you either have more responsibilities or you could present that as pivoting into a new functional area. I think you could target all these schools on your list, especially the IIMs ABC for which you are eligible with minimum required experience. A higher GMAT should be a strong consideration. Afterall, its why you took this new job.  Feel free to speak with me

Best wishes
Aanchal Sahni (INSEAD MBA alum, former INSEAD MBA admissions interviewer)
Founder, MBAGuideConsulting 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aanchal-sahni-83b00819/ |WEBSITE: https://mbaguideconsulting.com/| Message(WA): +91 9971200927| email- [email protected]
 
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Hi,

Industry scenarios are constantly changing, so why should a downturn or changes in your industry impact your candidacy for an MBA program? If you're looking to change sectors (and this applies to anyone), you need to delve deep into identifying how your previous work experience relates to your target sectors.

The competition is tough for everyone, regardless of the school—ISB, A, B, C, or other IIMs or schools. So, prepare accordingly. Don't underestimate yourself, but don't underestimate your competitors either. Know your strengths and weaknesses, and develop a strong application strategy.

While you're preparing for the GMAT, aim for a score higher than the average. A strong GMAT score will definitely strengthen your application.

Try to keep your extracurricular activities up-to-date. The ones you've mentioned seem a bit outdated. While they're not directly evaluated, every detail contributes to your overall profile.

All the best!
Ashish_Singh
Hi All,

I need help reviewing my profile.

GMAT: Currently preparing

Education:
College CGPA: 7.2/10
12th Grade: 69.2/100
10th Grade: 9.8/10
Background: Engineering, Tier III University

Work Experience:

Total Work Experience: 4.5 years in Business Development
Career Progression: Started as an Associate, promoted to a managerial position, led a team of 10 associates for approximately 2.5 years
Industry: Edtech, currently working in an advertising agency to have more time to focus on GMAT preparation and applications
Extracurricular Activities:

Sports: Captained the football team in high school at the district level for 2 years and the cricket team for 1 year
College Activities: Organized a couple of events
Target Colleges:

ISB
IIMs (Not A, B, C)
SP and Other institutes

Question: Considering the current backlash against the edtech industry in India, will it negatively impact my profile? I will obviously aim to score as high as possible on my GMAT, but is it viable to aim for these institutes with this profile?

Advice: Any advice?

TIA

Cheers :)
­
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Ashish_Singh
Hi All,

I need help reviewing my profile.

GMAT: Currently preparing

Education:
College CGPA: 7.2/10
12th Grade: 69.2/100
10th Grade: 9.8/10
Background: Engineering, Tier III University

Work Experience:

Total Work Experience: 4.5 years in Business Development
Career Progression: Started as an Associate, promoted to a managerial position, led a team of 10 associates for approximately 2.5 years
Industry: Edtech, currently working in an advertising agency to have more time to focus on GMAT preparation and applications
Extracurricular Activities:

Sports: Captained the football team in high school at the district level for 2 years and the cricket team for 1 year
College Activities: Organized a couple of events
Target Colleges:

ISB
IIMs (Not A, B, C)
SP and Other institutes

Question: Considering the current backlash against the edtech industry in India, will it negatively impact my profile? I will obviously aim to score as high as possible on my GMAT, but is it viable to aim for these institutes with this profile?

Advice: Any advice?

TIA

Cheers :)
Hey Ashish. Negative sentiments against an industry will not impact your candidature. We have had mentees before whose former employers got defunct or startups which were embroiled in corporate governance issues (which in fact gave them a chance to talk about unique anecdotes on how they steered through that situation). That being said, your academics are decent (not extravagantly high). I would strongly recommend you to have an X-factor in your profile (beyond work/beyond the classroom - can be pottery/geopolitics/gaming/chess), something uniquely related to your past and through which you can add value for others. Suggesting this so that you have a good holistic candidature and something to stand-out as an engineering applicant (apart from a good gmat). Hope this helps, rooting for you!
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Ashish_Singh

Quote:
Cause couple of consultants said that with this profile workex and score it’s going to be a no show! You can still try but don’t rely on it! Hence apart from holy trinity I’m very keen on applying to other IIM’s!
­I do think that if you get a very good GMAT score (say 685 or more), all the Indian schools are worth a shot.
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Thank you so much everyone for your insights! Appreciate it! And duly noted, will try to work on every other thing that you guys have mentioned here! Again thank you so much! :)

Cheers!
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