Columbia Profile Evaluation - Tools for B-School Profile Evaluation

Hi Nisha,

Thanks for the reply. To answer your questions:

1) Have you had work experience (including client engagements) outside of India? Yes, I have spent a good amount of time with the clients in Singapore and Bulgaria. Apart from that, I have worked with clients from various geographies such as the United States, Australia, New Zealand and Mexico.

2) what was your undergrad GPA/graduation honors? My undergrad percentage was 77.5%. Seems like that would convert to 3.3 GPA. I can get the proper GPA conversion done. But this is the number at a high level.

Thanks

Got it, thank you. The international work experience certainly will help, so definitely highlight it on your resume. Regarding GMAT, you don't need to convert it, but the top schools typically see 80%+ GPAs from Indian applicants, so it would be ideal to apply with a higher GMAT. Since you're still relatively early in your career, would you be open to applying in the spring, as soon as the 2020-21 application comes out?

I’d greatly appreciate if my profile could be evaluated. Feedback regarding my chances of getting admitted and tips for improving those odds are welcome. I will try to be brief in order not to take a lot of your time. Thanks in advance.


Personal Info: 25 years old Brazilian (from Salvador).

Education: Undergrad - Law School (not ranked);

UNDERGRADUATE GPA: 7,09/10 (Due to imaturity, since i got into university with 16 years old);
POSTGRADUATE GPA: 9,01/10 (Business Law post grad at the best law school of Brazil);
GMAT: 720 (Q50, V38, IR 7, AWA 5.5);
IELTS: 8.0;

Work Exp: 4 years of exp at matriculation:
2 years as an intern in M&A (boutique law firm);
3 years as an Associate Lawer - M&A (boutique law firm);

Extra Cs: Head of the pro bono practise of the law firm i work;
Member of the Brazilian Bar Business Law Commission;
2 months as an English teacher for AIESEC at Colombia;

Languages: Portuguese (fluent), English (fluent/advanced), Spanish ( intermediate) and French (level c1 - advanced)

Goals: To change my career and break into finance industry (PE or IB).

Best regards,

Hey there,

You have an interesting profile and business schools such as CBS certainly welcome career switchers, and the switch from law to MBA is a popular one. You'll be evaluated against other international candidates (more specifically Latin America) and your profile is a bit of a stretch compared to the candidates who get admitted to CBS from Latin America, where they have better GPA, GMAT score, and went to top-ranked schools.

That said, there are a few things you can do to strengthen your candidacy:

- The unknown in your profile is the quality of your recommendation letter, so make sure you're able to get glowing recommendations
- Have very compelling stories as to why you're switching from law to business. This switch will set you apart so make sure you can deliver a good story
- Think of good reasons for why CBS - they're big on this one
- Have a good explanation for your undergrad GPA. Because you went to a non-ranked undergrad and have a GPA on the lower side, this will raise questions so be prepared to answer

If you're able to do these, that will improve your candidacy for CBS. It's not an impossible goal for you, but it will definitely be a bit of a stretch so you want to do your best at increasing your chances if CBS is your dream school. Hope that helps, good luck!

GMAT - 730
Undergrad - B.Tech in Biotechnology (major) and Computer Science (Minor) (Undergrad) from IIT Guwahati (Top 10 in India)
GPA - 8.6/10 (Top 15% in my class)
Background - Indian - non IT Male
Total Work Ex - 5.5 years (~1 Year in IT consulting and ~4.5 years in consumer tech startups)

Brief Summary

During my 2 month B.Tech internship at University of Strasbourg - France, I published a research paper on HIV in International Journal of Virology. I have spent almost 3.5 years in a early stage start-up , where I was the first Data Analyst to be hired and went on to lead the Analytics team as Associate Director - Data Analytics. I was also working on Central Growth strategy and helping the CEOs office in raising a $50 Million Series D funding. I am currently working in a mid stage startup as a Sr Manager in Strategic Business Planning Team, scaling and commercialising the Commercial Interior Design vertical and refining the Annual Operating Plan for the entire organisation. I have also worked with an IT MnC in India for about a year as a Validation Consultant for the Regulatory Domain in the Medical Devices Vertical where I was helping the clients as well as internal teams to create products compliant with the FDA rules. I have done volunteering work with an NGO for 2 months, during which I trained the students from Primary Government School to participate in city level competitions where the children secured top positions. I have also taken a few online courses on Data Science and a executive course on Project Management from IIMB, one of the top B schools in India. I can get recommendations from the Founders/CXOs in the startups which I have worked. My short term MBA goal is to get into a startup and contribute in a larger capacity or join a corporate strategy team of a big organisation. Long term goal is to start a business on my own.

Hi,
Thanks in advance for your time!

Background and nationality: Asian, male, 33 y/o, Indonesian (but US resident)
Undergrad Information: public university in Texas with 3.7 GPA (magna cum laude), double majoring in finance and accounting
Executive Assessment: 161 (IR 18, VR 11, QR 12)
Professional certification: Certified Public Accountant

Professional experience:
All US based:
+ 2 years in local CPA firm as an auditor servicing public companies clients based in energy sector.
+ 3 years as supervising senior auditor with big 4 accounting firms (one of EY, KPMG, PwC, Deloitte) servicing fortune 500 clients, primarily in energy and software sectors. Accolades include ovation award (top performance award), accounting system champion for southwest area, trainer / teacher for staff and experienced hire auditors' classes
+ 3 years as audit experienced manager with one of national firms (one of GT, BDO, etc)
+ 2 years as executive in oil & gas exploration production company (promoted multiple times from controller to current CFO position) with approx. $50MM annual revenues, growing through M&A

Business experience / side gig:
+ chairman and co-founder design and build construction company in indonesia with a friend (US licensed and educated engineer) in 2018. our clients are primarily commercial or luxury homes. 4 full time office employees. 20 field workers. Employing virtual reality technique in design. i handle the financial aspect of the company and assist the ceo with sales and marketing (including creating website etc). my sales efforts generated approx. 60% of company's revenues.

Community and others
+ 7 years as community leader at church
+ 2 years volunteering as mentor for prospective graduates through an Indonesian mentoring program at a Texas university.
+ volunteered for an acquaintance provincial legislative election (currently a senator in Jakarta)

Post MBA goals
+ work at a major company as an executive
+ apply what I learn at Columbia for my construction company
+ create charity that allows people to invest in local industries in Indonesia

Demographic
28F Black American (parents are Caribbean immigrants)

GMAT
710 - Q44 V44. “Perfectly balanced, as all things should be.”

Undergraduate
3.45 GPA. BFA in Industrial Design (Product Design) from a school that’s widely considered the top design school in the US. Lots of clubs that are either inherently leadership based (peer mentor, freshman orientation leader), or where I held leadership positions.

Work Experience
A little over 4 years of full time by matriculation. Mostly in data analytics across a couple of industries, most recently marketing strategy. One title promotion at my last job and I’m up for one at my current job that’ll happen between application and interview (if I get one). Supplemental work experience includes starting a medical nonprofit with my family (on my parents’ island) hosting and producing a PBS documentary show, and pro bono PR work for a startup toy company.

Post MBA Goals
I want to work in product management so I can combine my education and experience in a meaningful way. Their luxury goods program and NYC location is attractive because of the possibility of working at a fashion house (tons of product there) but I’m also interested in emerging tech as well.

Concerns
Everything is kind of just “good” and nothing is knocked out of the park. GPA is not bad enough to hurt but not good enough to be a plus. GMAT is great in general but way in the low half for CBS. What can help is that I’m a couple of underrepresented minorities and CBS asks about hobbies/interests (I have a lot of interesting and unusual ones) and about admissions events attended and staff/student/alumni spoken to (I attended a lot both in my city and in NYC and spoke to around 8 people). Also this is the first time my undergrad degree is directly relevant to my professional goals so that’s nice.

You have a lot of great things going for you about your application - your focus on design and your undergraduate degree in that discipline will be non-traditional but your analytics work experience will give you the credibility of a respectable, conventional skill set. Starting your own foundation and producing a PBS documentary will also be impressive to the AdCom and the fact that you are a female underrepresented minority will also be helpful.

You are right that your GMAT and GPA are on the lower end for CBS, but they are still in the acceptable range. Besides, there is not much that you can control about either of these things at this point.

I'd ask you to think a bit more about your strategic positioning (e.g., WHERE you want to be in the retail space & why AND how does your prior academic and work experience plus the CBS MBA prepare you for imminent success in that area). Which fashion house do you want to work for? Why? Make sure to include this in your essay. Also, try to make sure that the places you where you indicate interests in working are past recruiters from Columbia.

I'd also recommend considering Wharton because their MBA plus School of Design masters program dual degree might be really interesting to you as would the resources at the Baker Retail Center.

Most of the candidate assessments here are for full-time programs but I’m not sure given your profile if you are interested in Full-time or EMBA. You are in luck as Columbia is one of the few full-time MBA programs that accepts the executive assessment. However, given the amount of work experience you have and your age (33) you may be more interested in the Executive MBA. Which one are you considering at the moment? For your reference, here are a list of schools that accept the executive assessment: https://www.gmac.com/executive-assessme ... ng-schools

If you are applying to full-time MBA (vs Executive MBA), you'll be one of the most tenured and accomplished members of your class. Relatedly, you'll also be one of the oldest -- likely 2 standard deviations above the mean. These odds aren't great, but with the right strategic positioning (e.g., “Why MBA,” “Why now,” “What do you want to do post-MBA that you can’t do without it, etc.”, I think it may be possible.

You have an impressive and varied list of professional experience, from marquis corporate names with good pedigree to more entrepreneurial interests with your big 4 accounting experience and founding an Indonesian construction company. It's rare to see a client with a justifiable need to have a 2 page resume for a full-time MBA program (they are more common for EMBA), but given your tenure and the variability of your work experience, I think you may be an exception to the 1 page resume rule.

It would be a smart idea to really emphasize your international experience - very few applicants will have professional experience in South East Asia but this is a major growth market and a place where CBS wants its alums to be. Be sure to mention it in your essays if you have had cross-cultural experiences while leading a construction company across geographies (successful businesses in Indonesia navigate diverse cultural influences from Chinese to Indonesian and Christian to Muslim). Since CBS is a melting pot that prides itself on tolerance, diversity and a global lens, the AdCom will like hearing about you leading across diverse teams and geography. They'll also like hearing about vision that you have for continued career ambitions in this geographic area given your experience there.

The only red flag I see is your stated ambition to start a charity that allows people to "invest in local industries in Indonesia." Private placements for investors abroad, even if they are double or triple bottom line ("profits, people, planet") impact investing, shouldn't be positioned as a charity. Charities are generally not-for-profit investment vehicles. Just be careful that you don't brand something as a charity that's really more of an impact investment vehicle.

If talking about school selection and strategic positioning with an admissions consultant may be helpful to you, feel free to sign up for a free consultation here: https://admissionado.com/free-consultat ... sultation/

Hello everyone

I am a 26 year old female from India.
GMAT : 760
Education : BTECH from a tier 2 college with GPA 8.25/10
Work experience : 4+ years of experience in a leading IT company in the country. I work in the automotive domain wherein I am involved in the development, validation and deployment of ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance System ECU) softwares. For the past 1 year, I am in Japan, at client location, leading a team of 10 (both at onsite and offshore) wherein we are involved in the In Vehicle ECU Software development and deployment of the Driver Attention Alert System. I directly interact with our client so as to completely understand and analyse their requirements and then devise the strategy to achieve the same.
Extra-curricular : I am an avid reader and a writer. I have an online blog with over 20 published articles and over 1k followers.
Apart from this, I am a trained Bharatnatyam (Indian classical dance form) dancer, practicing dance right from the tender age of 6. I have performed at over 200 stages and have received many accolades throughout my school and university tenure.
Volunteer activities : Right from the age of 17, I have been involved in several NGO activities. While I was pursuing my 11th and 12th, I used to provide home tuitions for 10-12 under privileged students. Then while in college, I volunteered with Teach for India. I have also volunteered with Help Age India and taught our elderly basic Math and English.
I would like to know my chances at top Bschools in the world.

Posted from my mobile device

Applied Early Decision this past R1 with 2 years of WE (3 @ Matriculation). Was rejected at CBS and every other school I applied to without an interview. I want to apply again ED R1 this next cycle but wondering if I have a shot or if I should switch to lower ranked schools. Had an admissions consultant for my last application and still no luck. Thank you!


Background
Work experience: 2 years in a LDP rotational program at a F500 legacy tech company, roles across finance and ops. Currently 0.5 years at a former tech unicorn (Lyft, Uber, Airbnb, etc) doing Strategic Finance (which is basically a mix between Strategy and high level Corporate Finance/reporting).
-First job at the legacy tech company I was a top performer: Out of State rotation, had one rotation in a manager level position because the previous manager left my first month in and they trusted me to take over afterwards.

Extracurriculars: Started financial literacy nonprofit for low income communities, helped 100+ people from a mix of stuff ranging from helping set up checking accounts to helping prepare resumes and find interviews (managed 2 other volunteers). Other misc volunteering from VITA to leadership roles in the volunteering groups at my workplace. Also volunteered for an NGO in Europe for 3 months after graduating college before starting work

Undergrad school/major: Finance & Philosophy double major @ Public University (one of UNC, UT, UVA, etc)
Other education/coursework: Alternative transcript from CC, all A's in the classes I did poorly on in undergrad.

Race/nationality: ORM Male

Stats
GMAT Score: 740 (49Q/41V)
Undergrad GPA: 3.26 (plus 4 W drops from first 3 semesters)

MBA Info
Goal of MBA: Goal is to move into nonprofit work full time and eventually start my own successful one. Haven't had much luck without an MBA finding good nonprofit roles, especially ones that pay decently

Hi, and thanks for writing. Since you've posted this on several school-specific forums, I'll answer here. You have great elements to your profile, with strong academics and progressive work experience with an international component (definitely a plus). I'd also need to know the following to help assess your chances:

- How confident are you about getting strong recommendations?
- What are your post-MBA goals?
- Have you had a chance to connect with your target programs by attending local events or speaking with students/alumni? This will help you narrow down a list of schools and, for each school you apply to, make a strong case for why it is a strong fit for you based on its culture and resources within and outside of the classroom
- Do you have any leadership experience within your current extracurriculars?

Thanks!

Hi, and thanks for writing! We've seen some tough results with CBS in particular this year. In your last application:

- Do you feel that you were able to clearly communicate (particularly via the second essay) that CBS is your top choice and that you see your career in NYC? Even though applying ED is certainly a signal, conveying these points is important as well.
- How confident were you regarding the quality of your recommendations?
- Did you explain your GPA (and anything you might have done differently in college in retrospect) in your optional essay? Also, were your CC courses quantitative subjects?

Thanks!

Thank you Nisha!
I believe that I clearly communicated why CBS was my top choice. All in all, I think I spent 40+ hours on my 3 essays/Resume for CBS, working with my admissions consultant. I also did a campus visit and went to their recruiting events/info sessions in my city. Plus I contacted multiple students (whom I listed on the application) and had good conversations with them over the phone. One student even invited me to meet up for coffee if I was in NY.

I also believe that 1 of my 2 recommendations was extremely strong, maybe to the effect that I was one of if not the best employee my recommender, who was a director at the company, had. The other LoR might not have been as strong, as the recommender didn't write it until the very last minute. I had a great experience working for him though and I'm sure he wrote positive things.

As for the GPA, I didn't address it. I don't really have any sort of excuse other than that I was too immature as a freshman and spent my time socializing/partying. My consultant didn't feel as if that would be a compelling reason. The CC classes were in Econ and Managerial Accounting, two classes I did poorly on in undergrad.

Thank you for the additional info! I would have recommended addressing it in the optional essay - it can be helpful to address the GPA in a way that shows ownership and responsibility while also emphasizing how you've grown since then (through subsequent academic and professional achievements, including those cc courses). See mbaMission's blog post on the matter: https://www.mbamission.com/blog/2017/03 ... nsibility/

The 2nd recommendation might have been an issue (though of course it's tough to say for sure) - it can be tough when the letters offer a lot of praise but perhaps not enough specific example and explicit positive comparison to peers.

If you do decide to apply this coming year (to CBS or any programs) do feel free to reach out to discuss further: https://www.mbamission.com/consult/mba-admissions/

Please Evaluate my profile and any feedback would be nice

Male based in Dallas, Texas

Background and nationality: Age 29 & Black

Undergrad Information: Undergraduate GPA in Mechanical Engineering: 2.9 but Graduate School GPA in Technology Management: 3.87

GMAT: Not taken yet-Goal is >700

Work experience and leadership:
Overall experience: Operations/Manufacturing for about 7 years
Previous experience: Supply Chain Manager/Manufacturing Manager/Quality Engineering. (Fortune 500 Companies)
Current Experience: Program Manager @ Defense Aerospace company leading cross functional teams
Got promoted twice current company in 3 years

Community and others
Undergrad: Researcher at Robotics Lab, Academic Tutor and Financial Chair on National Society of Black Engineers. Multiple internships at Top companies.
Currently: Official paid mentor selected by current company to mentor high school & college students, Appointed-President of Employee Resource Group at Current job, Business Round Table Speaker-Go to high schools in surrounding areas to enlighten Kids on STEM and also tutor some STEM courses. Working in program in Dallas community with under privileged kids in alternative high schools schools to put them on the right path. Leader a Teenage program assisting college and high school students with mentorship, college admission, scholarships etc. President of National Society of Black Engineers Professional Chapter

Post MBA goals - Working in Technology and Strategy

Anything else?
Certification-PMP
Awards & Recognition: Manager of the Quarter Award & Leadership Awards
Excellent Performer ratings at work

Hi Everyone,

This might be a long post, so please bear with me. Please help me with my profile evaluation and my shot at Columbia

Profile
Indian Male- 23 Years old (25 at Matriculation)
B. Tech in CSE from top 10 pvt Engineering colleges in Inda. CGPA 7.2/10

Work Ex:
Full time- 26 months at the time of application, 37 months at the time of Matriculation
Deloitte USI, Risk and Financial Advisory
Primary Domain- IT Risk and Technology Compliance
Achievements at work:
- Primary engagement is Technology Compliance for a major American Retail brand. Even in my first year, led a critical part of the engagement (Evaluating client's access control), became the subject matter expert for the control in just 4 months. Helped the client bridge major SOX non- compliances across all their technology elements.
- In my second year of the engagement, I am leading very critical parts including the infrastructure compliance audits, User Access Reviews and other (Major chunk of the engagement). Typically, Senior Consultants (4-5 Years experience) are responsible for leading these critical parts.
- Since I work mostly on compliance engagements, there is not much scope for out of the box or innovative work. Yet, Proposed new tools (process automations) for walkthrough automation and access reviews which resulted in clients saving approximately 1500-man hours per financial year. These tools were my brain child and I worked on creating the use cases and workflows. Tools implemented in SOX compliance engagements across Deloitte US. Received accolades from Partners and directors for process improvement. (Post MBA Aim: Product Management)
- We have a quarterly performance evaluation system and an annual promotion system. Received the highest possible performance rating in all performance evaluations so far. Promoted within 10 months from an Analyst to Consultant. The firm follows a relative performance evaluation, my performance rating puts me in the top percentile of my peer group.
- 4 Outstanding Performance awards from the firm, 2 client appreciation awards. (unheard for somebody in 1 year)
- Various Firm and Practice development initiatives including promoting well being stories, ideating new ways to engage employees etc.
- Will be traveling onsite to client location for 2 weeks before I apply
- Have multiple internship experiences in college including interning for the Indian Railways. Worked on UI/ UX for an MIS for top level officials for Indian railways. Suggested reporting mechanisms and UX were integrated in the final version.


Leadership Experience
- Even in my first year, led critical aspects of the audit becoming one of the youngest SMEs in the firm for access controls.
- Led walkthroughs and client meetings
- In my second year with the firm, led and mentored 5 new analysts on the project. (Usually done by Senior Consultants)
- Head of the Literary Society in university
- Led a team of 30 volunteers to organize one of the Largest Model UN Conferences in North India. Saw a participation of ~350 students and 30 faculty members. Conference in collaboration with UNIC for India and Bhutan and other United Nations Agencies. Organized another MUN Conference that was recognized by the Secretary General Antonio Guetteres
- Was the City Youth Representative for the World Youth Council, an international NGO based out of New Delhi. Recruited Youth Change leaders and carried out the planning and execution for the 'Teach for Talent campaign'. The campaign was aimed at providing co- curricular training to underprivileged students from Tier 2 and Tier 3 Cities in the country. Covered 7 cities and 500+ students.

International Experience:
- Working with an international consulting firm. I work closely with cross functional international teams and stakeholders and directly with international clients. Daily interactions and collaboration with people situated all around the globe.
- Extensive Model United Nations experience. Over 100 MUN conferences (10+ Years) have shaped me into a truly global citizen and have made me aware of the issues that the world faces. This has given me a more holistic experience than any working/ staying abroad could have given. I have microscopically looked at international geopolitical problems and worked towards solving them in a student's/ young professional's capacity.
- One of the first Indians to preside over Rome Model UN Conference, Europe's larget UN Simulation.

Other Experiences/ Achievements
- Have mentored and trained 2000+ students in public speaking, debating, Model UNs and soft skills across the country over the course of the past 5 years. 800+ hours of training experience.
- Have conducted soft skills workshops for organizations such as AFS global (World's largest volunteers’ organization) and have adjudicated debates for organizations like the Rotary Club (Youngest Adjudicator ever in their annual inter- university debates in New Delhi)
- Very strong co curriculars including multiple internships, debating, Model UNs, Science Fairs etc. International level debater, state table tennis champion, national level quizzer.
- Launched 2 online stores during college, handeled the Branding, Marketing and operations. One was for automative goods and the other was for Fandom merchandise. Both crossed 6 figures (INR) Turnover within 3 months.
- Established a Government of India registered Not for Profit Trust at the age of 20. The trust works for upliftment of economically backward students. We have also conducted vocational trainings for differently abled students.
- Outstanding award in academics for 14 consecutive years in school. Dean’s award for Cumulative Contribution to the University.
- Professional Automotive Photographer. Clients include Buddh International Circuit (India's Formula 1 track), Mercedes, Eibach, Borla etc.
- State Table Tennis Champion

I'm yet to take the GMAT. Want to apply for the 2021 Intake. Post MBA Goals: Technology Management/ Product Management. I have my well thought out reasons for applying this early in my career. What will be a safe GMAT score for Columbia?