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vagisha2503
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Schools: Anderson '24 Booth '24 Broad Carlson Carroll CEIBS '24 Columbia CBS '24 Darden '24 Goizueta '24 ESADE Foster '24 Fuqua '24 Haas '24 Harvard '24 HKUST IESE '24 IMD '22 ISB '23 Johnson '24 Jones Judge '23 Katz Kelley '24 Kellogg '24 Kenan-Flagler '24 LBS '24 Madison Marshall '24 Mays McCombs '24 McDonough '24 Mendoza Merage NTU NUS Owen '24 Said '23 BU Ross '24 Rotman '24 Erasmus Scheller Bocconi Simon '24 Sloan '24 Smeal Stanford '24 Tepper '24 Tuck '24 Warwick "23 Wharton '24 Yale '24
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Columbia Profile Evaluation - Tools for B-School Profile Evaluation 17 Apr 2022, 19:49
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Background and nationality : Indian Citizen, Female , 24 year old.
Undergrad Information : Pune University. Computer Science Engineering, 7.99/10
GMAT: (yet to be given) (Please suggest how much should I score?)
Work experience and leadership : 3 year at PwC in Tech Consulting - Salesforce.
Worked to create the CRM for an American technology and semiconductor company that primarily supplied programmable logic devices, a New York City technology company operating in the area of online brand management and an Indian multinational conglomerate.

Community and others : Part of PwC India Foundation .

Post MBA goals :
Short term Goal : Switch into Management Consulting.
Long Term Goal : Entrepreneurship

Anything else ? - During college, part of theatre group which won several accolades; volunteered to teach underprivileged kids; heavily into extracurricular activity. Published a paper for 'Trust Evaluation and Service Recommendation System based in Machine Learning' in IEEE explore.
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Columbia Profile Evaluation - Tools for B-School Profile Evaluation 18 Apr 2022, 06:44
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Hi, vagisha2503,

Thank you for your post!

First of all, I would like you to know that since you are from an overrepresented pool of candidates, it’s essential that you score around 730+ in your GMAT to increase your chances at top MBA programs around the globe. Coming to your profile, it’s a bit brief. I would like you to elaborate more about your roles & responsibilities, examples of leadership, relevant skills developed, and the impact generated during your tenure.

Moreover, since you want to change industry after your MBA, you need to give valid reasons about why you think it’s a good fit for you? What are your aspirations regarding Management Consulting? How would you link your past experiences with this new role? About your ECAs, you need to add more about your contribution, like challenges faced, leadership roles played, the impact generated, and the relevant skills developed through your ECAs to bank upon them! Also, definitely add more about your volunteering experiences and theatre group, as it would add additional points to your profile.

Overall, you have a decent profile, and since you haven’t appeared for your GMAT yet, it’s difficult to gauge schools for you accurately. However, you must be extremely clear on how an MBA can help you reach your goals and mention your motivation/driving force, your aspirations, and finally, why you think it’s a good choice for you to go for an MBA now and you have relevant skills to be successful! That’s all for now! If you'd like, we are happy to hop on a call with you sometime this week to discuss your profile in length and further help you with your GMAT strategy, feel free to book a free session with us at your convenience.

Let's create a Roadmap for Sept 23 intake R1

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Neha Hadke
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vagisha2503
Background and nationality : Indian Citizen, Female , 24 year old.
Undergrad Information : Pune University. Computer Science Engineering, 7.99/10
GMAT: (yet to be given) (Please suggest how much should I score?)
Work experience and leadership : 3 year at PwC in Tech Consulting - Salesforce.
Worked to create the CRM for an American technology and semiconductor company that primarily supplied programmable logic devices, a New York City technology company operating in the area of online brand management and an Indian multinational conglomerate.

Community and others : Part of PwC India Foundation .

Post MBA goals :
Short term Goal : Switch into Management Consulting.
Long Term Goal : Entrepreneurship

Anything else ? - During college, part of theatre group which won several accolades; volunteered to teach underprivileged kids; heavily into extracurricular activity. Published a paper for 'Trust Evaluation and Service Recommendation System based in Machine Learning' in IEEE explore.
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Columbia Profile Evaluation - Tools for B-School Profile Evaluation 03 May 2022, 23:00
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vagisha2503
Background and nationality : Indian Citizen, Female , 24 year old.
Undergrad Information : Pune University. Computer Science Engineering, 7.99/10
GMAT: (yet to be given) (Please suggest how much should I score?)
Work experience and leadership : 3 year at PwC in Tech Consulting - Salesforce.
Worked to create the CRM for an American technology and semiconductor company that primarily supplied programmable logic devices, a New York City technology company operating in the area of online brand management and an Indian multinational conglomerate.

Community and others : Part of PwC India Foundation .

Post MBA goals :
Short term Goal : Switch into Management Consulting.
Long Term Goal : Entrepreneurship

Anything else ? - During college, part of theatre group which won several accolades; volunteered to teach underprivileged kids; heavily into extracurricular activity. Published a paper for 'Trust Evaluation and Service Recommendation System based in Machine Learning' in IEEE explore.
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Hello vagisha2503,

Thanks for writing in.

As an Indian applicant with an engineering background, you will need to showcase a spike in your GMAT score; aim for at least 750 and above in order to have a competitive chance at making it into Columbia.

Profile-wise, things look fine, although this post lacks details pertaining to your exposure to any leadership or managerial roles and your achievements, in general. In terms of your story, the short-term goals appear to be in sync; however, be sure to talk about entrepreneurship only if you have a coherent plan in place - something you can passionately talk about and defend at the interview stage.

At this stage, focusing, first, on your GMAT is essential. Once you have a desired score, you must get down to thinking about your career goals in greater detail and articulating the same through well-written essays.

All the best!
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Columbia Profile Evaluation - Tools for B-School Profile Evaluation 04 May 2022, 03:43
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vagisha2503
Background and nationality : Indian Citizen, Female , 24 year old.
Undergrad Information : Pune University. Computer Science Engineering, 7.99/10
GMAT: (yet to be given) (Please suggest how much should I score?)
Work experience and leadership : 3 year at PwC in Tech Consulting - Salesforce.
Worked to create the CRM for an American technology and semiconductor company that primarily supplied programmable logic devices, a New York City technology company operating in the area of online brand management and an Indian multinational conglomerate.

Community and others : Part of PwC India Foundation .

Post MBA goals :
Short term Goal : Switch into Management Consulting.
Long Term Goal : Entrepreneurship

Anything else ? - During college, part of theatre group which won several accolades; volunteered to teach underprivileged kids; heavily into extracurricular activity. Published a paper for 'Trust Evaluation and Service Recommendation System based in Machine Learning' in IEEE explore.
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Hello vagisha2503 hope you are doing well

In order to stay competitive for Columbia, I suggest you target a 750+ on GMAT. I may have missed something in your profile description but I do not see a strong differentiating factor in your profile as an Indian applicant which is a highly competitive pool. I would be interested to see a strong growth pattern YoY during your stint at PWC India. Your ECs also seem somewhat dated and mostly from college days. You may want to discuss your profile in detail with experts and get an idea about how you could play on your strengths to give your best shot at schools in the same league as Columbia.

If you wish to seek professional guidance feel free to reach out.

Best wishes
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Columbia Profile Evaluation - Tools for B-School Profile Evaluation 23 May 2022, 03:16
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Hi! I'm planning to apply for fall next year or the year after, hoping mainly to build my profile - would appreciate it if anyone can give me any advice:

Background and nationality: 26 years old, Chinese male, one of the Southeast Asian countries
Undergrad Information: University College London, Engineering (second class upper)
GMAT: Second take 710 (V36 Q50), IR 5 (just took today, might cancel and retake); Cancelled first take 690 (V37 Q48), IR 5
Work experience and leadership: 1 year in my country's sovereign fund (PE and equity research analyst roles), before working in a non-MBB (non-big4 either) as a junior strategy consultant. Also, I was my ex-Prime Minister's intern for 2 months in university days not sure how much will this info help.
Community and others: None at the moment. Used to represent my uni for archery in a competition or two. Was a national Scrabble player up to 18 years old. Also was a volunteer tutor + helped a rural community build a house (literally) when I was 18. Was an assistant Karate coach for young children for a while during weekends.
Entrepreneurship experience: Not really like a business per se, but I started the first student-run consulting group in my country, started Jujitsu club during college, was class representative in university)
Post MBA goals: Either entrepreneurship or work in VC, with a focus on fintech perhaps. Still not entirely sure about motivation for a MBA at the moment - for now it's mainly the prestige.
Anything else? First-gen, secured full scholarship for my entire undergrad, interned at multiple consulting firms and a renowned local PE firm. I also travelled to 20 countries in university not sure if that helps.
Schools I am planning to apply to: HWS, MIT, Columbia

Personal thoughts on my strengths and weaknesses in profile:
Pros:
- First-gen student, strong extracurriculars when I was 18 (lol) so I guess I can spin the story of me coming from a poor background (e.g. became a national scrabble player at 16 at a Chinese school) and very self-made
- Full scholarship record
- Generally interesting I feel? (worked for my Prime Minister, did martial arts, played Scrabble, archery etc)

Cons:
- Career is not exceptional (sovereign fund for a year, then strategy at Tier 2 not Tier 1)
- Very average academics (2:1, below average GMAT of 710)
- Feels like my extracurriculars weren't too impressive after 18 years old

Was hoping to obtain advice on: 1. should I cancel my GMAT scores in the next 72 hours (noting that my IR was 5), 2. anything that stands out, and what can I possibly do in the meantime to boost my profile) 3. Grades - not sure if that would be a little bit of a disadvantage as a Southeast Asian male consultant.

Thanks in advance!
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Columbia Profile Evaluation - Tools for B-School Profile Evaluation 23 May 2022, 03:23
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I am planning to apply for MBA for Fall 2023. Please review my profile and help me know my chances at CBS.

Demographic: Indian, Female, Age 27
Education: Bachelor of Engineering, Instrumentation (Mumbai University, 2016)
CGPA: 8.14/10
GMAT attempt1: 540, Attempt 2 is in July

Work Ex: Started as graduate engineer trainee in a process automation Swiss MNC and moved upwards to work in Sales as Sr. proposal engineer with 5 years work ex.
Worked with oil and gas public sector companies ( IOCL, ONGC, HRRL) and won huge project orders of up to 50 million INR
Worked with various chemical industry giants (Grasim, NFASL, GACL) and grabbed the biggest orders even won in company history
Won an international award for "Best Sales progress" which was also the first win for the Indian office.

ECs: Mentored kids in Mentor me India for 2 years
Part of Feeding India team for Mumbai
Part of Emergency Rescue team of office
Led to 2 student led organizations in college

Post MBA goal: Short term MBB Consulting (Operations), Long term: COO of a fortune 500 company

Motivation: Since I have worked in sales and worked with numerous clients, I am aware of how processes work. I would like to work in helping and consulting firms in improving their processes and improve their profitability and efficiency.

Posted from my mobile device
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Columbia Profile Evaluation - Tools for B-School Profile Evaluation 23 May 2022, 08:18
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Hi Dragongirl24,

Thank you for your post. For CBS, you will definitely want to increase your GMAT score. For reference, the class of 2022 average GMAT for Columbia was 729.

Personal MBA Coach has worked with many clients from oil and gas/energy backgrounds and we can certainly talk with you about how to best position this experience in the context of your MBA applications.

Thinking about your career goals, we encourage you to check out our blog post on how to best articulate your MBA goals. Given that you have very common post-MBA goals, you will really want to dig deep and consider how you will leave your unique mark.

Where else are you considering applying to? We suggest targeting 5 to 8 schools.

Feel free to reach out to [email protected] to further discuss your candidacy how we can potentially work together to maximize your chances of success (review our comprehensive services to learn more).

Regards,
Personal MBA Coach


Dragongirl24
I am planning to apply for MBA for Fall 2023. Please review my profile and help me know my chances at CBS.

Demographic: Indian, Female, Age 27
Education: Bachelor of Engineering, Instrumentation (Mumbai University, 2016)
CGPA: 8.14/10
GMAT attempt1: 540, Attempt 2 is in July

Work Ex: Started as graduate engineer trainee in a process automation Swiss MNC and moved upwards to work in Sales as Sr. proposal engineer with 5 years work ex.
Worked with oil and gas public sector companies ( IOCL, ONGC, HRRL) and won huge project orders of up to 50 million INR
Worked with various chemical industry giants (Grasim, NFASL, GACL) and grabbed the biggest orders even won in company history
Won an international award for "Best Sales progress" which was also the first win for the Indian office.

ECs: Mentored kids in Mentor me India for 2 years
Part of Feeding India team for Mumbai
Part of Emergency Rescue team of office
Led to 2 student led organizations in college

Post MBA goal: Short term MBB Consulting (Operations), Long term: COO of a fortune 500 company

Motivation: Since I have worked in sales and worked with numerous clients, I am aware of how processes work. I would like to work in helping and consulting firms in improving their processes and improve their profitability and efficiency.

Posted from my mobile device
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Columbia Profile Evaluation - Tools for B-School Profile Evaluation 25 May 2022, 01:09
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Dragongirl24
I am planning to apply for MBA for Fall 2023. Please review my profile and help me know my chances at CBS.

Demographic: Indian, Female, Age 27
Education: Bachelor of Engineering, Instrumentation (Mumbai University, 2016)
CGPA: 8.14/10
GMAT attempt1: 540, Attempt 2 is in July

Work Ex: Started as graduate engineer trainee in a process automation Swiss MNC and moved upwards to work in Sales as Sr. proposal engineer with 5 years work ex.
Worked with oil and gas public sector companies ( IOCL, ONGC, HRRL) and won huge project orders of up to 50 million INR
Worked with various chemical industry giants (Grasim, NFASL, GACL) and grabbed the biggest orders even won in company history
Won an international award for "Best Sales progress" which was also the first win for the Indian office.

ECs: Mentored kids in Mentor me India for 2 years
Part of Feeding India team for Mumbai
Part of Emergency Rescue team of office
Led to 2 student led organizations in college

Post MBA goal: Short term MBB Consulting (Operations), Long term: COO of a fortune 500 company

Motivation: Since I have worked in sales and worked with numerous clients, I am aware of how processes work. I would like to work in helping and consulting firms in improving their processes and improve their profitability and efficiency.

Posted from my mobile device
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Hi DragonGirl24,

Just wondering how much is your total work experience? Your work achievements are quite excellent, and you should use your resume for showing the quantitative impact you created in every role. I like the fact that you moved from a private sector company to PSU and back again to a private company- haven't seen that kind of mobility among Indian applicants. I believe that can help you differentiate your experience from other applicants having similar backgrounds as yours. Also having an experience spanning very different organizations will give you talking points in your essays/ recommendations. However, the key will be to present it all in a compelling manner that helps you lay out the depth and breadth of your experience.

Your ECAs sound decent- but I would like to understand the depth of your involvement and what impact you have been able to create at the various organizations.

The goals sound ok. With these goals, you could be applying to the top MBA programs - but a better GMAT score is needed. At this point, your aim should be to put in all your effort into the GMAT preparation and get a 730+ score.

All the best and feel free to reach out should you wish to discuss your profile in more detail.
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Schools: Booth '25 CBS '25 Haas '25 HBS '25 Kellogg '25 Stanford '25 Wharton '25 Yale '25
GMAT 1: 720 Q49 V40
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Columbia Profile Evaluation - Tools for B-School Profile Evaluation 05 Jun 2022, 15:23
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Demographic:
Indian Female, 25 years old

GMAT: 730 Q49 V41 IR 7 AWA 4.5

Profile:
I come from a design background and did my undergraduate degree in graphic design from NID Ahmedabad, one of India's best design institutes.(CGPA 8.05/10, top 5 in class) Since then, I've been working in advertising, at companies including Ogilvy and Dentsu Webchutney, and am now working as a founding member and creative at an independent advertising agency. My total work experience is 3 years (37 months)

During my career, I've been on multiple international award winning projects and teams (4 grand prix at Spikes Asia, 19 metals at the One Show for Creativity, and a Bronze lion at the Cannes festival for Creativity.) In addition to this, several of my student projects have been published on platforms such as BBC 100 Women, Thomson Reuters, CNN, the Hindu, and the Scroll. I've also been a guest on BBC's Big Debate radio show, and have been selected as a portfolio night all star, representing my city in a competition in New York.


Post MBA goals:
I want to move from a craft focused role to a strategy focused role in a marketing team for a tech/ lifestyle brand, such as Apple, Google, AirBNB, Spotify, Netflix, VICE, or Bumble.
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Columbia Profile Evaluation - Tools for B-School Profile Evaluation 14 Jun 2022, 08:09
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I am planning to apply for MBA for Fall 2023. Please let me know my odds and specifically any areas of weaknesses!

Background and nationality: East Asian Female, 24 years old, Canadian citizen; also my partner is a current student at Columbia (not CBS)

Undergrad Information: Commerce at top Canadian business undergrad program
Undergrad GPA: 4.0/4.3 (~3.8 / 4.0)

GMAT: 730

Work experience and leadership:
- 3 years (at matriculation) at a T2 management consulting firm (project focus on growth strategy and M&A)
- Select projects: corporate strategy for insurance (owned key workstream and presented to CEO), M&A support (largest merger in 20 years in the industry), growth strategy in health, etc.
- Undergrad recruiting lead (kickstarted diversity recruiting efforts)
- Worked on a white paper / article that is in the process of being published by Harvard Business Review (but under the name of the firm)

Community and others
- Heavy EC involvement in undergrad: president of school's consulting club (school sends 30% of grads into consulting), involved in charity fashion show, small non-profit consulting firm, marketing club, social entrepreneurship club, etc.
- Graduated at the start of the pandemic so haven't added any ECs since graduation

Post MBA goals
- Short-term: return to consulting firm (not sure if I should mention this), then exit to private equity / venture capital
- Long-term: Build a start-up in talent management space (tied to recruiting lead experience)

Anything else?
- Would be applying for Early Decision
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Columbia Profile Evaluation - Tools for B-School Profile Evaluation 14 Jun 2022, 08:30
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Please review my chances of getting in and areas to improve:

Background and nationality: Indian, Female- 24yrs old

Undergrad: BBA 9.77 (tier 1 Uni in India)
12th Std- 94% CBSE
10th Std- 10.0 CBSE

GRE: 337

Work experience: 3 years 2 months
- Fin consulting & project advisor- IBM
- F P&A specialist-United Technologies
- Finance Specialist-Dell Technologies

ECs/Achievements:
- Best Employee of the Quarter, On the spot Award, CX Hero Award and Multiple Inspire recognitions
- Certificate of Merit; Academic Excellence Awards- 10th std, 12th std and Under grad
- Best Crowd leader, President, and Chief Financial Advisor- Academic club of BBA
- Model United Nations winner
- Quiz master
- Theatre experience

Post MBA goals:
Short Term: Corp Fin/Strategy Consultant for one of the top consulting companies.
Long Term: Top Mgt/Key Decision making member

(Applying for Jan intake)
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Columbia Profile Evaluation - Tools for B-School Profile Evaluation 17 Jun 2022, 10:11
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uphillbattle

Looks overall good; my question would be impact. That is usually the question mark for younger candidates. Beyond prestige, can you show quantifiable results for any projects or for the diversity recruiting? This is the critical question.

East Asian females for CBS are quite overrepresented; 730, while very respectable, might be still a bit low. I would be more comfy with a 740 or 750.

If you are planning to return to consulting, I am thinking it would be a good idea to apply for J term. If you don't need an internship then J term is a great option (your peers during the summer will be mostly sponsored candidates, entrepreneurs, and family business ppl).

I think your profile is already competitive for J term and the acceptance rate is WAY higher usually standing at 40% but I think it will be lower this year, still, far higher than regular term. This might also allow you to rejoin your partner sooner than later.

If you go this route I would urge you to apply now - well before the 9/28 deadline because rolling admissions. The application just opened along with the fall application.

Please reach out if you would like to partner on your CBS app. (I love Canadians!)

uphillbattle
I am planning to apply for MBA for Fall 2023. Please let me know my odds and specifically any areas of weaknesses!

Background and nationality: East Asian Female, 24 years old, Canadian citizen; also my partner is a current student at Columbia (not CBS)

Undergrad Information: Commerce at top Canadian business undergrad program
Undergrad GPA: 4.0/4.3 (~3.8 / 4.0)

GMAT: 730

Work experience and leadership:
- 3 years (at matriculation) at a T2 management consulting firm (project focus on growth strategy and M&A)
- Select projects: corporate strategy for insurance (owned key workstream and presented to CEO), M&A support (largest merger in 20 years in the industry), growth strategy in health, etc.
- Undergrad recruiting lead (kickstarted diversity recruiting efforts)
- Worked on a white paper / article that is in the process of being published by Harvard Business Review (but under the name of the firm)

Community and others
- Heavy EC involvement in undergrad: president of school's consulting club (school sends 30% of grads into consulting), involved in charity fashion show, small non-profit consulting firm, marketing club, social entrepreneurship club, etc.
- Graduated at the start of the pandemic so haven't added any ECs since graduation

Post MBA goals
- Short-term: return to consulting firm (not sure if I should mention this), then exit to private equity / venture capital
- Long-term: Build a start-up in talent management space (tied to recruiting lead experience)

Anything else?
- Would be applying for Early Decision
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Columbia Profile Evaluation - Tools for B-School Profile Evaluation 18 Jun 2022, 12:02
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PRI23YA:

Based on the profile you have submitted, you should definitely give CBS a shot. Consider Early Decision as that would boost your chances, though you would have to commit if you were accepted.

We agree with the previous post about "impact." You have a good story/outline, but we need to see more about what kind of results you have generated and how, by way of LORs, you are perceived by your colleagues and superiors.

Your career goals need work. They aren't terribly original and might hurt your chances as a candidate coming from a competitive demographic. Please drop us a line (or sign up for a free consultation) if you think we can help with your essays and/or overall application.

https://admissionado.com/free-consultation/
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Columbia Profile Evaluation - Tools for B-School Profile Evaluation 20 Jun 2022, 00:05
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Hi uphillbattle,

Thanks for sharing your profile. Your profile looks good on the surface. To begin with, your undergrad GPA is good, and you have a good GMAT score. If your overall profile is competitive and includes impactful stories, you have a good chance with this GMAT score.

On the work front, your work experience should include stories related to impact, leadership, innovation, and teamwork. You can speak about the projects you are working on, the roles and responsibilities you have undertaken, and the impact you have brought to those projects. This will allow you to exhibit yourself as a high-performing individual. The articles of the Harvard Business Review are insightful; I always read them. Good job there. Your ECs are good, but are you currently involved in anything? NGO or anything else. ECs must be able to showcase your personality apart from your work. So, make sure you work on this part. Overall, you have a good profile and have a shot at Columbia. We have helped applicants get into early decision in Columbia and are also organizing a YouTube session with them on early rounds on June 22 with GMAT club. You can attend that. You will get some insights.

If you’d like, we are happy to get on a call with you sometime this week to discuss your profile in length and further chances at the school. Feel free to book a free session with us as per your convenience.

Cheers!
Neha Hadke
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uphillbattle
I am planning to apply for MBA for Fall 2023. Please let me know my odds and specifically any areas of weaknesses!

Background and nationality: East Asian Female, 24 years old, Canadian citizen; also my partner is a current student at Columbia (not CBS)

Undergrad Information: Commerce at top Canadian business undergrad program
Undergrad GPA: 4.0/4.3 (~3.8 / 4.0)

GMAT: 730

Work experience and leadership:
- 3 years (at matriculation) at a T2 management consulting firm (project focus on growth strategy and M&A)
- Select projects: corporate strategy for insurance (owned key workstream and presented to CEO), M&A support (largest merger in 20 years in the industry), growth strategy in health, etc.
- Undergrad recruiting lead (kickstarted diversity recruiting efforts)
- Worked on a white paper / article that is in the process of being published by Harvard Business Review (but under the name of the firm)

Community and others
- Heavy EC involvement in undergrad: president of school's consulting club (school sends 30% of grads into consulting), involved in charity fashion show, small non-profit consulting firm, marketing club, social entrepreneurship club, etc.
- Graduated at the start of the pandemic so haven't added any ECs since graduation

Post MBA goals
- Short-term: return to consulting firm (not sure if I should mention this), then exit to private equity / venture capital
- Long-term: Build a start-up in talent management space (tied to recruiting lead experience)

Anything else?
- Would be applying for Early Decision
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Columbia Profile Evaluation - Tools for B-School Profile Evaluation Updated on: 27 Jun 2022, 22:19
Originally posted by Anirudh16 on 22 Jun 2022, 05:11.
Last edited by Anirudh16 on 27 Jun 2022, 22:19, edited 1 time in total.
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I don't want to disclose all the professional information just yet but I request to please give a clarity whether this application will be considered.

I know I am giving a vague information but would love to hear commentary on it.

Background and nationality: Indian, Male - 24yrs old

Undergrad: Indian Institute of Technology, major in Mathematics (in one of the top 7 colleges )
GPA: 8 plus
12th Std- 98%

GMAT: 720

Work experience: 2 years in IT (I would say I have a moderate impact, not very high)

Achievements:
Lot of Achievements during school age in mathematics related and ranked less than 1000 in the IIT entrance exam and few more.
(Maths oriented background)

Post MBA goals
- Short-term: Investment Banker at a top company
- Long-term: Stay as Investment Banker/ become CFO at a top company

Thank You
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Hi Anirudh16

As you might imagine, your GMAT is the biggest deal you have going right now. It's a bit of a wild card and how much CBS wants to have some early wins with their GMAT average for the upcoming cycle. It's expected to be competitive however, and also, accepting the EA has the effect of cherry picking GMAT scores which drives up the average.

I say this because you are working from a deficit with only 2 years of work ex - generally people this young only get into M7 programs when they have very strong demonstrated impact. And its tough because IT is so overrepresented for your profile group. I would encourage you to get involved with any type of high impact projects you can at work; if you can't do this in the core of your job, try to do this in the ERG; training, mentoring, interviewing and/or recruiting to show leadership. Figure out a path to make your mark.

One of my clients from last cycle had a pretty vanilla T2 work ex but he took the initiative in creating a template program as a means to increase diversity of their team; this allowed them to bid on more projects, on top of the other benefits of this. I feel like he would not have cracked Booth/Kellogg without this.

Not very clear on your leadership/ECs/hobbies - right now I see a super smart mathmatician who graduated from IIT but as it often the case, I am not seeing the whole person here, the prospective business leader and social value-add teammate they are looking for, with hobbies and interests.

It might be a good idea to develop your profile in these ways before applying. Hope this makes sense. If you do apply, of course, strive to do so i the early round but I think another year or two to either 1) solve some interesting problems at work or 2) change jobs where you can do that and equally important, engage in leadership outside of work.

Writing and speaking about this will help the adcom see you as a whole person, more than a piece of paper with numbers.

Anirudh16
I don't want to disclose all the professional information just yet but I request to please give a clarity whether this application will be considered.

I know I am giving a vague information but would love to hear commentary on it.

Background and nationality: Indian, Male - 24yrs old

Undergrad: Indian Institute of Technology, major in Mathematics (in one of the top 7 colleges )
GPA: 8 plus
12th Std- 98%

GMAT: 770

Work experience: 2 years in IT (I would say I have a moderate impact, not very high)

Achievements:
Lot of Achievements during school age in mathematics related and ranked less than 1000 in the IIT entrance exam and few more.
(Maths oriented background)

Post MBA goals
- Short-term: Investment Banker at a top company
- Long-term: Stay as Investment Banker/ become CFO at a top company

Thank You
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Columbia Profile Evaluation - Tools for B-School Profile Evaluation 22 Jun 2022, 07:14
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Indian Female | 26 years | 3 years of work experience

Aiming for 720+ on GMAT. I plan to apply next year.

Qualifications:
Xth: 10/10 CGPA
XIIth: 92.4%
Undergrad: 8.67/10 CGPA (B.Tech in Civil Engineering) ( Manipal Institute of Technology, MAHE)

Work Experience:

1. 7 months in TCS as Assistant System Engineer for a UK-based client.
2. 1 year 5 months of work experience at an Indian eCommerce company. Worked here as a Product Analyst. Here's the caveat. The company had to downsize during the pandemic because of which they had to send many of their employees on indefinite leave without pay. Unfortunately, I was one of those employees. So on paper, I have an experience of 1 year 5 months at this company, but effectively it was 9 months.
3. Founder of an online sustainable jewelry brand that works with artisan clusters across India. (Registered in 2021) (2021-Present)

Extra-curricular:

1. Yoga enthusiast. Pursuing a teacher certification program.
2. Graduate in Indian classical music.
3. Managed a team of 10 members for an event conducted during the technical festival in college.
4. Managed a team of two content writers for college festivals.
5. Junior Editor for Civil Department's official newsletter.
6. Workshops Head for Civil Department's official tech club while at college.
7. Avid reader.

Community Service:
1. Active volunteer for Zomato Feeding India.
2. I mentor underprivileged students under Avasar Foundation.
3. Actively volunteered as a member of Volunteer Services Organisation in campus cleanliness drives and at pediatric wards.

Post-MBA goal:

My long-term goal is to scale and expand my current venture to address the problems of textile surplus, over-production, and lack of proper upcycling practices. However, I do lack the vast understanding needed in the fashion industry. Hence, my immediate goal post-MBA will be to work at similar conscious fashion brands to really dig my teeth into the challenges and understand ways to solve those. I wish to work in the European market. Over the past few years, I have developed an active interest in sustainable practices and ways of living and would love to explore its scope in business post-MBA.

Target Schools: LBS, Wharton, Columbia, Stanford, Rotman, and ISB.

Kindly evaluate my profile.

Major concerns: 1. Work Experience, 2. Lack of international exposure

Please suggest other top schools for which my profile may be a good fit. I wish to specialize in Marketing.

Thanks a ton!
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Columbia Profile Evaluation - Tools for B-School Profile Evaluation 22 Jun 2022, 09:06
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Amritaroy1995:

Terrific profile!

I would not worry about international exposure. It's a very overrated component that people think is an actual requirement. There's no need to try to gain some foreign experience just because you think it would look good in your application.

Your work experience is not necessarily a concern. It all depends on how it is put together in your CV/resume, spoken to by your recommenders, and incorporated into your essays. That's the art of putting together a solid application, which is needed for the top schools you have listed.

The key right now for you is to nail that GMAT score. A 720 feels like the minimum you need to be competitive for these schools (except for Rotman) coming from a competitive demographic.

Lastly, if you want to specialize in marketing you should really put Northwestern (Kellogg) on your list. It's generally considered the top marketing program in the US.

When the time is right, please reach out to us to discuss in more detail:
https://admissionado.com/free-consultation/
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Columbia Profile Evaluation - Tools for B-School Profile Evaluation 22 Jun 2022, 22:00
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uphillbattle
I am planning to apply for MBA for Fall 2023. Please let me know my odds and specifically any areas of weaknesses!

Background and nationality: East Asian Female, 24 years old, Canadian citizen; also my partner is a current student at Columbia (not CBS)

Undergrad Information: Commerce at top Canadian business undergrad program
Undergrad GPA: 4.0/4.3 (~3.8 / 4.0)

GMAT: 730

Work experience and leadership:
- 3 years (at matriculation) at a T2 management consulting firm (project focus on growth strategy and M&A)
- Select projects: corporate strategy for insurance (owned key workstream and presented to CEO), M&A support (largest merger in 20 years in the industry), growth strategy in health, etc.
- Undergrad recruiting lead (kickstarted diversity recruiting efforts)
- Worked on a white paper / article that is in the process of being published by Harvard Business Review (but under the name of the firm)

Community and others
- Heavy EC involvement in undergrad: president of school's consulting club (school sends 30% of grads into consulting), involved in charity fashion show, small non-profit consulting firm, marketing club, social entrepreneurship club, etc.
- Graduated at the start of the pandemic so haven't added any ECs since graduation

Post MBA goals
- Short-term: return to consulting firm (not sure if I should mention this), then exit to private equity / venture capital
- Long-term: Build a start-up in talent management space (tied to recruiting lead experience)

Anything else?
- Would be applying for Early Decision
Show more


Hey there,

Well, you have a pretty interesting profile.
Academically, you have a pretty good GPA, which showcases your academic power. Speaking of your GMAT score of 730, it would definitely work in your favour as it further illustrates your academic capabilities, allowing you to apply to most of the top colleges. While your grades do play an important part, your extracurricular activities and your other endeavours matter as well because AdComs are looking for applicants with holistically developed profiles.

Not only this, your work experience and leadership skills are very important aspects for your application process. Your leaderships skills showcase your strong interest in developing your profile holistically by highlighting your ability to take up initiatives, impact others and to empathize with other people. B-schools are looking for applicants that are future leaders and such experiences and qualities strengthen your application. To further improve your profile you could take up certifications or get involved in CSR activities to bolster your extracurriculars and build a holistic profile.

As far as your work experience goes, since an MBA is a manager's degree and requires significant work experience, your 3 years of work experience would put you at par with other applicants. In order to stand out from the crowd, you most certainly should focus on your leadership roles and major projects of your work and how these experiences helped to develop and further groom your skills and knowledge.

Here are the Top B-Schools you can target:
    University of Pennsylvania: Wharton
    Columbia Business School
    Harvard Business School
    Insead
    Northwestern University, Kellogg School of Management
    Stanford Graduate School of Business
    University of Chicago: Booth
    London Business School
    Yale School of Management

If you would like, we can help you with essays and SOPs and other application processes.

We have helped over 5000 students get admit into their dream schools.

If you would like we can set up a free consulting session with you at your convenience
You can set up a Free consulting session with our experts through the link provided:
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In this call, you will be getting:

a)Deep Profile Evaluation: Strengths and Weaknesses

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c) Timeline for your Applications

d) 3X Admit Chances
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Columbia Profile Evaluation - Tools for B-School Profile Evaluation 23 Jun 2022, 02:31
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Amritaroy1995
Indian Female | 26 years | 3 years of work experience

Aiming for 720+ on GMAT. I plan to apply next year.

Qualifications:
Xth: 10/10 CGPA
XIIth: 92.4%
Undergrad: 8.67/10 CGPA (B.Tech in Civil Engineering) ( Manipal Institute of Technology, MAHE)

Work Experience:

1. 7 months in TCS as Assistant System Engineer for a UK-based client.
2. 1 year 5 months of work experience at an Indian eCommerce company. Worked here as a Product Analyst. Here's the caveat. The company had to downsize during the pandemic because of which they had to send many of their employees on indefinite leave without pay. Unfortunately, I was one of those employees. So on paper, I have an experience of 1 year 5 months at this company, but effectively it was 9 months.
3. Founder of an online sustainable jewelry brand that works with artisan clusters across India. (Registered in 2021) (2021-Present)

Extra-curricular:

1. Yoga enthusiast. Pursuing a teacher certification program.
2. Graduate in Indian classical music.
3. Managed a team of 10 members for an event conducted during the technical festival in college.
4. Managed a team of two content writers for college festivals.
5. Junior Editor for Civil Department's official newsletter.
6. Workshops Head for Civil Department's official tech club while at college.
7. Avid reader.

Community Service:
1. Active volunteer for Zomato Feeding India.
2. I mentor underprivileged students under Avasar Foundation.
3. Actively volunteered as a member of Volunteer Services Organisation in campus cleanliness drives and at pediatric wards.

Post-MBA goal:

My long-term goal is to scale and expand my current venture to address the problems of textile surplus, over-production, and lack of proper upcycling practices. However, I do lack the vast understanding needed in the fashion industry. Hence, my immediate goal post-MBA will be to work at similar conscious fashion brands to really dig my teeth into the challenges and understand ways to solve those. I wish to work in the European market. Over the past few years, I have developed an active interest in sustainable practices and ways of living and would love to explore its scope in business post-MBA.

Target Schools: LBS, Wharton, Columbia, Stanford, Rotman, and ISB.

Kindly evaluate my profile.

Major concerns: 1. Work Experience, 2. Lack of international exposure

Please suggest other top schools for which my profile may be a good fit. I wish to specialize in Marketing.

Thanks a ton!
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Hi Amritaroy1995 hello from a fellow MAHE alumna !

I like that you tried to diversify your experience. Post TCS stint, start up product analyst experience and founding a sustainable jewelry brand are interesting career choices and evoke intrigue. A conscientious narrative would help connect the dots (and gaps..) in your profile. If you wish to work in the European market, I suggest you think holistically about your school selection. You can add HEC Paris, Oxford and Cambridge to your list. HEC Paris has strong entrepreneurial focus and is strategically positioned in the Fashion and retail industry. I recently helped someone with similar goals as you get into HEC Paris in R3. I also have experience of working on sustainable handicrafts businesses in India so we may find synergies during our discussion.
Feel free to reach out if you wish to have a candid conversation.

Regards
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