Thanks for sharing your profile @anon8957 ! Sorry to hear about your Harvard ding. You've got good strengths. A 770 GMAT score removes academic risk and signals good quantitative ability. It immediately gets your resume serious attention. Allocator experience (OCIO) + CFA = technical credibility for buy-side recruiting and interview conversations, you can speak both portfolio construction and manager selection. This can differentiate you from many applicants who’ve only done front-office IB or consulting roles. Promotion track and large dollar responsibilities (9-figure diligence outcomes) show high trust & impact.

What they will probe, why this MBA now? (You have a professional record that could continue, be very explicit about what MBA skills/roles you need to pivot to long-only and why the school’s ecosystem is essential.) In terms of leadership & campus contribution: weak extracurriculars reduce evidence you’ll be an active, club-leading classmate (which schools care about, especially for IM club leadership and student funds). Evidence of on-campus contribution matters for both admissions and recruiting.

For HBS R1, a no-interview could reflect fit/message gaps or weak leadership narratives. With your 770 GMAT profile and allocator background, you belong in the conversation at top B-schools. The remaining work is translation, showing leadership, on-campus contribution, and a clear plan to convert internships into long-only roles.

Things you can improve: Try to create tight, metric-led STAR bullets from your allocator work. For example: “Led due diligence on 6 emerging managers, resulting in $X total commitments and reduced expected tracking error by Ybp; negotiated fee structures saving $Z over 5 years.” These bullets will drive essays, LORs, and interviews. Demonstrate on-campus leadership readiness (fastest fix for weak extracurriculars). Commit to one immediate, visible activity in the application year: plan a student-fund/paper series, pledge to lead the Investment Management Club (IMC) or the student-run fund, or secure a summer internship/externship at a mutual fund. Schools and recruiters value concrete commitments. Forum/club leadership and student fund experience are direct pathways into long-only recruiting. Network intensively with alumni in long-only roles before you apply. Reach out to M7 alumni working at mutual funds to understand hiring timelines and to build informational interviews that might become referrals. Recruiting into mutual funds is relationship-driven; alumni referrals significantly increase interview chances. Link 2-3 school resources (student funds, specific asset management recruiters, faculty with asset management research) to a concrete action you’ll take in Year 1 and a measurable outcome by Year 3.

Are you committed to a particular geography post-MBA (U.S. mutual funds vs. global)?

We would love to learn more about your academic background, extracurricular activities, professional experiences, and personal journey so we can offer a more tailored assessment of your profile and evaluate your chances at your target schools more accurately. Feel free to book a profile evaluation session.

Register for our Upcoming ESSAY WORKSHOPS on Kellogg, Booth, Columbia, Fuqua, Wharton, Harvard, Stanford, and other top B-schools. Craft essays that shine: pick powerful stories, match your goals with each school, and showcase authentic leadership. CLICK HERE FOR MORE DETAILS

Cheers!
Shantanu Sharma
Founder and Admissions Consultant, MBA and Beyond

HBS accepts GMAT Waivers?

Hi @doloremquenobis ! We would love to learn more about your academic background, extracurricular activities, professional experiences, and personal journey so we can offer a more tailored assessment of your profile and evaluate your chances at your target school more accurately. Feel free to book a profile evaluation session.

You can also register for our Upcoming ESSAY WORKSHOPS. Craft essays that shine: pick powerful stories, match your goals with each school, and showcase authentic leadership. CLICK HERE FOR MORE DETAILS

Cheers!
Shantanu Sharma
Founder and Admissions Consultant, MBA and Beyond

Hi @Epss ! We would love to learn more about your academic background, extracurricular activities, professional experiences, and personal journey so we can offer a more tailored assessment of your profile and evaluate your chances at your target schools more accurately. Feel free to book a profile evaluation session.

You can also register for our Upcoming ESSAY WORKSHOPS for Kellogg, Booth, Columbia, HSW, and other top B-schools. Craft essays that shine: pick powerful stories, match your goals with each school, and showcase authentic leadership. CLICK HERE FOR MORE DETAILS

Cheers!
Shantanu Sharma
Founder and Admissions Consultant, MBA and Beyond

Hi @Twin_Pastry ! We would love to learn more about your academic background, extracurricular activities, professional experiences, and personal journey so we can offer a more tailored assessment of your profile and evaluate your chances at your target school more accurately. Feel free to book a profile evaluation session.

You can also register for our Upcoming ESSAY WORKSHOPS. Craft essays that shine: pick powerful stories, match your goals with each school, and showcase authentic leadership. CLICK HERE FOR MORE DETAILS

Cheers!
Shantanu Sharma
Founder and Admissions Consultant, MBA and Beyond

Hi congratulations!
Could you share more details about your profile?

Hey Sourav
Priyanka here from ARINGO. Your profile looks good on the surface, a 9.68 GPA puts you at the top of the academic spectrum, and your PM experience in B2B SaaS is both relevant and differentiated. The fact that you helped scale a product from 0 to 1 at HighRadius and then moved into a leadership-heavy role at Coupa, owning integrations with major players like Bloomberg and LSEG, makes for an excellent career trajectory.

Your mix of technical depth, cross-functional ownership, and customer-facing engagement shows leadership potential and impact, which Adcoms at ISB really values. The key will be clearly articulating how you want to leverage ISB to drive your next step in tech. With a strong test score you’re a competitive spot.

I’d be happy to offer you a free profile review for ISB and INSEAD to see where you stand and how to boost your chances, happy to help!
No pressure, no strings - just helpful insights on where you stand and how you can strengthen your chances.

Feel free to connect- Click here
You can also email me your CV at: priyankak@aringo.com
Good Luck!

Hey Aniket
Priyanka here from ARINGO. Speaking about your profile, your profile looks interesting and stands out from the usual Indian applicant pool because of the agriculture + banking mix, plus the international stint in Canada. Your GPA looks decent, and the postgrad certification in agri-business/marketing adds weight to your academic side.
Leading an agroforestry project now gives you a strong leadership story, which ISB and INSEAD both value. The key will be tying all of this into a clear post-MBA career vision so the Adcoms see where you’re headed. Do you have a GMAT/GRE yet?

I’d be happy to offer you a free profile review for ISB and INSEAD to see where you stand and how to boost your chances, happy to help!
No pressure, no strings - just helpful insights on where you stand and how you can strengthen your chances.

Feel free to connect- Click here
You can also email me your CV at: priyankak@aringo.com
Good Luck!

Are you sure the GMAT is 370?

Yes, it was score of my first mock test.

Hey
Priyanka here from ARINGO. Speaking about your profile, your profile looks strong as an Indian female with about 4 years in tech, strong academics, and solid leadership both at work and outside. The differentiator is definitely the nonprofit leadership and community-building aspect, which adds depth beyond the standard IT profile. Are you up for a retake, or do you plan to apply with the same score? Your goal of pivoting from tech to healthcare/pharma is reasonable, but you’ll need a clear narrative on why this industry shift makes sense.

I’d be happy to offer you a free profile review for your target MBA programs to see where you stand and how to boost your chances, happy to help!
No pressure, no strings - just helpful insights on where you stand and how you can strengthen your chances.

Feel free to connect- Click here
You can also email me your CV at: priyankak@aringo.com
Good Luck!

Thanks for sharing your profile @Novaskies ! Good GPA, 3.5 years of hands-on full-stack development, and a promotion to senior dev., shows technical rigor and career progression. Founded/led nonprofit teams and hosted multi-company events, great for teamwork, initiative, and community fit. A focused goal helps essay cohesion.

GMAT Focus score 595 is below many target medians, and adcoms will want stronger evidence of quantitative readiness (unless you apply to schools that explicitly accept lower scores). A higher score is required! Great work with all three GMAT attempts. We understand your feelings about the exam. If you'd like, you can explore TTP to prepare for your next GMAT. If you are switching to the GRE, all the best with the GRE prep.. Take some time off and then resume, you shall be good : )

Limited direct healthcare experience so far, schools want to see domain seriousness if you’re pivoting from tech to healthcare/pharma.

Talking about the schools. ESSEC lists a preferred minimum of 585 FE, and the average Focus score is ~615, so your 595 is within their considered range. You can make ESSEC a priority if you prefer Europe and want a relatively test-flexible option. Craft an excellent application.

With strong essays and evidence of quantitative strength, IESE can be reachable. You can take a look at this success story.

Imperial can be a possible / slightly target. Imperial recommends GMAT ≥600 (average reported ~666). Your 595 is close; a small retake of 625+ (with a very strong application) can improve odds.

SDA Bocconi / Said Oxford / INSEAD / NUS / Tuck / Johnson - Reach / needs a stronger test signal. Many of these schools have medians well above a 595 Focus. If these are your top priorities, strongly consider retaking the GMAT and aiming for a good score.

Showing healthcare intent with real steps: short projects, volunteering with healthcare startups, and a short verified course in Healthcare Analytics / Biostatistics / Regulatory Affairs will help. Schools want demonstrated seriousness. Pick recommenders who can quantify your technical and leadership impact (manager at work + board lead at your nonprofit). Brief them on metrics.

School-specific “Why” hooks: Research 2 concrete resources per school (centers, professors, healthcare clubs, recruiters) and mention how you’ll use them.

If you are looking for Scholarships, the committees look for both academic excellence and compelling leadership/impact. Increasing your GMAT improves scholarship odds at your target schools; strong domain alignment for healthcare (projects, alumni referrals) also helps. If funding is important, retaking gives better leverage for merit aid.

Questions for you to reflect on:
1) How many hours/week can you commit to GMAT prep over the next few weeks (realistic estimate)?
2) Do you already have any healthcare projects, or would you need to start one?

We would love to learn more about your academic background, extracurricular activities, professional experiences, and personal journey so we can offer a more tailored assessment of your profile and evaluate your chances at your target schools more accurately. Please feel free to book a profile evaluation session.

You can register for our Upcoming ESSAY WORKSHOPS. CLICK HERE FOR MORE DETAILS

Cheers!
Shantanu Sharma
Founder and Admissions Consultant, MBA and Beyond

Hi @Novaskies,
You bring a strong academic foundation (8.77 GPA) and solid technical depth with nearly 4 years in full stack development, along with a promotion to senior developer. Your leadership outside of work—founding and running a nonprofit, leading teams, and hosting cross-company events—adds real weight and demonstrates initiative beyond your core job. The main concern is your GMAT Focus score of 595, which is well below average for most competitive MBA programs; a retake aiming for 675+ will be important. Your nonprofit leadership and mix of tech + social impact could make you a differentiated candidate if well framed.
Highlighting your leadership, professional achievements/tangible impact, relevant skills, career goals, unique experiences, and fit with the program effectively will be crucial in crafting a compelling application. To maximize your chances, consider applying to a balanced mix of reach, target, and safety schools.
Feel free to book a free call with our MBA experts for a more detailed discussion. You can also contact us directly at team.mba@theredpen.com or +91-7780769732.

Hi @Cabbage Merchant,
Your profile shows solid professional growth with 3+ years at a multinational bank in analytics/financial performance and a recent promotion, which highlights strong trajectory. The part-time coordinator role during undergrad is unique—managing 170+ staff during COVID and implementing blended learning is an unusual leadership story that could help you stand out. A 3.5 GPA is solid, though your GMAT Focus score of 665 is slightly on the lower side. If possible, I’d encourage you to retake the GMAT and aim to improve your score by 20–30 points to strengthen your application and stay competitive. Since you’re aiming for consulting, you’ll need to emphasize problem-solving, leadership, and cross-functional collaboration in your essays and recommendations.
Feel free to book a free call with our MBA experts for a more detailed discussion. You can also contact us directly at team.mba@theredpen.com or +91-7780769732.

Hi Matthew,
You have a solid foundation for investment management with a relevant academic background (finance + econ) and directly aligned work experience across trading and portfolio construction. This gives you credibility for your post-MBA goals. 3.56 GPA is solid.
GMAT - you should aim for a 695+ score to strengthen your application and stay competitive for top-tier programs.
Use your essays to highlight leadership, teamwork, and decision-making impact in your trading and portfolio roles.
Feel free to book a free call with our MBA experts for a more detailed discussion. You can also contact us directly at team.mba@theredpen.com or +91-7780769732.

Congratulations on your Interview invites to Said and IESE and good luck with LBS! Thank you for your kind offer of help 😇
P.S. if you have a good interview, please share your experience (whatever you are comfortable sharing): https://gmatclub.com/forum/decision-tra ... riefs.html

Hi I'm Lasya from India, I got an admit at IESE, if you're planning to joining IESE too, please contact me on 9945688244.

Congrats on Oxford! If its possible, can we connect? I would really love your advice on application strategy