MBA Decision Tracker: Monitor Application Status in Real Time

gmatclub

Comments 3 comments

rbj666

4 months ago

Hey can we connect? I have the same scores as you and wanted to understand your application strategy

MBAandBeyond

Congrats @surkiresh ! Wishing you the very best going forward.

hiteshj

Hey Surikesh, Congratulations!
Can you please let me know if you took professional help for application?
if yes, can you please share the contact

Show all 3 comments

Hide comments

Comments 4 comments

IndianGuyMBAinUS

1 year ago

Hello StarryEyes. Congrats on getting into Darden with a 50% Scholarship. I am applying in R2 to Darden (similar schools). Please do let me know if we can connect and have a word.

Congratulations @StarryEyes , great work on the receiving a Drden admit offer with a 50% scholarship. Wishing you all the best as you embark on exciting future opportunities!

If you plan to apply to some more schools in the next rounds/ intake, we’d be happy to evaluate your profile and help refine your strategy. Together, we can identify strengths, address gaps, and ensure you present your best story to your dream schools.

Interested? Let’s connect and start planning your path forward!

Join the exclusive webinar on “INSEAD Jan 26 intake and Application strategies!”

Cheers!
Shantanu Sharma
Founder and Admissions Consultant, MBA and Beyond
Email: [email protected]

webarebears

Hello. Can I ask you questions regarding the Sloan interview? Thank you!

arjun221199

Hi

wow amazing schools and outcomes, would love to have a conversation with you and understand your journey, thanks for your time.

Show all 4 comments

Comments 8 comments

dee1pug1

Well done for a strong score.
IMHO, it is too early for you to consider pursuing an MBA. You will derive much more value out of the education if you walk into the classrooms with 4-5 years of work experience.

Hi @AashishRaj! Great 755 GMAT score, a perfect 4.0 GPA, and strong leadership experience, your academic and extracurricular profile stands out despite limited work experience (1.5 years). Your accomplishments in research leadership and community service strengthen your application, but the short work tenure may be a concern for some programs. Focus on articulating a clear post-MBA vision connecting your current software engineering expertise to product management/leadership in tech.

For MBA programs, consider gaining 2 more years of work experience, as schools like Stanford, MIT Sloan, and Haas value your strong academics and tech focus but prefer more experience. Alternatively, explore early-career MBA programs like Yale Silver Scholars or deferred options if eligible. For MiM programs, schools like LBS, HEC, or ESCP could be good fits for an immediate application. If you’d like, we are happy to hop on a 1:1 call with you to learn more about your profile and provide a detailed evaluation and gauge your chances to the best-fit schools. Please feel free to schedule a profile evaluation call according to your convenience. All the very best!

nousernamefine

Hi @AashishRaj, I would like to have a chat with you regarding your GMAT prep and exam. Would you mind sharing what worked for you and what not , key question how did you decide now its time to attempt the exam. I am just practicing practicing some days its good result some day its like not getting questions right. So not sure when I should just go with exam. I had score of 655 last year.

AashishRaj

Sure @nousernamefine. There were ups and downs in my prep too, including days when things went south. I have mainly used only free FMAT Club resources, GMAT Ninja Youtube videos, and the free Official Prep materials to prepare. I think the way you might be able to tackle the issue of things going wrong on certain days is to just take a break, reorient yourself, and start fresh. That generally worked for me, and I noticed I performed better at mocks and in practice too after having taken a short break. Also regarding when I decided when it's time to attempt, this was my first attempt, and I had planned to go for a second attempt with guided preparation if I did not get my target score this time. That is why my approach was the sooner I give the exam at least once, the sooner I'll be able to switch to focused preparation. Hence I decided to give the exam after a couple of months of self-study, and thankfully I was lucky to get my target score in this attempt itself. A score of 655 is a good score, and I think that you should just pace yourself and go for the exam. That would give you a good perspective of where you stand, and you can always go back to focused preparation and retake the exam. I hope this clears some doubts, and let me know if I can help out in any other way.

Thanks for sharing Aashish. I understood. How were your mock scores before exam ?

In the very beginning, my mock scores were in the 655-675 range. After the 2 months of prep, I gave 5 mocks from various resources, and my scores improved as follows: 695-705-715-735. 735 was the highest I scored on an official mock.

Ohk, got it. Thanks a lot. Good luck with the admissions

Flexinnzzz

Hey AashishRaj, I am also planning to apply for R1 in 2026, would be great if you could share your prep journey, and also like what your strategy was for the exam?

Would be great if you could also share the approx timeline for the prep and giving the GMAT attempt

Show all 8 comments

Comments 2 comments

8 months ago

Hi @adityasingp991 ! 720 GMAT falls under the median score as per Darden's latest class profile. We would love to learn more about your academic background, extracurricular activities, professional experience, 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 register for our Coffee Session: “MASTER YOUR MBA APPLICATION ESSAYS FOR INSEAD, HEC, LBS, AND IESE!” which is on August 22, 2025 | 9:00 PM IST | 11:30 AM ET. KNOW MORE DETAILS

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

Hi Aditya - hope you've tasted success somewhere. If not, and if you wish to get a pro bono ding analysis, I'm happy to assist. E: [email protected]

Comments 1 comment

Thanks for sharing your profile, @lukemarino. Starting with your profile strengths: USNA + Robotics + 3.8 = good academics + quant strength. Surface Warfare Officer = serious leadership, operations, ambiguity, high stakes. Veterans are a priority demographic at US schools; most of your targets have active vet communities.

Risks: No direct civilian tech/product track record yet (all value will be “translatable” leadership). Also, a couple of your targets (Stanford, Sloan, Haas) have average GMAT scores above yours, so you’ll be leaning on story and leadership.

If you were burnt out and this 655 reflects your true range, then you can focus on maximizing your military > tech narrative and leadership stories instead. Given you’re a US male officer (not over-represented), the marginal benefit of 20 more points is smaller than for, say, an Indian engineer. You can also explore other schools such as Ross, Fuqua, Johnson, Tepper, McCombs, and Darden.

Translation for you: aim broadly in tech (PM, product strategy, ops in tech-enabled firms), not only FAANG, and use your ops/mission-execution background as a differentiator.

Things you can focus on: Translate your Navy experience into “PM-ready” stories. Show owning complex systems, cross-functional coordination, resource tradeoffs, and delivering measurable outcomes (readiness %, downtime reduction, cost savings, safety metrics). Frame stories in Context > Action > Result. Build some visible tech/product exposure, like, side project (simple app/tool), ship something with a dev friend, product/tech coursework (example, CS/UX/AI/SQL, product management certificate). This helps Sloan/Stanford/Haas see a bridge from ships to software. Use veteran networks hard. Each of your target schools has a vet club and alumni network; talking to them now gives you essay hooks and realistic recruiting expectations.

Questions for you to reflect upon:
1) Any particular tech sectors you’re drawn to (defense tech, climate, SaaS, consumer, AI/robotics)?
2) Have you had any exposure to “product-like” work already (requirements definition, tools you’ve built for your command, process automation)?

If you have started crafting your initial Essay drafts, you might like our Essay Workshops on Harvard, Stanford & Wharton.

In the past, we've had the opportunity to work with a good number of Military profiles. You can check out one of the SUCCESS STORIES and BLOG: Journey of a Military Veteran to MBA. Recently, we've also had the opportunity to work with Ms Lieutenant Commander, who, with 10 years of work experience and a 625 GMAT FE score, secured admission from HEC Paris and INSEAD.

You can also register for our Upcoming ESSAY WORKSHOP on MIT, Haas & Cornell. CLICK HERE FOR MORE DETAILS

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

Thanks for sharing your profile, @tatersalad121212. Your 675 GMAT FE score, paired with a 3.86 GPA, is good, so academically, you have a strength. The main thing to fix isn’t your stats; it’s how you sell your leadership and story.

About the schools:
Darden can be a good fit. They prefer individuals with clear industry goals, strong academics, and comfort with the case method. CPG is a smaller but significant portion of their outcomes (≈3-4% of grads). It can be a slight stretch, mainly because Darden is selective, and your self-described light leadership needs to be framed well and executed effectively.

Fuqua is historically a CPG-friendly school. Your GMAT score falls within the 80% range. It can be a stretch, but reasonable, especially if your brand-management stories and LORs are strong.

McCombs is suited for tech + consumer, with ties to major brands and a growing reputation. CPG is smaller but present.

Fisher has a compact program, a nice CPG pipeline (P&G, etc.), making it a good option. It can also be a slight safety option, especially in an early round with your profile.

The big gap can be “Light on leadership”. This is the one real vulnerability. At ~5 years, schools expect leading projects, not just tasks, coordinating cross-functional teams, owning outcomes (P&L elements, launch metrics, campaign results), informal leadership: mentoring juniors, driving initiatives, DEI/wellbeing efforts, etc. You may already be doing a lot of this, but not labeling it as “leadership.” So, you need to identify 2,3 leadership stories you can already tell, like a brand/campaign where you were the driver: setting direction, aligning sales/creative/analytics, and delivering a measurable result (share, revenue, awareness, trial, etc.). A time when you influenced senior stakeholders to take a risk or change direction. Any initiative where you improved a process or mentored juniors.

Also, try to create at least one new, clearly “leader-y” initiative, lead a cross-functional project (like new channel launch, test market, customer segmentation, sustainability initiative). Outside work, volunteer leadership (board/committee role), or organize a community/professional club initiative.

For your recommenders, even if your leadership has been more “informal,” ask your recommenders to highlight times you owned outcomes, led without authority, and drove a team to a result. Leadership doesn’t have to mean “managing 5 direct reports.” Admissions loves impact and influence just as much. You can read this BLOG: How to Exhibit Different Forms of Leadership in Your MBA Application

CPG hiring is evolving, with a growing emphasis on digital, e-commerce, and data-driven brand management, which your tech sales + brand management combo aligns well with. Your direction (tech to brand to CPG leadership) aligns with where the industry is headed.

You can also explore other schools such as Kellogg, Ross, Cornell Johnson, Emory, Carlson, or UCLA Anderson.

Questions for you to reflect upon:
1) In your brand role, what’s one launch/campaign where you can share specific numbers?
2) Do you see yourself long-term as: a classic CPG brand/GM leader, or moving back into tech but in a consumer/brand-focused capacity?
3) Any current or potential extracurricular leadership (volunteering, professional associations, sports, community initiatives)?

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. Happy to discuss your profile in detail.

Feel free to register for our Upcoming ESSAY WORKSHOP on MIT, Haas & Cornell. 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, INSEAD Alumnus
Founder and Admissions Consultant, MBA and Beyond

Comments 10 comments

Kudos for working hard and also pursuing a masters degree. Also kudos for a cool username 👍😇

You have a lot of good things going on and I don’t see any weaknesses per se so this is awesome.

There are a few components of your profile that you may want to emphasize more to admissions and also to recruiters because that is ultimately the final goal, and that is delivering presentations, talking to clients, and managing people. These are the most important and high-end elements of someone in your career position. I wouldn’t over them or make them sound unrealistic but I would just sprinkle them in your essays and your résumé and make sure that you recommend her touches on them as well.

PS. I think one question that admissions may have and one question that may help you succeed with your goal is why are you not able to transition to MBB right now? What are you missing? How does the NBA feel that gap?

PS. I would say technical skills are less important. It’s great that you have them and it’s really helpful to have them but they are valued less as you progress through the ranks. People expect you to be managing and leading rather than Coding. Make sure that you appear as a leader with some coding skills.

-_-SR-_-

Thank you so much bb for your insights! Also, great job with the gmatclub! I never got a chance to thank you and the community but since here we are, my sincerest gratitude to you and your team for this gem of a forum

I totally agree with you, client relationship and people management will form the core of my application essays with technical skills sprinkled across my essays/resume.

In response to your question - MBB in India hires only MBA grads (they do hire a small volume of non-MBA grads but pretty early in one's career). Also my current experience being heavy on analytics and less so on strategy consulting, makes a direct transition to frontend strategy consulting role difficult at this point in my career. I feel a two-year MBA will help me fill that skill gap (especially through a summer internship).

Thank you for the kind words. You definitely want the summer internship as that is a primary feeder campaign for MBB.

I can tell you that you’re consulting background and a strong or even top 20 MBA name should get you an interview or pass the initial screening. Converting that into an internship offer or a job offer is something that would require you showing initiative and demonstrating strong interview skills. if that is not something you feel is flawless, I suggest you join some toastmasters or ask a mentor or someone else to help you in regular presentation and speaking practice. Also case studies and case interviews. This will also help you in your applications as this will somehow come out during your application or interview and will show your commitment and planning and maturity and pursuing your goal.

👍

This is an interesting suggestion bb, I will definitely look into this!

IIT, strong scores, deep skills in analytics—all are a strong base for showing how you've built the spike in your T-shape profile and how the MBA program will help you build the width. Is your part-time MS done? (I read 'present tense', hence my query.)
Do remember that schools have rejected hundreds of students with scores of 750 or higher in the past for multiple, justifiable reasons. If you can avoid the mistakes of those candidates, you should be in a safe zone. The schools you've selected are vastly different choices. I trust that you are working on understanding their DNA so that your applications are bespoke, not cookie-cutter, one-size-fits-all.
Your 90-day countdown is on for R1.
- Dee
(MBA Admissions Consultant and Management Consultant)
[email protected]

Hi dee1pug1,

Thanks for your reply!

As far as my school selection is concerned, I understand there's scope for more research. I plan to connect with my network in these schools as well as attend the admission events to get a better sense of their DNA.

Also, I am currently pursuing my masters and plan to finish the same by next Spring. Any particular reason for your question? Do you see any issues with my application as I haven't yet finished my current masters.

It's just that niggling discomfort that you are already pursuing a master's, and even before you have completed it, AND accumulated evidence of having applied that knowledge in your work, you are considering an MBA education. Maybe I am overthinking, but it would help if you ensure that you showcase the application of this education at work through your CV and achievements. Don't read much in my query; I am very old-school.

ARINGO

Hey there, your profile is definitely catching my eye! A 715 GMAT is amazing, and your consulting experience with a focus on analytics is a perfect launchpad for your post-MBA goals in MBB consulting or tech analytics. It's also great to see you taking initiative outside of work – leadership qualities are a big deal in MBA programs.

While your undergrad GPA might be a bit on the lower side, absolutely crush that by highlighting your rockstar performance (4.0 GPA!) in the Georgia Tech MS program. That shows serious academic chops! But to craft a truly knock-out application, what I'm really curious about is the impact you've made at your consulting firm. Did your data magic save clients a ton of money or completely transform their decision-making? Did you mentor junior analysts who went on to do amazing things? Showcasing those specific achievements will have adcoms sitting up and taking notice.

Looking at your target schools, you've got a great mix – some M7 heavyweights (Sloan MIT, Wharton) and some fantastic international options (LBS, ISB). The key here is going to be tailoring your application to each program. To give you the best possible advice on where to apply and how to position yourself for success, we should really dig into your specific accomplishments and craft a winning strategy. Feel free to connect with us.

Feel free to send me your CV and other info on [email protected], I would love to connect you with our CEO who will be happy to help further with a detailed review and perhaps work together on some amazing apps.

Click here to contact us.
All the best!

rajkumar98

5 months ago

Hi! Super Impressive profile. Seems quite strange that ISB, Darden and UNC KF dinged you with the IIT tag + the cracked GMAT score + 7 years work ex. Did they offer any insight into why, by any chance?

Show all 10 comments

Comments 5 comments

Thanks for sharing your profile @Basque Coffee ! Your 2 years of finance-related experience (corp strategy / IPO work + series funding execution), and a CPA credential in progress, are all valuable. The main headwind is experience level: most top US programs you listed admit classes with ~5-6 years of experience. With a very strong GMAT, crisp impact metrics, standout leadership stories, excellent recommenders, and targeted networking, you can apply in Round 2 2026.

You’ve got the core that Adcoms/ hiring team into consulting likes. The 2 levers that will change your outcomes most are (1) a strong GMAT (target 675, 685+) and (2) a few razor-sharp, quantified stories showing business impact and leadership. Do those two things, and you’ll go from “interesting early profile” to “consulting recruit” in the eyes of top B-schools.

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. Feel free to book a profile evaluation session.

Basque Coffee

Hello MBAandBeyond reviewer,
Thank you for your review. I just received gmat focus 675 score!
Would this help a but with my application?

Hey, your score is decent; that’s a strong starting point. The challenge is that your work experience is below the typical range for these programs, so you’ll need an exceptional application story and impactful leadership examples to stand out. Happy to chat, would love to discuss more details about your profile. Please feel free to book a profile evaluation session.

what a pleasant and prompt response. Thanks.

Seeing how you changed your reply is hilarious tbh

Show all 5 comments

Hey
Priyanka here from ARINGO. Speaking about your profile, you actually have a very well-rounded profile for European MBAs. 7 years of experience across Big4 analytics, a high-impact role at a major e-commerce unicorn, and solid entrepreneurial exposure in your family healthcare venture all show strong leadership and breadth.

AdComs at Your target schools will appreciate your mix of social impact, business building, and cross-functional work. LBS is possible too, but will depend on a strong GMAT. Your extracurricular leadership in college + mentoring + wellness work at Big4 add depth, and your post-MBA goal of returning to consulting looks realistic. Just make sure you clearly show why you need the MBA now after entrepreneurship, and nail the GMAT to stay competitive.

I’d be happy to offer you a free profile review for your target 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: [email protected]

Good Luck!

Thanks for sharing your profile, @Chansuki. You seem to have a very compelling profile for European schools; your mix of Big4 + startup/e-commerce + entrepreneurial (family business) experience is exactly the type European programs value (diverse experience, international teams, entrepreneurship). With a competitive GMAT and tight storytelling around why MBA > consulting (again), you can be a strong candidate.

Check out this success story of one of our applicants: Ms Project Manager (Family Business), with 8 years of experience and a Low GPA, got into INSEAD.

About the schools:
HEC Paris can be a good fit. It values entrepreneurship, analytics, and international experience. HEC’s class and employment reports show good hiring in consulting and entrepreneurship outcomes, and their admitted class typical scores are competitive, but they value leadership and post-MBA clarity.

LBS can also be a good fit target/ stretch depending on the score. LBS places graduates into consulting and tech; your international/analytics background helps, but LBS is selective. Clear consulting return plan + strong letters and a good GMAT will make you competitive.

IESE, good fit. It explicitly lists a wide accepted GMAT range and focuses on leadership and management skills, your entrepreneurial experience, and Big4 analytics are a good fit. IESE notes that consulting hiring slowed in some cycles, so frame your consulting intent with a clear fit and timing.

ESADE & ESSEC can be good fits. Both have entrepreneurship and consulting pathways, and both report relatively broad GMAT ranges. Your mix of hands-on entrepreneurship + cross-functional corporate experience can be attractive here.

Bottom line, your geography + background strongly suit European programs, you should position yourself as someone who has both client/analytics rigor (Big4) and real operating/entrepreneurial ownership (family venture), with a clear, time-bound plan to re-enter consulting post-MBA to scale your leadership before re-entering entrepreneurship later.

Strengths you must highlight: Diverse work experience, Big4 analytics + e-commerce ops + entrepreneur = rare cross-functional combo. Scale & metrics, you already have quantified impact (40% efficiency gain, 1M orders/day ops improvements, 60% customer acquisition). These would be nice for essays/LORs. Leadership evidence, elected college roles, managing budgets & events, and team engagement initiatives at work. Good narrative potential, you can credibly say: “I built operational muscle as an entrepreneur, realized gaps in strategy/consulting frameworks, and will use my MBA to return to consulting to scale up those skills.”

Weaknesses/risks: GMAT unknown yet. Do you have a mock score? Possible recommender conflict, partner from family venture: admissions committees are wary of family recommender bias. If the partner is a true independent senior leader who can credibly assess your impact, that’s fine; otherwise, prefer a non-family recommender (Big4 partner, e-commerce supervisor, senior client). You will need to explicitly explain the pivot back to consulting. Admissions will ask: “Why leave entrepreneurship to do consulting, and why now?” You must articulate a clear, credible learning plan (classes, clubs, internships) and the timeframe (return to consulting right after MBA, then scale ops/strategy). Demonstrable leadership outside the family context will be important, strengthening evidence of leading teams/projects that are not family business dependent.

Take the GMAT and target a good score. Aim for a GMAT FE score of 675+ if you want top LBS/HEC competitiveness + scholarship leverage. A 635-665 GMAT FE can still be fine for IESE/ESADE/ESSEC, but may make LBS/HEC slightly harder.

Polish your consulting return story. Build a 1-page narrative: (a) what you learned as founder/manager, (b) specific skill gaps (strategy, frameworks, stakeholder leadership), (c) how the MBA + internship will bridge them, (d) 2 concrete consulting roles/firms you target post-MBA and why. Use school-specific hooks (courses, profs, clubs).

Create a high-impact initiative. Within a family venture or freelance initiative, lead a measurable project (new revenue stream, partnership, digital rollout) showing end-to-end ownership. Admissions love sustained ownership (≥6 months).

Strengthen quant & leadership examples for essays and LORs. Add non-family external proof of leadership. Volunteer role, board/advisory stint, or formal mentoring at Big4 (beyond being a buddy) that shows responsibility & independent leadership.

Question for you to reflect upon: Post-MBA, do you have preferred consulting firms (Big Three, Big Four advisory, boutique)? Any geographic preference (UK/Europe/India)?

Avoid relying heavily on a family recommender if a strong non-family alternative exists; committees discount family letters.

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 reach out to us.

Recently, most of the LBS applicants who worked with Shantanu(INSEAD Alumnus, Founder, and Admissions Consultant, MBA and Beyond) received Interview Invites.

You might like our latest ESSAY WORKSHOP on LBS, HEC & IESE.