Hi @Dhanush_Raja
Thanks for reaching out.

So, an 8.98 GPA is very good and you’ve got a good brand credibility via your experience with US Big 4 banks. But you need to provide more context into your work and responsibilities and outcomes. Also, with 4 yrs of experience, you’re already in the typical experience range for many B-Schools. You also have entrepreneurial experience which is a compelling angle to your profile but need to understand how you’ve been able to grow this so far. The additional pursuits will make good narratives for personal statement questions. Also, what’s your post-MBA plan within the tech space? We need to understand this to better assess which schools will be a good feeder for you. So please be specific about your postgrad goals. If you see yourself scaling your startup or something like that then please emphasize that.

As for your GMAT, consider targeting 720+ because this can help you a lot even with scholarships.

We’d love to offer a free 1-on-1 profile evaluation to discuss more about your profile, talk through your fit across schools, and co-create a tailored application game plan!
Feel free to reach out to us at the coordinates below!

Phone/WhatsApp No: +91 88502 49409
Website: https://thembaedge.com/

Warm regards,
The MBA Edge Team

Hi
Priyanka here from ARINGO. Speaking about your profile, I see a compelling and well-rounded profile. Strong academics, solid tech experience with a US Big 4 bank, and standout leadership through your state-level entrepreneurship cell role. The music angle adds personality and makes you memorable.

Your goal to stay in tech fits perfectly with your background, and a GMAT around 705 will put you in a highly competitive spot for NUS, Said, and especially Cornell Tech, where your startup + engineering mix aligns really well. Overall, you have a strong, differentiated profile that can do very well once you land that higher GMAT.

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!

Hi @Dhanush_Raja! You can register for our Upcoming Coffee Session on Crafting a Compelling MBA Application for the January 2027 Intake! Scheduled for tomorrow, 11th December, ​9.00 PM IST | 10.30 AM ET. CLICK HERE FOR MORE DETAILS

Thanks for sharing your profile, @**** Sekar. You can be a compelling candidate for both executive/experienced-applicant programs and full-time MBAs focused on leadership and operations, especially ISB and IIMA PGPX. The key work now would be to quantify your impact, translate military leadership into business outcomes, and present a believable consulting pivot plan. In the past, we've had the opportunity to work with several Veterans. From the latest success stories, we've had: Ms Operations and Strategy Manager (Veteran) with 10 years of work experience and GMAT FE 645 earned an admit from Oxford. And would like to proudly share this SUCCESS STORY as well from the past admits.

Talking about the schools:
ISB can be a good target. ISB prizes leadership, social impact, and seasoned professionals with 5-12 years’ experience. Your military leadership and operations background can map very well to ISB’s recruiter base (consulting, tech, operations).

IIMA PGPX can be a target/reach. PGPX looks for senior, high-potential managers with proven leadership. A military officer with a decade-long administrative & operations ownership is attractive, especially if you can show scale and strategic impact. Competition is strong (fewer seats), so storytelling + senior recommenders matter.

NUS (Round 3, 2026) can be a target/moderate chances. NUS values international experience, leadership, and tech/operations backgrounds. Your military + cyber interest can be relevant to Asia-Pacific employers and consulting roles. R3 can be competitive; apply earlier if possible.

Strengths you can amplify: Leadership at scale, years in the military are gold for leadership narratives (stress, people management, resource constraints). Operations & supply chain domain expertise, consultancies, recruiting operations and public sector/defence clients will value this. Technical interest in cybersecurity, an additional differentiator for tech/defence/consulting roles.

You’re in the sweet spot for mid-career programs and recruiters who want experienced hires.

Risks:
Lack of quantified impact. Prepare 5-7 metricized bullets showing scale & impact. For example: reduced supply lead time by X%, cut procurement costs by Y%, improved soldier/staff retention by Z%, and managed logistics for N personnel. Numbers matter, even percentages or ranges are good.

Translate military language to business language. Convert role titles and tasks to civilian equivalents on your resume (like “Operations Manager, managed 300 personnel, P&L responsibility of $X, procurement of $Y”). Use commercial terms: stakeholder management, vendor negotiation, project lifecycle, and KPI ownership.

Consulting-fit storytelling. Build a short, credible 0-2 year post-MBA plan that shows where you will be placed in consulting (function + geography + 2 employers). For example, “Short-term: Management Consultant (operations/strategy) at BCG/McKinsey in India or Singapore; Mid-term: lead operations/ public sector practice.”

Secure 2 recommenders: one senior military officer who can speak to leadership & impact, and one external stakeholder or civilian leader (if possible) who can speak to cross-functional interaction or public-sector projects.

If you plan to take the GMAT/GRE, aim for scores aligned with your target(20+ points ). ISB and NUS have variable medians; PGPX often expects strong quantitative capability.

Questions for you:
1) Do you have a mock score? When are you planning to take the GMAT/GRE?
2) Which consulting firms do you want to target post-MBA (MBB / Big4 / regional)? Preferred geography?
3) Any civilian stakeholder or cross-agency project you led (funding, multi-agency taskforce, NGO partnership)?
4) Do you have any public recognitions/awards or formal promotions/fast-track history in service?

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 session.

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

Hi @**** Sekar! You can register for our Upcoming Coffee Session on Crafting a Compelling MBA Application for the January 2027 Intake! Scheduled for tomorrow, 11th December, ​9.00 PM IST | 10.30 AM ET. CLICK HERE FOR MORE DETAILS

You have the next 1-1.5 years to build on your profile. That essentially means having impactful work experience and extra curricular activities. A high GRE score would also help and you have ample time for a retake. More clarity on the goals and the career path you will take would surely help. When you eventually apply, mention a singular career path post MBA

Namita Garg, MBA Decoder
Email: [email protected]
Testimonials: https://mbadecoder.com/testimonials/
Reach out to us for a Profile Evaluation : https://mbadecoder.com/services/free-pr ... valuation/
Helping applicants achieve their MBA dreams since 2011 with offices in India and the UK

Hey
Priyanka here from ARINGO. Speaking about your profile, you have got a very solid foundation for T10/M7 programs. A 326 GRE, 3.91 GPA, and a mix of Big 4 tech consulting + boutique consulting is exactly the kind of profile that AdComs at your target schools tend to like.

With 4+ years of experience, your trajectory looks good, and your pro-bono consulting + engagement work adds meaningful leadership signals. Harvard and Columbia are definitely possible but more competitive since the pool is extremely competitive for tech/consulting pivots. Strong essays which you’ve already said is a strength and clear depth in your impact will matter a lot.

Your post-MBA goals are well aligned with all the schools on your list, just make sure you differentiate your story from other applicants with similar goals.

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!

Hi @atearum ! You can register for our Upcoming Coffee Session on Crafting a Compelling MBA Application for the January 2027 Intake! Scheduled for tomorrow, 11th December, ​9.00 PM IST | 10.30 AM ET. CLICK HERE FOR MORE DETAILS

1. No one can predict your chances - it entirely depends on what you offer the school (read scores higher than their average, achievements and credentials in profile, your employability prospects, recommendations, etc.).
2. Most European schools do not provide detailed employment reports; your best bet is to network with current students and alumni to find out if Indians have made it in the past to the target roles / industries you have in mind.
3. Though the house is divided, my personal opinion is that R1 > R2; by R2, someone like you may have already been admitted by the schools, and the scholarship purse stands depleted.
4. A score that is at least 30 points higher than the school's average will help.
- Dee
(MBA Admissions Consultant and Management Consultant)
[email protected]

Hey @Research Analyst
I am Priyanka, Client Manager at ARINGO. I hope you are doing well. Speaking about your profile, four years of experience juggling research, consulting, freelance writing, and even a self-published poetry book, that's exactly the kind of go-getter spirit that top schools crave.

Your 8.56 GPA is great, and your work experience is seriously cool. Researching clean energy in finance is bang on trend these days, and your consulting experience using analytics for pharma companies screams strong quantitative skills.

Your focus on sustainable leadership and a return to consulting in Europe aligns perfectly with these schools' programs. Their diverse student bodies and global exposure are exactly what you're looking for.

You should also check out Cambridge Judge, Rotterdam School of Management (RSM), and SDA Bocconi – they offer killer programs in sustainability and consulting.

To give you the most specific advice on your application strategy, school fit, and scholarship options, sharing your CV would be a game-changer. Let’s connect.

Click here to contact us.

You can also email me your CV at: [email protected]
Good Luck

Hi @RA I am an INSEAD alumna and have served as an INSEAD MBA interviewer. From my experience, candidates who undertake ambitious passion projects and take breaks from conventional corporate life, yet effectively pivot back to advance their professional objectives, tend to do well with B-school committees. This quality of adventurous risk-taking within the Indian candidate pool makes you uniquely interesting, in my opinion.

That said, we must consider your career growth trajectory. Your past experience in pharma consulting and your current role in the O&G sector don't align seamlessly in my view. You'll need to go deeper into your experiences and craft a strategy that justifies pursuing an MBA despite your diverse interests and career transitions. I hope this helps you understand what your true challenges are when it comes to top schools like INSEAD. I am happy to advise you further should you want to speak.

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

Hi - I hope you have had success in your applications. Saw the ding from LBS. Should you wish to get a pro bono ding analysis, feel free to reach out. As a Brit-Indian management consultant with a UK MBA, I have a fair understanding of the market and the industry. E: [email protected]
- Dee

Sorry to hear about the dings @Research Analyst! Recently, most of the LBS Applicants who worked with Shantanu, an INSEAD Alumnus, Founder and Admissions Consultant, MBA and Beyond, received Interview invites. If you'd like, you can book an evaluation session from here.

You can register for our Upcoming Coffee Session on Crafting a Compelling MBA Application for the January 2027 Intake! Scheduled for tomorrow 11th Dec. CLICK HERE FOR MORE DETAILS

Hey
Priyanka here from ARINGO. Your profile looks strong on the surface. GMAT FE score and GPA is decent for INSEAD. Elaborate more on your work experience, plus AdComs at Insead highly value international exposure, highlight it if possible. Apart from that, IIT background will add value. You will also have to be clear with- Why MBA, Why now and Why INSEAD. Focus on building a strong narrative around your application and ensure that your short and long term goals are aligned.

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, @3D. Your academics look good. Experience is in a good range; product roles in well-known brands. If essays, recommendations, and interviews are strong, you can be in the competitive bucket. Your main “risk” isn’t numbers, it’s differentiation within a large pool of Indian tech/product → consulting applicants.

Areas to level up: Leadership & scope, INSEAD will want clear examples of you owning products, leading cross-functional squads, and driving measurable outcomes (revenue, MAU/DAU, engagement, NPS, cost savings). Make sure you can tell 3–4 big stories with scope (like “led X-person team to launch Y, resulting in +Z% revenue / +ZM streams”). International & cross-cultural exposure, highlight any work with global markets, cross-country teams, or regional launches. If you don’t have much yet, look for projects that give you multi-country exposure over the next few months.

Story clarity: Product > Consulting > (maybe back to product/leadership). INSEAD will want a crisp narrative. What specific consulting (strategy, digital, financial services, TMT)? Why consulting now after 5+ years in PM? Long-term: Partner/C-level/building a tech business?

You can also explore HEC, LBS, or IESE.

Competition is stiffer again. Consulting demand remains, but is more selective. MBB hiring has normalized post-COVID peak; they’re picky on leadership, communication, and international fit, not just brand names.

Translation: your GMAT + IIT + PM at strong brands put you in a good place, but you must show leadership and maturity, not just “sharp tech guy.” Curate a few flagship product stories with clear metrics & your leadership role. Lean into cross-border work, seek projects with regional/global ownership. Network with INSEAD alums and current students in consulting to sharpen your post-MBA plan and essay specifics.

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 check out this blog and YouTube video.

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

Hi Dishant
Priyanka here from ARINGO. Speaking about your profile, speaking about your profile, your profile actually fits quite well with what HEC Paris looks for in applicants - strong tech experience, clear impact numbers, fast promotion and real leadership through supervising teams and shipping features.

Your startup work with Edgenus, global exposure, and long list of extracurriculars give you a lot of personality and depth that many applicants don’t have. The 655 GMAT FE is solid for HEC. Your volunteering adds a meaningful social angle too. As long as your essays clearly show why product management, how your tech foundation + leadership tie into that, and how HEC’s ecosystem helps you level up, you should be a competitive applicant.

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!

Hey Dishant, It was a pleasure reading through your profile, as I saw a nice mix of strong work experience+ international travel+ extra curricular activities (including the probono assignments) - overall, this kind of experience should make you come across as a well-rounded candidate. HEC has a range of essays with topics offbeat in the MBA world and your past experiences should give you enough nuggets to pull up a nice application. That said, be mindful that all your essay stories are relevant from a business school's perspective (for example, focusing excessively on undergrad or earlier achievements, while not mentioning more recent experiences would be a bad application strategy).
Your career goals will likely need more thought. as i understand, you want to move from adtech to product management. What is your role at Publicis? are you in the tech side, which will make the transition to PM easier. If you have a business role, you will have to explain how your skills can be transferred to product management and why this is the right career move for you.
Would be happy to chat with you further should you be interested.

Namita Garg, MBA Decoder
Email: [email protected]
Testimonials: https://mbadecoder.com/testimonials/
Profile Evaluation : https://mbadecoder.com/services/free-pr ... valuation/
Helping applicants achieve their MBA dreams since 2011 with offices in India and the UK

Thanks for sharing your profile, @Dishant Arora. HEC MBA averages: GMAT classic ~690; average work experience ~6 years. You’re slightly younger but within range, and your 655 GMAT FE score places you at or a bit above their usual academic bar. Are you planning to retake the GMAT?

You bring: Tech + product-adjacent experience, international exposure (NA, EU, APAC), collaboration, clear PM goal, strong leadership, and a community footprint.

You can be in the “competitive target” bucket for HEC, not guaranteed (no one is), but realistic if your essays, recommendations and interview go well. R4 watchout, fewer seats and scholarships may remain compared to R1–R3, but HEC genuinely does admit people in later rounds.

You can also explore other schools, such as INSEAD, IESE, ESADE, IE, LBS, Oxford Saïd, or Cambridge Judge.

Things to sharpen in your applications: PM story & clarity, be specific: B2C vs B2B, domains (like retail, grocery, e-commerce, AI products), geography (Europe vs US vs India). Link your current achievements directly to PM skills: experimentation mindset, user empathy, leading cross-functional teams, and data-driven decisions. Leadership framing, you already lead interns, clubs, hackathons, and sports teams. Turn these into 3–4 sharp CAR stories (context–action–result) for essays and interviews. Impact quantification, you have great numbers (revenue, DAUs, retention, time saved). Make those central in your CV and short answers.

Mention "Why HEC specifically": internship or fieldwork opportunity, digital innovation & entrepreneurship tracks, Paris/European tech ecosystem, and clubs and electives relevant to PM/AI.

For HEC essays, especially “What is your post-MBA goal?” and “Why HEC?”, be crisp, realistic, and specific. You can check out our latest HEC, LBS & IESE Essay Workshop, might be insightful. And you can also read this blog. SUCCESS STORY.

For LORs, pick people who can speak to your leadership, initiative, and product-like thinking, not just coding skills.

Questions for you to reflect upon:
1) Where do you ideally want to work post-MBA: Europe, the US, or India?
2) Are you more excited by consumer apps or enterprise/AI tools?
3) Would you be open to adding INSEAD/IESE/LBS to your list, or do you want to stay laser-focused on HEC?

We’d love to understand your profile better, your academic background, extracurricular involvement, professional experience, and personal journey. With these details, we can provide a more personalized evaluation of your profile and share an honest assessment of your chances at your target school. Happy to chat.

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

Happy to discuss your HEC Application story and other applications too in detail @Dishant Arora! You can book a session from here.

last year pgp yl intake had a average cat score of 99 percentile with lowest being 96, so it will be difficult to say the least.

Hey, Anon2000


Your GPA looks solid, and you have relevant work experience in consulting and healthcare. However, your GMAT score falls below the typical range. Consider retaking it and submitting your application in the second round. This could give your application a real lift.


Feel free to schedule a call with us here for an in-depth profile evaluation and additional benefits.We match you with the students and alums of top B-Schools according to your background and target schools.

Thank you. I'm considering re-taking the GMAT. Which b-schools should I consider with my current score?

Hi. You can see the average Focus scores here: https://gmatclub.com/forum/average-gmat ... 30038.html (this is for the Top 30) and only the schools on the lower end such as Rotman have 615 as their average. Basically schools in the Top 50 Rankings - you can see the classic GMAT score average here: https://gmatclub.com/business-schools/ (615 is around 670 i believe)

Hi @aliquidducimus. We’d love to learn more about your academics, extracurriculars, work experience, and personal journey so we can provide a tailored profile evaluation and honest school assessment. Feel free to book a profile evaluation session.

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

Thanks for sharing your profile, @SHL_0000. You've got a good GPA, decent GRE score, a clear industry focus (consumer health to broader healthcare), and real recognition at work. Now it’s about tightening your story and making your transition feel inevitable, not experimental.

Talking about the schools, with ~5 years’ experience:

Darden can be a good fit if you emphasize general management + leadership + healthcare interest. The case method values people who can speak up and synthesize across marketing, operations, and ethics.

Fuqua can be good for healthcare + marketing + consulting; your consumer-health and team-based profile can fit Fuqua’s “collaborative, impact-driven” culture.

Ross can be good in marketing + healthcare, + action-based learning (MAP). Your shift from agency > in-house > healthcare strategy is aligned.

Tepper can be quant/analytics-focused, but digital strategy + healthcare + good GPA + GRE can work fine, especially if you show comfort with data.

USC Marshall can be good for marketing and brand roles, plus growing healthcare connections; your profile can be competitive here.

Strengths you must use: Coherent healthcare story. You’re already in consumer-health brands, moving to an in-house role at a healthcare company, and targeting healthcare/pharma post-MBA. That’s a clear, believable path: agency → in-house → MBA → strategy/marketing in healthcare. Proven performance, “Employee of the Year,” and merit scholarships tell adcoms you’re consistently high-performing. Digital + consumer + healthcare, you understand consumer behavior, digital channels, and healthcare communication; this is very attractive for healthcare companies trying to go more digital and patient-centric. International & cultural diversity, as a Korean woman with global agency experience, you’ll bring a less-common perspective to US programs that are often heavy with domestic and India/China tech/finance profiles.

Areas to sharpen: 324 GRE is workable, but if your practice scores suggest you can reach 327–330, a small bump would help at Ross/Darden/Fuqua. If retaking is too stressful, 324 is still defensible, especially with your GPA and scholarships. Leadership depth, you need to go beyond “I led campaigns.” Highlight team size you led or coordinated, budget responsibility, concrete outcomes, lift in engagement, conversion, sales, ROI, and brand metrics, times you pushed back strategically or shaped the client’s thinking (not just execution).

Post-MBA clarity, “healthcare/pharmaceutical industry” is broad, try to narrow to a function + path. You can also maximize your in-house role, push to own end-to-end campaigns and cross-functional projects (with medical, regulatory, sales, etc.). Aim for 1, 2 big, measurable wins you can tell as flagship stories. Clarify your career story and keep it consistent across all applications. Choose recommenders wisely, people who can say: you’re top 5–10% on the team, you lead with maturity and insight and you think beyond just marketing tactics and understand business impact.

Questions for you to reflect upon:
1) Do you see yourself more in brand/marketing leadership within healthcare, or in consulting serving healthcare clients?
2) Are you open to working in the US after your MBA, or do you see yourself returning to Korea/Asia in the medium term?
3) Is your in-house move confirmed yet, and will your role title reflect higher responsibility (vs lateral)?
4) Among your campaigns, which one had the clearest business impact (revenue, share, patient engagement)?

We’d love to learn more about your academics, extracurriculars, work experience, and personal journey so we can provide a tailored profile evaluation and honest school assessment. Feel free to book a profile evaluation session.

Watch our Duke Fuqua, Michigan Ross & Darden Essay Workshop on YouTube. It might be insightful.

You can register for our Upcoming Coffee Session on Crafting a Compelling MBA Application for the January 2027 Intake! CLICK HERE FOR MORE DETAILS

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

Hi @mansi2065! We’d love to learn more about your academics, extracurriculars, work experience, and personal journey so we can provide a tailored profile evaluation and honest school assessment. Feel free to book a profile evaluation session.

You can watch our Duke Fuqua, Michigan Ross & Darden Essay Workshop YouTube video. It might be insightful.

You can register for our Upcoming Coffee Session on Crafting a Compelling MBA Application for the January 2027 Intake! CLICK HERE FOR MORE DETAILS

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

Hi @Oluseun! We’d love to learn more about your academics, extracurriculars, work experience, and personal journey so we can provide a tailored profile evaluation and honest school assessment. Feel free to book a profile evaluation session.

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

congratulations!

Congratulations @everwriter ! Great GMAT. Best wishes for the road ahead.

Hey
Priyanka here from ARINGO. Speaking about your profile, IIT Madras top-10%, strong leadership in Hyperloop + Placement Cell, an NUS Asia Fellowship, and now high-impact GenAI work at Amex with $300M+ business impact, that’s all gold for top MBA adcoms.

Your GMAT score also looks solid. Work on strengthening your narrative. What will matter most is how you articulate your leadership trajectory, your ownership of cross-functional work, and your unique angle, using AI for fraud prevention and for mental-health impact.

GSB and HBS especially care about depth of purpose, so the NGO angle and your bigger mission can differentiate you if framed well. With about 3 years of experience, your timing aligns nicely with traditional MBA paths; just make sure your essays show maturity, not just technical excellence. Overall, your profile looks competitive and differentiated.

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]

Thanks for sharing your profile @Ashdev7. You’re building a nice profile for the top tier; your combo of IITM, AmEx GenAI, leadership, and mental health NGO is the kind of story HSW/Booth will pay attention to.

Strengths you can use: Tech, product, and impact. You’re not just a “coder at AmEx”, you’re effectively a data + product hybrid working on a $300M-impact GenAI platform. Emphasize: Ownership (roadmap decisions, trade-offs), cross-functional collaboration (risk, legal, infra, business), metrics- improvements in fraud detection, false positives, latency, etc, leadership track record at a young age, Head of Placement & Internship Cell. NGO head in mental health. Any leadership within the Hyperloop team (subsystem lead, ops, sponsorship, etc.). Values and purpose narrative: you’re interested in using tech to solve human problems (mental health, safety, trust in financial systems). That can be a powerful anchor for HBS/GSB essays.

Risks: Over-represented demographic (Indian/tech/quant). Many applicants will have IIT/AmEx/FAANG-type backgrounds + high GMAT. Your differentiation must come from: real leadership (team size, decisions, conflict, risk), clear personal “why” (mental health + responsible AI, for example), depth of impact, not just “cool project.” Clarity of post-MBA goal- “Tech industry” is too broad. You need a function: Product Management, AI Strategy, or Tech/AI consulting? Domain: Fintech/mental health tech/broader consumer AI? Geography: US vs Asia vs global? NGO substance, adcoms are very sensitive to “just started an NGO for the resume.” You need to show how long you’ve been involved, what exactly you do (programs, services, partnerships), numbers, how many people served, sessions delivered, and volunteers managed.

You can also explore other schools, such as Kellogg, MIT Sloan, Berkeley Haas, or INSEAD/LBS, as global options if you are open to non-US careers. Talk to current students/alums at each school in tech/AI/product and mental health/social impact spaces. Use those conversations as input to your essays.

You can watch our Harvard, Stanford, & Wharton Essay Workshop on YouTube; it might be insightful.

We’d love to learn more about your academics, extracurriculars, work experience, and personal journey so we can provide a tailored profile evaluation and honest school assessment. Feel free to book a profile evaluation session.

You can register for our upcoming Coffee session. MORE DETAILS

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