MBA Decision Tracker: Monitor Application Status in Real Time

gmatclub

Comments 4 comments

16 days ago

Wow! Congratulations! Amazing job!!! I am guessing Fuqua is what's looking most attractive?

14 days ago

Thank you so much!! Actually after talking with alumni and current students I'm leaning strongly towards UCLA Anderson. Fuqua is truly an incredible school but for my specific goals it came down to a few things:

I want to go into Growth PM / Product Marketing in tech, and most of those roles are in California. Being physically there for 2 years means I can network and recruit locally instead of flying in for treks. This matters even more right now because international students at schools outside of tech hubs are really struggling to land tech internships; companies are being more cautious with sponsorship and proximity makes a huge difference. Also, Anderson's alumni network and the career center specialized in tech makes sense for someone targeting the intersection of tech + growth, that pipeline feels very direct.

Plus, Anderson offered significantly more funding which takes a lot of financial pressure off during recruiting.

Does that reasoning make sense to you? Would love to hear your perspective!

Congratulations!

I think it makes quite a bit of sense however being in LA is not quite the same as being in Bay Area but you are a five or six drive away so definitely something you can do over the weekends with a few good podcasts.

There’s definitely tech recruiting in LA, Google has offices there and they think Mehta does as well especially a lot of the gaming and entertainment industry focus.

Even if you’re not in Palo Alto, being in LA is much better than NC for this purpose. And with tech industry being challenged significantly to reinvent itself with PMS literally working themselves out out of their own jobs, having a nice scholarship to take the edge off it’s going to be helpful.

I would say your biggest asset will be your work experience and being able to demonstrate some necessary tech PM skills which I’m probably not that much different from consulting so I would also strongly encourage you to recruit for consulting which unfortunately Fuqua is much stronger (this comes down to the consultant club and the fact that M.B.B. have offices on campus), but regardless doing case interviews and preparing for structured consulting recruiting is a strong move. It will help with the later stage tech recruiting.

There are there a few tech p.m. internships out there and I’m not sure if you can pay with your job to sound like a product manager position but with strongly recommend pitching a nonprofit or a local organization to see if you can volunteer as a product manager and perhaps shadow one. They may not be looking for an intern or an assistant but with a bit of persistence you can convince them that it will be more help than hassle. The more you can make your résumé look like you know what you’re doing and you will be a good fit the more attractive you will look to recruiters.

This is incredibly helpful, thank you so much for taking the time! Really good point about consulting recruiting as preparation.

Sorry I should have given more context on my background! I actually have +3 years as a Product Manager in a beauty company. I built digital platforms and led their growth strategies. I think I can say that my biggest chllange is more about transitioning geographically and breaking into the US tech ecosystem as an international. Right?

Really appreciate your perspective!

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ARINGO

15 days ago

Hi
Priyanka here from ARINGO. Speaking about your profile, your profile looks strong on the surface, especially with Cornell Engineering (CS) + Big 4 consulting experience, which is a strong foundation for MBA programs.

Your GPA is okay but slightly on the lower side, so over time, things like career progression, impact at work, and test score will become important. With about 3 years of experience, you’re on the early side for full-time MBA, but that’s fine if you continue building strong leadership and ownership at work.

Would be helpful if you can share more about:
1. Your impact at work (projects, leadership, promotions)
2. Extracurriculars / leadership outside work
3. Any test scores or targets (GMAT/GRE)
4. Career goals (what kind of consulting?)

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 at: [email protected]
Good Luck!

MBAandBeyond

Hi @OverBone. We’d love to learn more about your academic background, extracurricular activities, work experience, and personal journey so that we can provide a tailored profile evaluation and an honest school assessment. Feel free to book an evaluation session.

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

You can also register for our upcoming Coffee Session on “Maximise Your Chances for September Intake R1”, which is scheduled on 9th April, at 9.00 PM IST | 11.30 AM ET.

Comments 3 comments

dee1pug1

1 month ago

Unless you selected 'Profile review requested' in error, please add some details about yourself. It appears that you are a fresh undergrad.

dictasoluta

Yup, I have added. Thank you!

Hi
Priyanka here from ARINGO. Speaking about your profile, you have a very strong and well-differentiated deferred MBA profile. The combination of military leadership, strong academics and AI/defence-focused work creates a very compelling and cohesive story. Your narrative, military to engineering to AI security for defence comes across as clear and intentional, not scattered, which is a big plus for your profile.

School-wise:

HBS 2+2 / GSB: Reach (as always), but you are competitive
MIT Sloan: Strong shot
Wharton: Competitive

If you’d like, feel free to schedule a quick call, happy to help refine your positioning and essay strategy.

If you’d like, feel free to schedule a quick call, happy to help refine your positioning and essay strategy.
You can also email me at: [email protected]
Good Luck!

Feel free to connect- Click here
You can also email me at: [email protected]
Good Luck!

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Comments 1 comment

Hey
Priyanka here from ARINGO. Speaking about your profile, you’re being a bit too harsh on yourself — you actually have a decent profile, not a weak one. Your GRE 330 is strong, and coming from a top school in Japan with leadership roles + international exposure gives you a solid global story. The GPA is okay, not standout, but acceptable in the deferred pool.

For your target schools, the game is less about perfect stats and more about clarity of vision + leadership potential. Your story around emerging markets, FMCG/cosmetics, and long-term social entrepreneurship is actually quite compelling, especially given your background outside Manila and your exposure to local enterprises.

The main gap is depth of impact, so your essays need to really show:

1. Why this path?
2. Leadership stories with real impact
3. What unique perspective you bring

If you’d like, feel free to schedule a quick call, happy to help you refine your essays and positioning.

Feel free to connect- Click here
You can also email me at: [email protected]
Good Luck!

Hi Gustavo
Priyanka here from ARINGO. Speaking about your profile, your profile looks strong and experienced, especially with your Amazon + Nestle background in pricing, product, and strategy roles. The progression from audit to pricing to product leadership shows clear growth, and your international exposure is a big plus for global MBA programs.

With 14 years of experience, you’re on the higher side for traditional MBA programs, which means schools will look very closely at why you need an MBA now and what incremental value it adds.

For schools like Tuck, Darden, Fuqua, Ross, Tepper, you should be competitive with strong execution. Haas and Sloan are more selective but still possible, while GSB will be a stretch. The key will be clearly showing leadership at scale, strategic impact, and a compelling “why MBA now”, especially given your seniority.

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 at: [email protected]
Good Luck!

coolboots

17 days ago

Hey sorry, know you might not be on this account anymore because its a year later but could I DM you about your application? I'm applying this round and hesitating over my essays

MBAGuide

Hi! Right now, there is a risk that you are relying too much on technical depth to speak for itself. The adcoms will not fully follow the jargon, and they are not evaluating you on technical expertise alone. They want to understand your judgment, your perspective, and how you connect your work to real business outcomes. So instead of assuming the details will land, try to clearly explain what your work actually achieved for the business. Did it drive revenue, improve efficiency, unlock growth, or influence key decisions? This is what helps them see your impact and your potential.

Also, be very clear on what you want to do with an MBA. How will it help you move from where you are today to where you want to go? The stronger you can connect your past experience to your future goals, the more convincing your story becomes. Practice talking about your work in terms of business impact and decisions rather than technical execution. That is what will make the need for an MBA feel logical and compelling.

Feel free to reach out for professional guidance.

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]