Hi, Alasoy,

You have a solid profile, but just how much of a chance you'll have will largely come down to how you execute your application. You have a strong GMAT score that is above the medians/averages for your target schools, which will offset your 3.15 GPA that is well below Harvard's average. The key is that you're not targeting the mean/median, but rather the middle 80%. While HBS doesn't publish their middle 80% for their GPA, you are likely either at the bottom end of that range or just outside it (in the bottom 10% of those accepted). That's not disqualifying by any means, but it does mean that if there is an explanation for what affected your grades, then you should provide it. It won't be an excuse, but rather a fact-based assessment of the context for your undergraduate GPA.

I know that this was intended to be a quick summary of your work experience without the specific details, so it's hard to tell just how strong your work experience is. The obvious positives are your roles at Shopee and Bytedance show you doing quantitatively-heavy work at strong brands. What is unclear is whether you have been primarily executing strategies or if you were involved in setting the strategy. So, the more you can quantify your impact on these organizations, the better.

You'll want to get a little more specific in your future career goals, particularly if there is a specific area you want to focus on or a particular set of problems that you wish to solve. One potential red flag at the moment is your lack of extracurricular activities. You mentioned that you have been focused on family - does that involve caregiving? If so, you can include that in your profile as caregiving is a significant activity outside of work. I know that a lot of applicants often overlook some extracurricular activities that they do, so I'll point out that it doesn't have to be volunteering/philanthropy work; it can include playing in a recreational sports league or coaching a youth sports team or a book club or anything along those lines. If none of that applies to you, then I would strongly suggest that you consider taking on an extracurricular activity that you are genuinely interested in.

I do think that you're a stronger candidate for INSEAD, but still potentially viable for HBS depending on how you address the above. I would also suggest considering a wider range of schools to give you more opportunities for acceptance, unless these really are the only two schools you have any interest in.

I hope this helps! Take care and good luck,

Joe
Stratus MBA Admissions Counselor
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Hi! Hope you are doing well. Your work experience is top tier and that will be your biggest advantage. I can definitely say that INSEAD many candidates come from and many others move into these companies post MBA, so that pipeline is well established and these are feeder brands. If you are set on these schools, make sure to work on preparing a huge repository of lived experiences and stories. Lack of extracurricular is a gap definitely but there are ways to cover for it. I have written many many posts on INSEAD so you could benefit from those. This post below should help on the ECs topic, but otherwise feel free to reach out for professional guidance.

https://gmatclub.com/forum/how-to-appro ... 41916.html


Best wishes
Aanchal Sahni (INSEAD MBA alumna, former INSEAD MBA admissions interviewer)
Founder, MBAGuideConsulting
LinkedIn |WEBSITE: https://mbaguideconsulting.com/| Message(WA): +91 9971200927(message for faster response)| email- [email protected]­

@Alasoy - Your GMAT score, professional experience (employer brands, strategy/ analytics and cross-functional exposure) are strong angles.

The lack of extracurriculars is a slight concern, but the rest of your profile and a strong narrative (covering your experiences, career goals, why MBA/ why now) can help offset this.

Feel free to reach out for a detailed discussion.

Regards,
Arvind (Founder, admitStreet)
Testimonials: https://admitstreet.com/testimonials/
Request a free profile evaluation: https://admitstreet.com/#contact
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arvindkvenkat

Thanks for sharing your profile, @Alasoy. You are already in the game, but HBS requires a step-change in narrative and leadership, not just polishing.

Let's start with your strengths:
1. Real business impact (Top 10–15% level)- Your work is genuinely strong: $1.8M cost reduction, 37% YoY revenue growth, ownership of $25M+ business line and platform-level influence (Shopee + TikTok Shop). This is what top schools mean by “demonstrated impact at scale.”

Important: This is your biggest weapon. Most applicants don’t have this level of commercial ownership.

2. Platform/Marketplace expertise- Your experience sits at the intersection of pricing strategy, platform economics, and seller ecosystems. This aligns well with consulting (growth/digital transformation) and current MBA hiring trends.

3. 7 Years of experience (perfect for INSEAD)- INSEAD average is ~5–6 years, you’re slightly above, but still ideal. HBS average is ~4–5 years, you’re older, so expectations are higher. HBS needs a leadership maturity signal.

Weaknesses:
1. Extracurricular gap (Non-negotiable fix)- Your current explanation (“no good orgs”) will NOT work. Both Harvard and INSEAD, they expect evidence of leadership beyond your job. Why this matters: without it, your profile reads as “Strong corporate performer, but no broader leadership instinct.”

You don’t need formal orgs. Build something yourself:
Option A: Best fit for your profile. Mentor/train small e-commerce sellers. Help them improve pricing, optimize campaigns, and grow revenue.

Option B: Start a content platform (LinkedIn/blog): “How Indonesian sellers can win in TikTok/Shopee ecosystems.”

Option C: Volunteer in digital literacy/SME enablement.

Key rule: Ownership > brand name

2. Story depth (Currently too transactional)- Right now, your story is, “I improved revenue, pricing, and campaigns.” Strong, but not memorable. Top schools want: Why does this matter to you? You need to answer: Why e-commerce? Why Indonesia’s seller ecosystem? What problem are you obsessed with solving?

3. The consulting goal is too generic- You need: Industry > digital platforms/e-commerce/tech and Function > growth strategy/pricing/marketplace design. For example: “Consulting focused on digital platform strategy and marketplace economics.”

4. GPA slightly weak (3.15)- Not a dealbreaker, but below HBS/INSEAD averages. GMAT 715 helps offset

Should you retake the GMAT?
For HBS, YES if you can hit 735+
For INSEAD, NOT necessary

You currently have too few schools. Add at least 3–4. You can explore London Business School, Booth, Kellogg, or Columbia.

Market context:
1. Consulting hiring (current trend)- Slower than peak years. Firms prefer candidates with clear expertise.
2. Southeast Asia relevance rising- Schools value emerging market operators.

Questions to reflect upon:
Why do you care about e-commerce beyond your job?
Who have you helped grow (sellers, teams, people)?
What leadership role have you taken without formal authority?
Why consulting, and not staying in platform leadership?
What problem in Indonesia’s digital economy are you trying to solve?

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

Hi
Priyanka here from ARINGO. Speaking about your profile, your profile looks strong and relevant for top MBAs, especially with your experience at TikTok Shop and Shopee, that’s high-impact, fast-scaling e-commerce exposure. The quantified impact - $1.8M cost savings, revenue ownership, pricing model transformation, GMV growth, really stands out and shows strong business ownership and analytical depth. Your GMAT is solid and helps balance the slightly lower GPA.

With 7 years of experience, you’re in a good range for INSEAD and HBS. Your goal of moving into consulting is logical given your strategy/analytics background, but you’ll need to clearly articulate why consulting and what you want to do long-term.

The main gap is extracurriculars/leadership outside work, for schools like HBS especially, this matters. It doesn’t have to be formal orgs - even informal leadership, mentoring, or community impact can help. Focus on adding some leadership/EC dimension and sharpening your story to maximize chances.

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!