Thanks for sharing your profile @Apoorv0194. You can be a good fit for NUS and several other top Asian MBA programs. Your 5.5 years of B2B product marketing + IT consulting are right in their sweet spot for experience. A 655 GMAT FE score, roughly equivalent to a classic ~700, around the ~90th percentile, which is competitive at NUS. Academically, you’re solid: Chem Eng undergrad (~3.49/4) + a strong first MBA (8.27, top 10 in program).

Your big question mark is the second MBA rationale, which must be handled very carefully so you don’t come across as “degree collecting.” You can read this BLOG.

Suppose you explain clearly why the first MBA (Tier-2, done in Covid) didn’t give you the global exposure/recruiting access/network you now need for strategy consulting in Asia, you can be taken seriously, especially at schools like NUS, NTU, HKUST, etc.

For NUS, you can be at or slightly above their average range. Not a “wow” score, but definitely competitive, especially combined with your profile. You’ll enter with 5.5 years, B2B product marketing + data/AI marketing in Infosys + earlier IT consulting. That is a textbook NUS profile: tech + Asia + analytics + B2B.

Given your post-MBA goal, core consulting/strategy, NUS can be a logical fit: good consulting placements in Asia, Singapore hub, decent number of Indian consultants transitioning into MBB/Big-4/strategy roles.

So your job with NUS (and similar schools) is to answer: “What can NUS MBA give me that my first MBA (Tier-2, India, Covid-era) genuinely could not, in terms of global exposure, network, and recruiting outcomes?”

If you can concretely show your first MBA was locally focused, mid-tier, done during Covid → limited networking, no strong global consulting pipeline. You have since grown into a different career orbit (B2B product + data/AI marketing) and now need: Singapore/SEA exposure, Asia-Pac consulting recruiting, and a stronger global brand & alumni network. Then your second MBA becomes a strategic upgrade, not an indulgence.

Risk: Second MBA + fairly “common” demographic (Indian, male, tech/consulting).

If your essays and recommendations are sharp on why a second MBA in Singapore, crisp about the consulting pathway, and rich in quantified impact stories from your B2B marketing + consulting work, then I’d ballpark your NUS chances as a good target range (not “safety” but realistic).

NUS scholarships (Excellence & Achiever Awards, Future Leaders, Diversity, Entrepreneurship, etc.) typically cover 20%+ tuition, with a few full-tuition or major awards (Dean’s Award, APEC, regional scholarships, etc.). With your current stats, you can be competitive for partial scholarships, especially if you can show top MBA performance (which you have), significant impact at Infosys/prior firm, and some leadership + volunteering.

Things you can do (especially for the consulting pivot):
The Second MBA story, you can frame it like:
Where you started, Tier-2 Indian MBA during Covid → limited peer interaction, on-campus ecosystem, global exposure.
Where you are now, more senior, doing data/AI marketing for global clients; want to move into core consulting/strategy.
What you need that you can’t get otherwise, a regional hub (Singapore) exposure, access to global consulting recruiters, cross-cultural cohort and alumni base across SEA/East Asia, structured career services & brand that your current MBA simply didn’t have.

Why now? You’re at 5-6 YOE, enough experience to contribute, still early enough to pivot into consulting.

LORS: Current or most recent manager in Infosys marketing (who can talk about your strategic thinking, client impact, and leadership). Another, a previous supervisor from IT consulting or a major project stakeholder (who can speak to your consulting potential, problem-solving, and cross-functional work). Brief them to discuss how you rank vs peers, evidence that you can handle ambiguity, specific consulting-like skills (structuring problems, influencing stakeholders).

Remember, NUS Round 2 is the last inclusive round for several scholarships (APEC, etc.), so submitting a strong, early-in-the-round app would be important.

Questions for you to reflect upon:
1) Which firms are you targeting post-MBA (MBB / Big-4 / Tier-2)?
2) Which geography: Singapore/SEA, India, or open globally?
3) What did you not get from your first MBA that you’re specifically seeking at NUS/abroad (top 3 points)?

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 NUS or any other target schools more accurately.

Happy to chat, please feel free to reach out to us.

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

What resources did you use to study for gmat?

Your background in the oil and gas industry, especially with your experience as a deepwater site engineer, is impressive and certainly positions you well for a transition into consulting. slope game

Hi Griffs
Priyanka here from ARINGO. Speaking about your profile, congratulations on that amazing score. Your GPA and work experience looks good too. A lot will depend on how you connect the dots and build a strong narrative around your application.

FEEL FREE TO CONNECT FOR A DETAILED DISCUSSION
Click here to connect.
You can also email me at: priyankak@aringo.com
Good Luck!

Hi @Griffs , I hope you are doing well!

Your profile is very strong with a 735 GMAT Focus score, a good GPA of 3.6, and 7 years of meaningful work experience in the energy sector, including leadership and international experience. Your deep technical expertise and engineering background, paired with 2 promotions, show great progression. The transition into consulting, especially focusing on performance improvement in energy, is well articulated and aligns with top consulting firms' needs.

To further strengthen your application, emphasize your leadership in college organizations and consider showcasing more leadership involvement in clean energy projects or other extracurriculars. Your long-term goal of merging engineering experience with emerging energy technologies will resonate well with schools that focus on sustainability and innovation. We would like to know more about your profile, getting to know more details will help us identify, if you can pull out good stories from your experience.

If you’d like, we are happy to hop on a 1:1 call with you to discuss your profile in detail. Please feel free to schedule a profile evaluation call according to your convenience.

“Join Our Exclusive Webinar!"

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

Thank you for presenting a neat background and a very clear career orientation. High GPA, Highest Honors and leadership activities all help to make your profile more convincing. Personally, I sometimes find inspiration by playing some mini-games on Unblocked Gamesto recharge my energy before writing my profile, so I understand the need for clarity like the way you present it here. You can add examples of clean energy projects to add depth to your long term goals.

Nice experience Ruchi. It seems the GMAT/ GRE is still the missing link or have you taken the test?
Be sure to share all quantified achievements on your resume (in $$ value and not in Rs./crores). Also you seemto have grown well in your 7 year career, so do make a mention of why you need an MBA at this stage of your professional life
Feel free to reach out for a deeper profile evaluation.

Namita Garg, MBA Decoder
Email: contact@mbadecoder.com
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

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: contact@mbadecoder.com
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. Congratulations on your GMAT. Your profile looks strong and well-balanced that combines brand-name corporate experience, entrepreneurial exposure, and standout extracurriculars, a mix that top MBA programs value.

Your transition from Citi to a startup working with Nestlé, P&G, and Unilever adds significant credibility, it shows you’ve operated at both a structured MNC and a dynamic startup level, with global exposure and tangible results. Focus on emphasizing the "why MBA" and “why now” and the impact narrative behind your supply-chain-tech work. Your ECs, representing India in Ultimate Frisbee, state-level tennis, and founding a sports-access initiative makes your profile multidimensional and leadership driven, the kind of personal depth elite schools look for. Excellent LORs from senior leaders will further boost your case.

Click here to join Jenifer Turtschanow (CEO, ARINGO) for an exclusive session on crafting a high-impact MBA resume, learn what AdComs at top B-schools truly look for beyond job titles.

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: priyankak@aringo.com
Good Luck!

thanks

Nice experience. Getting an LOR from the CEO sounds commendable, but then it depends in how large the startup is. The ECAs look alright; I like the continuity in the program you've set to help underprivileged athletes. Hope you will have a few quantifiable achievements from this aspect in your profile.
Your short term goals sound alright but I am not so clear on how that leads to your long term goal. At a consulting company you will most likely work with Fortune 500 companies on their supply chain issues, which would be remarkably different from issues faced by SMEs. I understand transferable knowledge etc, but how will this experience set you up for working with SMEs (with different characteristics and needs)in the long run? Just something for you to think and refine as you write your goals.

Namita Garg,
Founder, MBA Decoder
Testimonials: https://mbadecoder.com/testimonials/
Profile evaluation: https://mbadecoder.com/services/free-pr ... valuation/

Is your 4 years of work exp including the audit experience for CA? ISB does not count audit experience as work experience, just something for you to be mindful of

Namita Garg,
Founder, MBA Decoder
Testimonials: https://mbadecoder.com/testimonials/
Profile evaluation: https://mbadecoder.com/services/free-pr ... valuation/

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 Neeshma, many congratulations. Can we connect ?

Hi Neeshma, congrats on the admits! If you don't mind, can we connect?

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.

Hi Hemanth
Priyanka here from ARINGO. Speaking about your profile, you have got a solid academic base with a strong CGPA and early experience at Bosch, but for FT MBA programs - especially at places like Harvard, Wharton, Kellogg, MIT Sloan, etc. your work experience is on the lower end, and you’ll likely be competing with applicants who have 4–6 years plus major leadership impact.

That said, your profile is much better aligned with European Master’s/MiM-style programs (HEC, ESSEC, INSEAD MIM, LBS MIM), where your experience level is perfectly suitable. Your pivot goals- consulting, finance, marketing, and eventually the sports/media/entertainment sector, also fit more naturally with MiM programs, which are designed for early-career professionals transitioning into business roles.

Your extracurriculars add personality, but you will want to show more structured leadership and community involvement for MBAs. If your heart is set on a FT MBA at the top U.S. schools, you may want to gain 1-2 more years of experience with concrete leadership achievements before applying; otherwise, for Master’s programs, you’re already a strong candidate.

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: priyankak@aringo.com

Good Luck!

Hey
Priyanka here from ARINGO. Please share more details about your profile for a better and detailed analysis of your chances.

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

Good Luck!

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: priyankak@aringo.com

Good Luck!

Hey, when did you submit your application to UNC?

31 August 2024

Hi MysetryMan04
Good Luck for your interview.

Hey, How was your interview experience?

Hey, did you get any update from MSU?

No

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