Hi. Healthcare consulting is a good goal to leverage if you have the background.

Keep in mind, consulting requires a candidate to be polished and both spoken quick on their feet and have strung client readiness skills. You need to interview well.

But to get to the consulting interview, you hopefully needs to have strong brands on your resume to get picked from the multitude of applicants. If you have those, that’s fantastic but if not, that’s a potential snag for both recruiting and admissions....

If you speak Mandarin, I think it could be worth looking at Chinese programs but if not recruiting can be tricky as few companies want to hire candidates without language skills.

Hey, thanks for sharing your background.

Honestly, your story is quite aligned for INSEAD and schools like Tsinghua and HKU. You're building a food pivot with a sound pharmaceutical track, strong GPA, and healthcare consulting goals. However, a 635 GMAT Focus is a bit soft even for INSEAD, especially as the median is higher (~690-710 classic equivalent). I'd suggest retaking if you can push closer to that range. Just make sure your essays clearly tie your technical expertise to your future business leadership ambitions.

Let's work together to sharpen your story and boost your chances at INSEAD and top Asian MBAs: a focused 1-on-1 call can make all the difference.

Ameer Khatri, Admissions Consultant
Schedule a 1-on-1 call with me for a detailed profile review:
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Thank you for sharing your profile @Hoang Anh Pham ! With 5 years of work experience in the pharmaceuticals and biotech sector, a good academic record (GPA 3.57), and a clear, industry-aligned career vision, you seem to have a good foundation. Your narrative, moving from technical research into strategic decision-making roles, can be attractive, for global schools like INSEAD and Asia-focused programs. Schools value applicants who understand how their technical skills can translate into broader business impact.

There are a few areas where strategic improvements could significantly boost your chances. The GMAT Focus score of 635 is slightly low. While it’s not a dealbreaker, especially if the rest of your application shines, retaking the GMAT Focus to aim for 20, 30+ points would make you considerably more competitive and open up better scholarship opportunities. For Tsinghua, Peking, and HKU, your score is closer to the average, though a stronger score would still enhance your profile.

Agreed with the feedback shared above by bb ! Regarding your work experience, 5 years is ideal for INSEAD and most Asian programs. What’s crucial now is showcasing leadership and impact in your roles. Admissions committees are also interested in moments where you led projects, influenced decisions, or demonstrated strategic thinking. Even if you haven’t held formal management titles, examples of informal leadership (mentoring, cross-functional collaborations, initiating improvements) will be critical. You can take a look at this BLOG on Master your MBA Application

Looking ahead, we recommend a few strategies: aim to retake the GMAT Focus if possible, prioritize Round 1 applications to maximize your chances, and focus your essays heavily on leadership stories and strategic thinking. Be sure to clearly articulate your passion for driving innovation in healthcare and highlight how your multicultural background uniquely positions you to succeed in Southeast Asia’s markets. Consider communicating with school alumni for more insights.

Before you start writing essays, it would be helpful to reflect on some key points: where you led a project or influenced key decisions? This will be the heart of your leadership narrative. Would you be open to targeting top healthcare consulting firms beyond MBB?

Genuinely excited about what you can achieve through this MBA journey. If you'd like, feel free to connect. Let's chat.

Hi @Hoang Anh Pham
Thanks for sharing your profile!

To begin with, you’ve got a solid GPA and your work experience too makes you well-suited for global MBA programs. Pharmaceuticals/biotech is a niche field so you will get brownie points for a diverse profile. You’ve mentioned enjoying technical aspects of your work as a Research Scientist but if you can elaborate on what exactly you work involved, we can better estimate how to position it in your applications. Moreover, its interesting to read you career goals as you’ve carefully though about your career progression. Your short- and long-term goals run parallel with each other as you mentioned about working in a consulting profile and then stepping up to a Product Manager or Director role. The industries you are targeting and your reasoning for the same are also well aligned with your overall profile. But to make your goals more appealing to the AdCom, try to explain how the particular region you’re studying in would benefit your goals. For example, when applying to Tsinghua/Guanghua (Peking), try to articulate your interests in China-ASEAN healthcare strategies. Speak of some trends you have observed in these regions with regards to patient healthcare and how you will adapt to it with your MBA knowledge. This shows that you are well aware of the market and the contributions you can make to it.

Now we come to your GMAT score. You have a decent score but its competitiveness depends on each college. For Insead, your current score will not make an effective cut as they typically expect in the range of 680+. If you want a good chance here, you will have to bolster your score to the 675-700 range. When it comes to Tsinghua, Peking, and HKU, they will mostly accept but if you need a scholarship, then try improving your score by another 30-40 points. Also, for these schools, it would be best if you have strong language proficiency in Mandarin or else you will face obstacles during the recruitment phase. This is not an absolute but just something better to have.

Overall, if INSEAD is your primary focus, would advise to retake the GMAT and push your score. Wishing you all the best.
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