Thanks for sharing your profile @UdiPan ! Starting with your strengths: Good academic signal (9.1 GPA; Gold medalist). 5 years in integration, API, MuleSoft, Salesforce, and great credibility for tech recruiting. Measurable operational impact, 40% reduction in case resolution time is a good outcome. Leadership & cross-functional influence, mentoring, EMEA Leadership Board representation, and awards. CI/CD, cloud deployments, and process automation are increasingly important for product/operations roles.

Top M7s still use GMAT/GRE medians as a quick filter. Your score is a bit on the lower side. If possible, retake or double-down on compensating signals: a short for-credit analytics course (graded), a public project showing product metrics, or an employer-sponsored case with measurable KPIs.

Narrative tilt to Product/Tech post-MBA. Why: Adcoms want to believe the pivot (or continuation) is plausible. You must show concrete steps toward product (projects, PM exposure). You can lead a short product/feature rollout or track a case KPI end-to-end (from ticket to product fix to metric improvement). Show collaboration with PM/Engineering.

School-specific fit & voice is important. Why: Top schools expect tailored “Why X” reasons: courses, labs, clubs, recruiters. Generic essays lose. For each target, list 3 concrete resources (course, professor, student club/employer partners) and cite in essays.

Decide whether to retake GMAT Focus. If you can push toward 675+, do it. It might boost chances for Booth/Sloan substantially. Create 2 STAR stories that show: (1) product/feature outcome (ticket → resolution → metric change), (2) leadership of the 40% case reduction initiative (scope, actions, result). Quantify everything (before/after metrics, team size, months). Connect with alumni/students at each program, join webinars, attend local events/city treks, and reference meaningful takeaways in your “Why X” lines. Consider adding 1-2 additional schools to balance risk, like Haas, McCombs, Imperial, and LBS, if you want more target/safety options.

You can take a look at our ESSAY WORKSHOP YouTube video on BOOTH, KELLOGG, and Columbia.

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 also register for our Upcoming ESSAY WORKSHOP on MIT, Haas & Cornell. Craft essays that shine: pick powerful stories, match your goals with each school, and showcase authentic leadership. CLICK HERE FOR MORE DETAILS

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

@UdiPan - interesting profile overall!

The GMAT is a bit on the lower side - what's the sectional split of your score, and was it in line with your mocks/ expectations? The current score unfortunately makes M7's (e.g. Booth) quite 'Ambitious', but applying to a mix of schools makes sense.

Work-ex presents some strong angles, given the diverse tech experiences, cross-functional exposure and leadership stints. Were these spread across companies (i.e. how long), and what was the rationale behind your job switches?

Any extracurricular activities you've been involved in post undergrad e.g. arts, sports, volunteering, etc.?

Make sure to have a strong narrative covering your experiences, career ambitions, and how/ why the MBA will help you address specific gaps.

Feel free to reach out for a discussion.

Regards,
Arvind (Founder, admitStreet)
Testimonials: https://admitstreet.com/testimonials/
Request a Free Profile Evaluation: https://admitstreet.com/#contact

Hi @UdiPan
Thanks for reaching out.

Your work ex is great, it has everything AdComs typically look for among international candidates. Also, the gold medallist aspect and GPA add weight to your candidacy.
You must have realized by now that your GMAT score is quite low for the programs you have in mind. If you can bring it to 690+ for M7s and 675+ for others, it will balance your profile and make you more competitive.

You haven’t shed light on your post MBA goals, so would be best if you can elaborate on this since you plan to work in the same domain.

We’d love to offer a free 1-on-1 profile evaluation to dive deeper into your profile, discuss more about your queries and concerns, 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

You have a very strong professional foundation that puts you in a strong position for MBA programs, especially those that value tech leadership. However the main challenge in your profile is not the work experience but the GMAT Focus score, which is below the median for Booth and MIT Sloan, and somewhat borderline for Tepper; for ISB and Foster, however, your GPA and professional trajectory should help offset it. If re-taking the test is realistic, even a modest improvement can materially change competitiveness for the ultra-selective schools on your list. If not, the best way to control risk is through execution: your essays should strongly highlight leadership impact, stakeholder influence, crisis management ability, and business-level outcomes rather than only technical achievements. With the right storytelling, you are very well positioned for ISB, Foster, and Tepper, and Sloan/Booth remain possible but will require an exceptional narrative around your leadership progression, career vision, and why an MBA now. Overall, your profile has real strengths, you just need to make sure the story is framed around leadership and business impact rather than purely engineering. that’s what will move the needle most for R2.