Though your GRE may fall short for the US schools, your atypical career background and gender advantage may still get you into the consideration set. However, if you have the stamina, do consider upping your score (but you are fast running out of time for R1). You just might want to spread out your applications over R1 and R2 to assess how your applications fare with that score.
Consulting is amongst the topmost goals quoted by candidates. The onus is on you to convince the Adcom how you arrived at this goal. Your LT goal would be better placed if you bring some level of exactness. If this LT goal is aimed at the US market, do keep in mind that most CPG firms do not sponsor H1B.
- Dee
MBA admissions consultant and management consultant
W: https://www.linkedin.com/company/success-catalysts/ | E: catalysts.success@gmail.com

Hi Drishti
Priyanka here from ARINGO. Speaking about your profile, I see a really interesting and well-aligned profile. With 6 years at a boutique agency helping early stage founders shape their communication and brand strategy, you are bringing in some solid client facing, strategic, and creative experience. Your plan to pivot post-MBA and solve business problems at a larger scale makes total sense, and your long-term goal of working with a consumer brand ties in nicely with your current background in storytelling and market positioning.

Academically, you have a solid GPA. The GRE is also decent for your target schools. That said, with a sharp narrative and well-framed goals, you have a good shot if the rest of your application reflects impact and clarity.

Have you had any measurable impact? That could help strengthen your application further. Also, any leadership roles or mentoring responsibilities in your firm or outside of work? Those stories will help reinforce your readiness for consulting.

Overall, you’ve got a strong, differentiated profile with clear goals. ARINGO is currently offering free school shortlisting support to 5 applicants, which could be helpful as you fine-tune your R1 strategy.
CLICK HERE TO APPLY FOR FREE SCHOOL SHORTLISTING.

I’d be happy to offer you a free profile review for top MBA 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: priyankak@aringo.com
Good Luck!

Thank you for sharing your profile @Drishtisg. Your GPA of 9.3 is excellent and will be well regarded across all the schools on your list. It reflects strong intellectual ability and academic discipline. This will help mitigate the relatively modest GRE score (319), especially if your quant scores are reasonably balanced. 6 years of experience in a boutique communications agency working with early-stage founders across diverse industries is unique and can serve as a differentiator. Your ability to craft narratives, build brand strategy, and influence stakeholders in ambiguous startup environments is highly transferable to consulting, a field that values problem-solving, structured thinking, and communication skills. Your short-term goal of pivoting to consulting is realistic, especially if you can position your work with founders as consulting-adjacent (strategy, market entry, brand development). Your long-term aspiration to work at a consumer-facing brand also makes sense given your communications and brand strategy background. Admissions committees will appreciate the clarity and alignment of your goals. You can take a look at this blog and the success story1, story2.

You’ve included a mix of U.S. and European schools, which is smart given your industry background and post-MBA interests. European schools like INSEAD, HEC, and IESE particularly value candidates with international exposure and diverse sectoral experience, and your startup work could resonate well.

While GRE 319 is within range for some schools, it's slightly below average for M7 or even strong U.S. schools like Kellogg, Booth, Tuck, or Ross, which tend to see median scores around 325+. If you're able to, retaking the GRE and pushing the score above 325 (or at least to ~323+) would significantly boost your competitiveness, especially for scholarships. Adcoms will want to know how your current work translates into consulting, especially since you don’t come from a traditional feeder background. Your application should clearly draw a bridge between the skills you've honed (problem-solving, stakeholder engagement, business storytelling, strategic thinking) and the consulting toolkit. In a boutique setting, it can be hard to scale leadership. Make sure you emphasize any instances where you've led teams, mentored juniors, built processes, or taken initiative beyond your immediate responsibilities. These stories are crucial to proving your leadership potential to adcoms and later to consulting recruiters.

Begin working on your resume and leadership stories soon, it takes time to tailor your narrative to a consulting-friendly framework. Select recommenders who can speak to your strategic thinking, initiative, and ability to influence founders/clients, not just executional skills.

Questions to reflect on:
1. What is one project you’ve led that had a measurable impact across multiple stakeholders or departments?
2. Have you collaborated cross-functionally or with international clients? if yes, can this be framed to show global readiness?
3. How will you convince consulting firms during MBA recruiting that your transition is credible? Do you have quant exposure, structured problem-solving experience, or case practice?

You bring a distinctive background that, when crafted strategically, can stand out powerfully in a sea of traditional applicants. Your domain expertise in communications, startup versatility, and clear goals for consulting and brand management give you a strong narrative arc. With a slightly higher GRE score and focused storytelling, you can be highly competitive at many of your target programs.

We would love to learn more about your journey to provide a more tailored assessment of your profile and your chances at your target schools. If you'd like, feel free to book a profile evaluation session.

We are hosting a Coffee Session: “GMAT Strategy & B-School Application Tips from Experts” on 25th July, 2025 | ​9.00 PM IST | 11.00 AM ET. Know more details.

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

Hello Drishtisg,

Six years at an agency crafting communications for founders gives you great creative and client engagement experience. However, a 319 GRE is low for consulting-target schools, particularly Booth, INSEAD, Kellogg, and HEC.

Aim for 325+ to show readiness for core MBA quantitative coursework. Beyond the test, you’ll need to define why consulting (which problem? what scale?) isn’t just bigger work, but a strategic leap grounded in your creative background.

Raise your score, tighten your goal, and apply to programs where you can demonstrate both creative and analytical impact.

Let’s sharpen your consulting pitch and test plan.

Ameer Khatri, Admissions Consultant
Schedule a call: https://admitportal.ameerkhatri.com/pro ... n-calendar

Hi Drishtisg,

I'd love to know more about your work - helping Founders with their communication strategy sounds super interesting and is some what differentiated work exp. So I'd assume that you are a communications expert which is a key selection criterion and you could lean into this capability (show high empathy, interpersonal, critical thinking, influencing skills) in your applications.

That said, b-schools would also want to know that you are equally good with grasping the quant aspects, which I guess, your work would not involve. A higher GRE score can help there. Your GPA is excellent and if you studied quant heavy courses like a Bsc or engineering, that would help to establish your quant capability. You will also have to think how you can quantify your resume. If the GRE score does not change, still go ahead and apply just yesterday, one of my applicants got accepted into INSEAD with a 319 GRE score (and a low GPA) and she has a US admit already. So, I'd say, you will still have a chance, so long as you can put up strong applications that show impact and leadership.

The goals sound alright, but you will have to give a coherent reasoning for consulting >>> consumer brands.

Also, pare down your b-school list. Applying to 5-8 MBA programs in the year usually works for most MBA aspirants. Submitting solid applications to fewer b-schools will reap sweeter rewards.

Namita Garg,
Founder, MBA Decoder
Email: contact@mbadecoder.com
Reach out to us for a Profile Evaluation
Helping applicants achieve their MBA dreams since 2011

Hello @Drishtisg - interesting profile overall.

The GPA is solid, which undergrad university did you attend? The GRE score would unfortunately be a concern particularly for M7's. Any scope to improve, or potentially switch to GMAT? You could accordingly then look at a mix of schools across R1 and R2.

The work-ex looks quite interesting, but I'd like to understand more e.g. nature of your roles, career progression, any leadership/ international exposure, etc.

The goals would need some streamlining, but overall, it'd be important to craft a robust narrative covering your experiences, transferable skills, post-MBA goals, and how/ why the MBA and your target schools would help bridge gaps.

Hope this helps a bit. Feel free to reach out for a deeper chat.

Regards,
Arvind (Founder & Principal Consultant, admitStreet)
Testimonials: https://admitstreet.com/testimonials/ | Free Profile Evaluation: https://admitstreet.com/#contact

To make a successful transition, you should target MBA programs with strong placements in consulting and a focus on strategy and leadership development. Top choices include INSEAD, HEC Paris, Kellogg, Duke Fuqua, and London Business School, all of which offer strong consulting pipelines and global exposure.

Strengthen your application with a well-defined career goal, clearly articulate how your experience in brand and communication strategy translates to solving broader business challenges, and how your long-term ambition to work with a leading consumer brand aligns with the skills and network offered by the MBA.

For more insights, take a Free Profile Analysis Session with us. : https://2ly.link/291au