Hello Snigdha,

You bring a solid mix of entrepreneurial and corporate analytics experience, but your GRE 316 is well below median for Ross, Anderson, Darden, and Tepper. Without raising this to at least 322–325, your chances at the top end of your list are low.

Seven years of experience is above the average for U.S. MBAs, so your application must position you as a senior leader ready for strategic roles, not as a mid-level analyst. Quantify your entrepreneurial achievements, revenue growth, customer acquisition, operational savings , and highlight leadership examples from Zomato and Noon.

If your goal is strategic or PM roles in tech, make sure your resume and essays show product influence and cross-functional decision-making.

Ameer Khatri, Admissions Consultant
Schedule 1-on-1 call with me for detailed profile review
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Nice profile @Snigdha Nagpal! You’ve got a compelling vocational arc: analytics at recognisable tech firms > founder/entrepreneur experience > aiming for product/strategy leadership. That combination sells well because it shows technical chops, operator experience, and owner mindset. Admissions will look for proof that your startup + analytics experience produced measurable impact, that you’ve led people/projects, and that an MBA is the right next step (what specific skills you lack). The two immediate red flags to address: a 316 GRE (okay for many target schools but below median for some; raising it helps) and needing clearer quantification of impact and leadership stories. If you raise your GRE score by 8-10 points, your candidacy becomes stronger. You can take a look at this success story.

Strengths to lead with Operator + founder blend. Show you know both how to build and run (analytics + entrepreneurship). Analytics experience at big tech firms, highlight models you built, decisions you influenced, and business outcomes. 7 years is a great spot for MBA recruiters looking for mid-level hires into PM/strategy roles. As an entrepreneur, you likely wore multiple hats, use that to show cross-functional leadership and execution under uncertainty.

Quantify impact aggressively: Admissions and recruiters want numbers. Highlight results:
“Improved DAU retention by X% over Y months through A/B test and model”
“Reduced acquisition costs by X and increased Y%”
“Scaled operations from X to Y users, enabling $Z revenue”... etc.

“Why MBA, why now?” clarity: Which skills (strategy frameworks, stakeholder influence, finance, product strategy, scaling orgs) you will gain from an MBA, and why those can’t be learned on the job. Tailor this to each school. Prepare a “Why MBA / Why School” for each target school, focusing on the school's values and fit.

On-campus recruiting into PM often expects strong product-case storytelling and some technical familiarity (SQL, analytics, metrics). Your analytics background helps. Convert it into a PM narrative like “I used data to define user segments, prioritized features, and measured outcomes.”

We would love to learn more about your academic background, extracurricular activities, professional experience, and personal journey so we can offer a more tailored assessment of your profile and evaluate your chances at your target schools more accurately. If you'd like, feel free to book a profile evaluation session.

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

Hi Snigdha,

Your 7 years of work experience, split between entrepreneurial ventures and analytics roles at major tech companies, gives you a solid foundation for transitioning into strategic business or product management roles post-MBA. However, a GRE score of 316 may limit your chances at top-tier MBA programs, especially in competitive tech-focused tracks. To strengthen your application, consider retaking the GRE or GMAT to aim for a higher score (320+ ; ideally ~325), and emphasize leadership impact, entrepreneurial achievements, and strategic responsibilities in your essays. Your experience is a strong asset if paired with improved test scores and a clear, focused post-MBA plan.

Highlighting your leadership, professional achievements/tangible impact, relevant skills, career goals, unique experiences, and fit with the program effectively will be crucial in crafting a compelling application. To maximize your chances, consider applying to a balanced mix of reach, target, and safety schools.
Feel free to book a free call with our MBA experts for a more detailed discussion. You can also contact us directly at team.mba@theredpen.com or +91-7780769732.

Hi @Snigdha Nagpal,
An AdCom member would look at your profile thus:

Your Work Experience of 7 years is clearly above average for all listed schools; You will need to carefully frame yourself as “seasoned but not overqualified"
Your belonging to an overrepresented applicant pool (Indian, Tech) will mean higher competition though at most U.S. programs, your gender would help offset overrepresentation risk, but only slightly
Your GRE of 316 (~equivalent to GMAT Classic 650–660) is clearly below average for these schools. You should aim for GRE of around 325 for a more competitive profile for these schools
While your GPA of 3.5 can come out to be strong, if it is from a Tier-1 college, it is still not stellar to offset your low GRE
Apart from putting in a very strong application, it is important for you to CLEARLY communicate your why MBA in terms of Career acceleration, evolution of leadership.

Finally, all these schools emphasise strong leadership in your non-proefssional space, esp in promoting diversity beyond the generic types. As such, compelling application essays, and strong LORs would be a big help.
You should try improving your GRE substantially for a good chance at these schools, or widen your overall school choices

Hope that helps. Please submit your profile for a Free Assessment over a 1:1 call. https://theivyleagueedge.com/index.php/contactus/
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