Thanks for sharing your profile, @AG Nikhil ! Let's start! How Adcoms can read your profile: 10 years as a ship designer & construction project manager shows end-to-end program ownership, systems thinking, and multi-stakeholder coordination, precisely the leadership Adcoms prize. PGDBA + IIFT certificate shows you’ve already studied business topics (reduces “academic risk”). 2 years co-founding a social enterprise gives you a real pro-social operating track record and authentic post-MBA mission narrative. Schools that value social impact will see this as a major plus.

Risks: Why MBA now? With 12 years of experience and co-founder status, adcoms will ask why you need a 2-year MBA (especially Stanford) rather than continuing to scale the enterprise or pursue executive programs. You must answer with specific skills, networks, and pathways that only the MBA can deliver for your non-profit ambitions. Do you have a mock score? When are you planning to take your exam?

Military metrics (readiness, missions, manning) need conversion into business KPIs (budget/people managed, projects delivered on time/under budget, cost efficiencies, stakeholder outcomes), this is non-negotiable.

Make “Why MBA, why now” airtight (highest priority): Write a paragraph per school that: (A) lists 2-3 skills/access you cannot get outside an MBA (like fundraising network in EU/US, CEO mentorship, structured social-venture scaling curriculum, startup legal/commercialization clinics), and (B) ties those to a 3-year post-MBA milestone (like “by year 3 I will secure X partnerships and $Y funding to scale program to Z beneficiaries”). This must be specific and different per school.

Apply evidence of social-impact readiness. If possible, gather external validation: grants, awards, press, independent evaluation, or partnership letters for the social enterprise. Even short third-party validations (small awards, certificates, or an impact assessment) strengthen the narrative.

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.

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