Hey
Priyanka here from ARINGO. Speaking about your profile, you have got a pretty strong narrative for an MBA pivot into media/entertainment marketing. The 7 years of experience is solid, and the way you transitioned from engineering into digital/social media marketing, working with big brands in sports/gaming and now LinkedIn advising F500/CXOs, gives you relevant and differentiated exposure.

Your GPA slightly looks on the lower side and while you don’t have a formal business/marketing background, your career story already shows progression in that direction, which strengthens your “why MBA.” Target schools like Kellogg, Columbia, INSEAD, and ISB make a lot of sense given their strengths in marketing and global exposure. IIMs/HEC Montreal may be good additions for safety, but I’d suggest also looking at Ross and UCLA Anderson since both have strong reputations in marketing/entertainment.

You haven’t mentioned a GMAT/GRE score, Adcoms at top schools will want to see a competitive number. Overall, with the right test score and essays tying your career shift together, you’re a strong candidate.

Jenifer (CEO, ARINGO MBA Admissions) is hosting a live coffee chat on Sept 20 about building a strong Round 2 MBA app in just 90 days.
Click here to register

I’d be happy to offer you a free profile review for your target 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 your CV at: priyankak@aringo.com
Good Luck!

I understand that the US media/entertainment/CPG industries do not hire international MBAs. Do exercise caution when stating your post-MBA goals. You may end up doing self-harm.
- Dee (MBA admissions consultant and management consultant) | E: catalysts.success@gmail.com | https://lnkd.in/dDDYQvz2

Hi @Rakravi123,

You bring a strong professional narrative with 7 years of experience spanning sports, gaming, and now LinkedIn, where you engage directly with senior leaders across multiple industries. This showcases both industry depth and client-facing leadership, which are valuable for MBA programs. Your GPA is decent, though not standout, so a strong GMAT/GRE will help balance the academic side. GMAT - you should aim for a 695+ score to strengthen your application and stay competitive for top-tier programs.

The pivot into core marketing is logical—you’ve already built expertise in digital and social media, and the MBA can provide the broader strategic and brand management foundation you seek. You should frame your essays around your transition from digital marketing execution to shaping overall brand and marketing strategy.

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.

Thanks for sharing your profile @Rakravi123 ! Let's start with your strengths: Relevant marketing + tech platform experience. Working at LinkedIn, engaging with enterprise clients, with exposure to media, gaming, retail, etc., gives you a platform & credibility. Leadership and client exposure. Senior-stakeholder interaction, managing brand presence, and likely metrics/data leadership. Quantitative foundation, the engineering + digital marketing course provides quantitative comfort; that’s useful especially for analytics in marketing.

Risks / Weaknesses: GPA ~7.52 is OK, but below many of the medians for top MBA programs, especially in the US / top global schools, where UG grades often are higher. This may require explanation/context. Lack of a formal business or marketing degree. You’ll need to provide proof of knowledge/impact in marketing: campaigns, metrics, analytics, etc. Competition in marketing roles. Many applicants to top schools also have strong marketing + business backgrounds; you need to differentiate: through scale, impact, creativity, data, leadership. IIMs and regional schools will likely view you favorably, but for INSEAD, Kellogg, Columbia, marketing authority, external signals (awards, published work, portfolio) help.

If you plan to take the GMAT or GRE, aim high enough to match or exceed the medians at your reach schools. For U.S./top global schools, scores in the top percentiles in the quant + overall matter. Ensure consistent performance across sections (especially quant/analytical) since marketing roles will require measurable and analytical skills.

Gather evidence of real outcomes: growth in engagement, revenue, ROI on campaigns, incremental impact, conversion numbers, etc. If possible, take on a side project or freelance/consulting in marketing that gives you more ownership + measurable results. For example, optimize a campaign’s efficiency, A/B test something, launch a new product feature, etc.

“Why MBA now?” This is especially important since your undergrad isn’t in business. You need to clearly identify skill gaps in marketing leadership that only an MBA can fill (strategy, consumer insights, leadership, scaling, global exposure). “Why X school?” Align each target school’s marketing, media, entrepreneurship, digital marketing labs, or partnerships. Cite concrete resources, case competitions, and professors, if possible. Show proof of academic rigor post-undergrad (courses, certifications, top performance in mocks or ongoing learning).

Since formal academic credentials are strong but not in marketing/business, adding or more strongly highlighting extracurriculars is useful. Perhaps coaching, content creation, volunteer work in media/branding, public speaking, or community initiatives in your domain. Even modest ones help.

Engage alumni/marketing leaders via LinkedIn from your target schools for info & networking. If possible, take a short marketing analytics/brand strategy/data course and complete a small project you can include

Questions for you to reflect upon:
1) What are your unofficial or practice GMAT / GRE scores to date (especially the quant section)?)
2) Do you have specific brands/companies you aim to work for post-MBA (especially Entertainment / Media)? Knowing that helps with “why school”.
3) Who will be your recommenders (title/relationship)? How well do they know your marketing & leadership work?
4) Any marketing campaigns or projects you led or had ownership over (with numbers) that you haven’t yet written down?
5) Which of your target schools is your highest priority (if only one)?

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 register for our Upcoming Coffee Sessions on “Mastering Essay Questions”. CLICK HERE FOR MORE DETAILS

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