Thanks for sharing your profile @Omer Abdul Cader ! You’ve got the high-leverage signals top programs prize (deep consulting + AI strategy experience, large quantified client outcomes, firm-level recognition, and CFA Level I). Your biggest lift is the tightening fit and the test/positioning signal for the highest reaches (MIT & Stern Tech MBA).

Strengths you must keep amplifying: $5M client value delivered, $1.8M annual cost reduction, top firm award; these are premium signals. Use exact numbers and timelines in essays & LORs. Domain leadership in AI strategy, you led strategy + product, + financial validation. This makes you credible for Tech MBA roles and product/AI strategy recruiting. CFA Level I (90th+ percentile) signals financial rigor and analytical chops; call it out where quantitative credibility matters. Promotion & recognition trajectory, consultant of the Year + Top 5% performer = leadership and relative performance proof.

Aiming for a GMAT FE score in the 685+ range would be good. Do you have a mock score? You can also create compensating signals: a high-quality quantitative course, a data science certificate, or a recent, graded analytics project with a transcript.

Make your short-term plan concrete:
For MIT: You can aim for Tech Strategy / AI Strategy PM / Product Management, AI roles at top tech firms, or core strategy roles at leading consultancies’ AI practices.

For Stern Tech MBA: you can highlight product & tech commercialization roles (like Product Manager for ML products, Tech Strategy roles at FAANG/fast-growing AI startups).

For Imperial: you can show London network use, VC/scaleup product roles, and consulting in AI practice.

Why: Admissions love credible, employer-linked goals (name recruiters/roles and how each school helps you reach them).

LORs: A (Client-side or Partner) who can quantify business value and the stakes you handled. Another can be a (Firm Leader): Your Partner/Engagement Lead who can speak to leadership, team development, strategy design, and the rare outcomes you achieved. Provide both a 1-page brief with metrics, timeline, and suggested anecdotes.

Product/operational signal (if you want to pivot to PM): Run/document a short product experiment (A/B test, feature pilot) that translated an AI model into product metrics (conversion, retention, revenue). Recruiters & adcoms like concrete product work, not only strategy. If you led the deployment of an ML model that produced real KPIs, write it up as a case.

For essays, you can bring together finance + AI + product threads: Tell a crisp arc: technical fluency → AI strategy success → need for product & general management skills (MBA) → post-MBA role → long-term vision (lead AI product/venture/operating partner/CEO of AI startup/VC investing in AI). Tie each school to 2 specific resources: labs, faculty, courses, clubs, and recruiting channels.

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

HI Omer,
Your work experience is very impressive and should stand you in good stead during the applications. I see a lot of noteworthy achievements & $$ impact. If you were directly involved in the UAE market entry and further brought the business development pieces with the energy companies and the family office to fruition, then that experience would make your profile stand out even further, as these are big wins for someone at your level of work exp. The performance award will also help - your recommender should make a mention of this to bring more credibility.

Your career goal of working in consulting company is alright. However, when you frame your goals essay - it should not sound like you want to move from one consulting company to a larger one. Instead back up your goals with a career vision and what kind of strategic impact you wish to make through your career. I say this because I see many applicants write career goals that are not strong enough and sound like applicants are only thinking about a jump to the next career position. In comparison, b-schools like applicants who have a strategic business vision and are gearing up to achieve that goal.

Regarding your b-school choice, if you are aiming for consulting roles, you have so many other programs where you can apply amongst both M7 and T15 b-schools. These programs will be equally solid for a tech role, if that's your alternate career plan. I did not understand your choice of Cornell Tech and Imperial. The Cornell 2 year MBA would be a better choice and LBS/ INSEAD would be better for European MBAs. I assume you don't have a GMAT score still, but work towards getting a 705+, as that, coupled with your work exp. would make you a solid candidate. I'd be happy to discuss these b-school choices with you in more detail.

The third element in your profile is the ECAs. You've not mentioned anything here, but having a few activities since college would help. If you are applying in R2, then you have no time other than GMAT prep. But if you are applying next year R1, then you could build upon this aspect of your profile if its lacking.

Feel free to reach out.

Namita Garg, MBA Decoder
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