Thanks for sharing your profile @klandic ! With your current GMAT ~635 and GPA 3.3, your profile can be competitive for regional / target programs (Emory Goizueta, Georgia Tech Scheller, Ross, Anderson, Cornell Johnson, in some cases) and borderline for top consulting feeder programs (Wharton, Columbia, MIT Sloan, Stern, Tuck). To be a competitive Round 1 applicant at the true top consulting feeders, you should raise your GMAT to 685+ and deepen an explicit leadership/strategy narrative. (See school class profiles for ranges.) All the best for the GMAT prep.

Admission volumes and competition remain strong; expect tougher admission for top programs. Recent coverage suggests shifting regional interest. Use networking + on-campus visits + clear fit/impact story to stand out.

Talking about your strengths:
Direct technical ownership of 100+ integrations with quantifiable user impact (10k+ employees/students) is nice. This scales well into stories of cross-functional leadership, stakeholder management, and measurable outcomes, core to consulting. Extracurricular commitment & leadership: 4-year varsity athlete, 3-year captain; marathoner; volunteer leader; company charitable board. Athletics + service + entrepreneurship is a classic “leadership + grit” package. Entrepreneurial bent: App MVP launching can be a good differentiator, especially paired with consulting strategy goals and eventual entrepreneurship. Being a geographic/domestic citizen is helpful for many U.S. schools’ balance and for consulting and recruiting.

Weaknesses or gaps to fix: Top consulting feeders (Wharton, Columbia, MIT Sloan, Stern, Tuck) have middle-80%/averages well above 700-725. Raising your score to 695+ materially increases interview/invite probability. Your 3.3 GPA is not fatal, but below top program averages (many top programs average ~3.5+). You’ll need a strong narrative explaining why GPA under-represents your capabilities (leadership, commitments, COVID impact, upward grade trend, or quantitative prep). Use the transcript context and optional essay when needed.

For consulting narrative, you must convert technical integration experience into strategy/managerial impact (like examples where you influenced product/roadmap, created process efficiencies, led cross-functional strategy with measurable benefit). Recruiters and adcoms want to see the “trajectory” to management consulting. You’ll need to craft tailored “why X school” stories for each and be realistic about where to pool application effort. You can also explore other schools like Michigan Ross, UCLA Anderson, and Cornell.

Build 3-4 STAR stories that highlight: leadership (team/clients), strategy (influencing product/business decisions), and scale (10k+ users). These can be your core interview/essay content. For LORs, one recommender should be a direct manager who can speak to leadership, ownership, and promotion readiness (ideally, the person who can credibly predict you’ll consult/lead). A second recommender, ideally client-facing (or product/ops partner), who can speak to impact and stakeholder influence.

For essays, for each top school, craft a bespoke “why X” narrative tied to specific courses/experiences/paths and how you’ll add to their community (tennis leadership, app founder path, workday integration domain knowledge useful for tech/ops classes). You already plan to visit and have started alumni contacts, excellent. Prioritize conversations that let you collect a specific anecdote or name you can reference in essays and interviews (not generic praise). Campus visit impressions often feed essays and interviews well. Try to launch the app MVP (even a simple pilot) before submitting. Being an operator + founder can differentiate and support your long-term goal to exit into entrepreneurship.

Show an upward professional arc (sales > account mgmt > implementation > senior analyst > soon consultant). Show that MBA is the catalytic move to move from technical delivery to strategy/consulting leadership. Use captainship, charity board, volunteer leadership, and quant outcomes from integrations to show leadership beyond technical execution.

Questions for you to reflect upon:
1) Do you plan to apply only in Round 1 2027, or are you open to Round 2 if your GMAT isn’t where you want it?
2) What is your realistic timeline for when you can take the GMAT (specific month)?
3) Have you had any people-management experience (direct reports) or led functional teams?
4) Which consulting firms/roles are you targeting post-MBA (strategy at MBB vs. boutique or tech strategy)? Important for school prioritization.
5) Any scholarships/financing constraints that will affect school choice?

We would love to learn more about your academics, 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.

Register for our Upcoming ESSAY WORKSHOPS. 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