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4 years
India
2027
Male
Score: 655 GMAT Focus
GPA: 7.77
Pre-MBA industry: Technology
Post-MBA industry: Technology
INSEAD
January Intake
January Intake
Round 1, 2026
1 month ago
18 Mar 2026 06:03
ISB
Full Time MBA
Full Time MBA
Round 2, 2026
DeniedFeb 20, 26
1 month ago
13 Mar 2026 07:03
ESADE
Full Time MBA
Full Time MBA
3rd deadline, 2026
InterviewedFeb 4, 26
WaitlistedFeb 4, 26
2 months ago
13 Feb 2026 03:02
LBS
Full Time MBA
Full Time MBA
Round 2, 2026
DeniedFeb 11, 26
2 months ago
10 Feb 2026 05:02
IESE
Full Time MBA
Full Time MBA
Round 2, 2026
3 months ago
22 Jan 2026 09:01
IE
January Intake Class of
January Intake Class of
3 months ago
8 Jan 2026 04:01
HEC Paris
September Intake
September Intake
Round 4, 2026
DeniedDec 9, 25
4 months ago
9 Dec 2025 04:12
5 months ago
27 Nov 2025 04:11
Academics

• B.Tech, Computer Science - Manipal Institute of Technology (CGPA: 7.77)
• GMAT: 655 (91st percentile)

Work Experience: 4 years

Software Developer, Publicis Sapient (MNC):
- Successfully launched multiple digital features for Albertsons Inc. across various app verticals, driving $3.5mil in incremental quarterly in-app purchases and increasing average session time and daily users by 18%
- Focused on improving the ADA compliance of the pre-existing app modules to make them more accessible and easy to use for the elderly and low-vision users.
- Supervised a 5-member intern team to build a QR and barcode scanning solution for Academy Sports + Outdoors, reaching 95% scan success and cutting processing time by 35% overall.
- Received the quarterly award for Learning Mindset several times during my tenure.

Technical Lead, Edgenus (Early Stage Startup):
- Led a creative platform that connected over 6,000 artists with 100 mentors and worked with IIT Guwahati and Thapar alumni to shape product plans and feature rollout, which boosted user retention and strengthened platform trust.

Global Exposure:
- Worked with global teams across North America, Europe, and APAC.
- Travelled across Europe and Asia to explore different cultures and traditions.

Volunteering
- 1.5+ years as a Fundraising Volunteer at Hamari Pahchan, an NGO based in New Delhi.
- Taught underprivileged children simple digital skills and helped them use basic tools that improved their access to technology while building confidence through regular learning sessions designed to support their daily needs and future growth.

Extra-curricular
- Led a campus social media club creating comic social parody videos, managed end-to-end production, guided a 10-member team, handled casting, recruitment and social media, reaching 2,000 students and offering relief during lockdowns.
- Directed national hackathons and workshops with over 500 participants and planned outreach activities that raised overall engagement by 40% while supporting smooth operations and helping students explore coding through hands-on events.
- Managed the mobile photography wing that raised participation by 35% and curated campus exhibitions focused on simple creative storytelling while guiding students to capture everyday moments with clarity and purpose.
- Joined SolarMobil (a student project) to work on solar-powered car design, contributed to battery optimisation in the electrical team, handled coordination and reporting tasks, and helped the team secure third place in ESVC3000 through steady teamwork.

Achievements
- Captained the Basketball Team in high school, leading 10+ players to 2 consecutive inter-school championship wins
- Earned a fast promotion from Associate to SDE I in 6 months, well ahead of the usual 12-month timeline, and became the youngest among 120 engineers to achieve this. (2023 – 2024)

• Post-MBA Goals: I want to transition into product management to move from enabling decisions with data to owning and solving real-world problems at scale. An MBA will equip me with the strategic, leadership, and product thinking skills needed to drive impact in the tech and AI space.
Comments 8 comments
User avatar
5 months ago
28 Nov 2025, 00:10
Hi Dishant
Priyanka here from ARINGO. Speaking about your profile, speaking about your profile, your profile actually fits quite well with what HEC Paris looks for in applicants - strong tech experience, clear impact numbers, fast promotion and real leadership through supervising teams and shipping features.

Your startup work with Edgenus, global exposure, and long list of extracurriculars give you a lot of personality and depth that many applicants don’t have. The 655 GMAT FE is solid for HEC. Your volunteering adds a meaningful social angle too. As long as your essays clearly show why product management, how your tech foundation + leadership tie into that, and how HEC’s ecosystem helps you level up, you should be a competitive applicant.

I’d be happy to offer you a free profile review for your target 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: [email protected]

Good Luck!
User avatar
4 months ago
09 Dec 2025, 16:09
Hey Priyanka, thanks alot for your profile review. But unfortunately my application got denied without an interview, not really sure what was the reason as the school refrained from giving any feedback, giving a reason of high number of applicants for the same. Will be moving forwards with the other applications.
User avatar
5 months ago
28 Nov 2025, 16:54
Hey Dishant, It was a pleasure reading through your profile, as I saw a nice mix of strong work experience+ international travel+ extra curricular activities (including the probono assignments) - overall, this kind of experience should make you come across as a well-rounded candidate. HEC has a range of essays with topics offbeat in the MBA world and your past experiences should give you enough nuggets to pull up a nice application. That said, be mindful that all your essay stories are relevant from a business school's perspective (for example, focusing excessively on undergrad or earlier achievements, while not mentioning more recent experiences would be a bad application strategy).
Your career goals will likely need more thought. as i understand, you want to move from adtech to product management. What is your role at Publicis? are you in the tech side, which will make the transition to PM easier. If you have a business role, you will have to explain how your skills can be transferred to product management and why this is the right career move for you.
Would be happy to chat with you further should you be interested.

Namita Garg, MBA Decoder
Email: [email protected]
Testimonials: https://mbadecoder.com/testimonials/
Profile Evaluation : https://mbadecoder.com/services/free-pr ... valuation/
Helping applicants achieve their MBA dreams since 2011 with offices in India and the UK
User avatar
4 months ago
09 Dec 2025, 16:13
Hey Namita, thanks for the profile review. Unfortunately my application got denied without an interview. I made sure to add all relevant milestones and notable achievements and learning milestones from my latest roles at my work place as well. To answer your query, I am an SDE 2 at Publicis Sapient.
User avatar
4 months ago
09 Dec 2025, 18:16
i can have a look at your app if that helps. you can share is at [email protected]

Also, looking at your other comments and I am thinking, your goals possibly need a lot more thought. Health tech may be hard to justify with your past background
User avatar
5 months ago
29 Nov 2025, 04:50
Thanks for sharing your profile, @Dishant Arora. HEC MBA averages: GMAT classic ~690; average work experience ~6 years. You’re slightly younger but within range, and your 655 GMAT FE score places you at or a bit above their usual academic bar. Are you planning to retake the GMAT?

You bring: Tech + product-adjacent experience, international exposure (NA, EU, APAC), collaboration, clear PM goal, strong leadership, and a community footprint.

You can be in the “competitive target” bucket for HEC, not guaranteed (no one is), but realistic if your essays, recommendations and interview go well. R4 watchout, fewer seats and scholarships may remain compared to R1–R3, but HEC genuinely does admit people in later rounds.

You can also explore other schools, such as INSEAD, IESE, ESADE, IE, LBS, Oxford Saïd, or Cambridge Judge.

Things to sharpen in your applications: PM story & clarity, be specific: B2C vs B2B, domains (like retail, grocery, e-commerce, AI products), geography (Europe vs US vs India). Link your current achievements directly to PM skills: experimentation mindset, user empathy, leading cross-functional teams, and data-driven decisions. Leadership framing, you already lead interns, clubs, hackathons, and sports teams. Turn these into 3–4 sharp CAR stories (context–action–result) for essays and interviews. Impact quantification, you have great numbers (revenue, DAUs, retention, time saved). Make those central in your CV and short answers.

Mention "Why HEC specifically": internship or fieldwork opportunity, digital innovation & entrepreneurship tracks, Paris/European tech ecosystem, and clubs and electives relevant to PM/AI.

For HEC essays, especially “What is your post-MBA goal?” and “Why HEC?”, be crisp, realistic, and specific. You can check out our latest HEC, LBS & IESE Essay Workshop, might be insightful. And you can also read this blog. SUCCESS STORY.

For LORs, pick people who can speak to your leadership, initiative, and product-like thinking, not just coding skills.

Questions for you to reflect upon:
1) Where do you ideally want to work post-MBA: Europe, the US, or India?
2) Are you more excited by consumer apps or enterprise/AI tools?
3) Would you be open to adding INSEAD/IESE/LBS to your list, or do you want to stay laser-focused on HEC?

We’d love to understand your profile better, your academic background, extracurricular involvement, professional experience, and personal journey. With these details, we can provide a more personalized evaluation of your profile and share an honest assessment of your chances at your target school. Happy to chat.

Cheers!
Shantanu Sharma, INSEAD Alumnus
Founder and Admissions Consultant, MBA and Beyond
User avatar
4 months ago
09 Dec 2025, 16:20
Hey Shantanu, thanks a lot for the profile review. Unfortunately my application got denied without an interview. To answer your question, yes I gave the GMAT again but scored 655 for that attempt as well. I will now be moving forward and work on the applications for the other schools. Please provide your invaluable review for them as well. Regarding the PM story clarity: I had mentioned my domain of choice to be health-tech and AI in the European region. And had included CAR stories for my positions of leadership.
User avatar
4 months ago
10 Dec 2025, 05:50
Happy to discuss your HEC Application story and other applications too in detail @Dishant Arora! You can book a session from here.