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anmol3614
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Joined: 03 Jun 2024
Last visit: 19 Oct 2024
Posts: 19
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Location: India
Concentration: Entrepreneurship, Marketing
Schools: ISB '27
GMAT Focus 1: 645 Q85 V80 DI80
GPA: 8.52
Schools: ISB '27
GMAT Focus 1: 645 Q85 V80 DI80
Posts: 19
Kudos: 3
Final GMAT score of 645. Should I apply in R1 or R2? 03 Sep 2024, 07:56
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­Hi, today I gave my 2nd try at GMAT and got 625 - I don't know how, but I messed up big in DI (75 score) that I never did in practice. With this, my hopes of applying to R1 started fading away and I got confused if I should applyin R1 or wait until R2. I am only applying to this one college as I want to be in India and do 1 year MBA only. Will I face more comepetition in R2 or R1 is better with below profile?

My first draft for essays are almost done and will be completed in 2 days.

Academics:
Higherst GMAT score - 645
10th - 9.5 cgpa, 12th - 86%
BTech CSE from NIT Warangal - CGPA - 8.52

Profession:
- SDE Intern, Microsoft for 2 months
- SDE, Citrix (Bangalore) for 1.9 years - No promotion.
- Did an Ed-Tech startup on the side for 1 year along with citrix and scaled to 10L/year. Quit my job to pursue it full time but had to stop because co-founder parted ways.
- Next 8 months - Explored my marketing passion, designed websites, learnt Google Ads - Worked with 10 Doctors on GAds Strategy (still doing)
- Now, Working in Marketing Consulting Job (as a Manager) for 6 Months

Co-curricular:
- Multiple Leadership positions in college for 3 years - Class Representative, Club Secretary, Placement Coordinator
- Worked with a startup on side for 1 year in college

Why MBA - After exploring, I understood that I love Marketing + Leadership roles. My current profile is much focused on Digital Marketing and it would limit me after few years. MBA would help me to get the roles I want to target in early state startups. I also want to enhance my leadership + management skills since I have started working as a manager now.

Yet to get Recommendation from: College prof, Client (for which I ran GAds)

Why ISB - I have 3 years of experience as of now. Have a direction that I want to pursue. Want maximum returns as 1 year MBA is effective for me from time perspective as well + the diversity it offers.

Experts, Please guide. Whom can I consult?
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ISBeacon
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Final GMAT score of 645. Should I apply in R1 or R2? 03 Sep 2024, 08:43
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By "wait till R2", do you mean that you would be re-attempting GMAT, in case you decide to apply in R2?

If you see a realistic prospect of getting a 675 or above in your next attempt, it is better to wait and apply in R2.
--
Ashish.
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anmol3614
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Joined: 03 Jun 2024
Last visit: 19 Oct 2024
Posts: 19
Own Kudos:
3
Given Kudos: 4
Location: India
Concentration: Entrepreneurship, Marketing
Schools: ISB '27
GMAT Focus 1: 645 Q85 V80 DI80
GPA: 8.52
Schools: ISB '27
GMAT Focus 1: 645 Q85 V80 DI80
Posts: 19
Kudos: 3
Final GMAT score of 645. Should I apply in R1 or R2? 03 Sep 2024, 12:27
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ISBeacon
By "wait till R2", do you mean that you would be re-attempting GMAT, in case you decide to apply in R2?

If you see a realistic prospect of getting a 675 or above in your next attempt, it is better to wait and apply in R2.
--
Ashish.
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­ISBeacon
By wait I did think to attempt gmat again. But I just feel so helpless and exhausted after today's score, so idk if I will be able to score high.
Just how much important is Gmat score in overall application?
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FLY.reachout
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Final GMAT score of 645. Should I apply in R1 or R2? 03 Sep 2024, 14:13
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anmol3614
­Hi, today I gave my 2nd try at GMAT and got 625 - I don't know how, but I messed up big in DI (75 score) that I never did in practice. With this, my hopes of applying to R1 started fading away and I got confused if I should applyin R1 or wait until R2. I am only applying to this one college as I want to be in India and do 1 year MBA only. Will I face more comepetition in R2 or R1 is better with below profile?

My first draft for essays are almost done and will be completed in 2 days.

Academics:
Higherst GMAT score - 645
10th - 9.5 cgpa, 12th - 86%
BTech CSE from NIT Warangal - CGPA - 8.52

Profession:
- SDE Intern, Microsoft for 2 months
- SDE, Citrix (Bangalore) for 1.9 years - No promotion.
- Did an Ed-Tech startup on the side for 1 year along with citrix and scaled to 10L/year. Quit my job to pursue it full time but had to stop because co-founder parted ways.
- Next 8 months - Explored my marketing passion, designed websites, learnt Google Ads - Worked with 10 Doctors on GAds Strategy (still doing)
- Now, Working in Marketing Consulting Job (as a Manager) for 6 Months

Co-curricular:
- Multiple Leadership positions in college for 3 years - Class Representative, Club Secretary, Placement Coordinator
- Worked with a startup on side for 1 year in college

Why MBA - After exploring, I understood that I love Marketing + Leadership roles. My current profile is much focused on Digital Marketing and it would limit me after few years. MBA would help me to get the roles I want to target in early state startups. I also want to enhance my leadership + management skills since I have started working as a manager now.

Yet to get Recommendation from: College prof, Client (for which I ran GAds)

Why ISB - I have 3 years of experience as of now. Have a direction that I want to pursue. Want maximum returns as 1 year MBA is effective for me from time perspective as well + the diversity it offers.

Experts, Please guide. Whom can I consult?
Show more
­Dear anmol3614,

Firstly, we want to commend you on your diverse work experience, ranging from software development to digital marketing. What truly stands out is your entrepreneurial spirit - your ability to develop and scale an EdTech startup alongside your full-time job is a testament to your versatility and determination. This experience will undoubtedly put you in good stead with respect to your ISB application.

While your GMAT score may seem like a minor hurdle, as it falls slightly below the average for successful ISB candidates, it is just one of many factors the admissions committee considers. Your overall profile, with its unique blend of professional experiences and entrepreneurial achievements, can still make a strong case for your admission.

To determine whether you should apply in Round 1 or retake the GMAT and apply in Round 2, we encourage you to reflect on your mock exam performance. If you were consistently scoring higher than your current best score in practice tests, then we recommend retaking the GMAT to secure a higher score before applying. However, if your mock scores have hovered around your current best, then we suggest moving forward with your Round 1 application.

It's important to remember that GMAT is just one piece of the puzzle, and your profile does have compelling aspects that can set you apart. Additionally, applying in Round 1 often provides the best chance of securing a scholarship, as we've observed from our experience working with ISB candidates.

As a team of ISB alumni at Team FLY, we are passionate about helping potential ISB candidates position their profiles effectively, craft compelling essays, and excel in interviews. Feel free to book a 15-minute free session with us to discuss your profile in more detail and explore how we can support your ISB journey at: https://calendly.com/reachusfly/15min

We're excited to share that we've just launched our website and are offering an inaugural discount of up to 20% on all our service offerings. Visit us at: https://www.teamfly.org/

With warm regards,
Team FLY
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/reachusfly/­
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ISBeacon
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Status:Your Beacon to ISB!
Schools: ISB (A)
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Posts: 1,166
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Final GMAT score of 645. Should I apply in R1 or R2? 03 Sep 2024, 20:14
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anmol3614
­ISBeacon
By wait I did think to attempt gmat again. But I just feel so helpless and exhausted after today's score, so idk if I will be able to score high.
Just how much important is Gmat score in overall application?
Show more
­Well anmol3614, if you do not think you will be able to score higher in the re-attempt, please apply in R1. GMAT score is quite significant, but the good thing is that you already have a score that puts you in the reckoning.

So, confidently and diligently prepare your application and apply in R1.

All the best.
--
Ashish.
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CrackAdmission
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Last visit: 18 Nov 2025
Posts: 569
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Location: India
GMAT 1: 740 Q50 V40
GMAT 1: 740 Q50 V40
Posts: 569
Kudos: 208
Final GMAT score of 645. Should I apply in R1 or R2? 04 Sep 2024, 00:52
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­@anmol3614,

645 is equivalant to a 700 in the previous version, a score that is below par as far as ISB's avg. cut off of 710. However, since its in the ballpark, you can still make the cut wit this score in R1 if you can demonstrate clearly how will you positively impact the learning of the cohort.

It seems you have hopped quite a number of roles and organizations in your career so far and now finally working as a Marketing consultant. While diversity of experince is valued, it shouldn't come across lack of committment to build indepth expertise in any particular domain. This can be addressed if you can bring across how you were able to leverage transferable skillsets from one role to another.

I am an ISB alum, CO15, and have been mentoring applicants for 7+ years. Feel free to reach out in case you seek professional assistance.

Last but not the least, if you believe you can bump your score to a minimum of 665 before R2's deadline, you should definitely gun for the scenario playing out.

Cheers and wishing you the very best !!
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anmol3614
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Joined: 03 Jun 2024
Last visit: 19 Oct 2024
Posts: 19
Own Kudos:
3
Given Kudos: 4
Location: India
Concentration: Entrepreneurship, Marketing
Schools: ISB '27
GMAT Focus 1: 645 Q85 V80 DI80
GPA: 8.52
Schools: ISB '27
GMAT Focus 1: 645 Q85 V80 DI80
Posts: 19
Kudos: 3
Final GMAT score of 645. Should I apply in R1 or R2? 08 Sep 2024, 03:55
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­Thank you everyone for your advice. I am trying to apply for R1 but looks like I will have to go with R2 only as my essays and LORs aren't ready.
I have one more question though. I planned to take LOR from my previous client and my college prof.
While speaking to a friend (current ISB student) he suggested that rather than college prof, I should take LOR from my previous job stint (I was SDE for 1.9 yrs). I am confused now especially because of 3 thoughts:

1. Most of the leadership stories that I have written in my essays are from my college time and while I started my Ed-tech startup on the side while working on job. I did a lot of work in college as Placement Coordinator and the professor (the Placement Head) was very impressed by me that he will be happy to write LOR for me.

2. Since most of my time after job was going into my side hustle - I was never a star performer and didn't get any good leadership experience in job. To add, I did not have good relationship with my manager. I can ask recommendation to a senior software engineer but I feel he will have few things to add.

3. In my current job I am a great performer but I have only joined 7 months back. I am not feeling very comfortable in asking for LOR as it is a startup with frequent position changes and my current manager is someone who is just 1 year older than me (and he is also applying for MBA this year lol). I don't trust the founder as I didn't have close connection with him yet.

What should I do int his case? Please guide.
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MBAandBeyond
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Final GMAT score of 645. Should I apply in R1 or R2? 09 Sep 2024, 11:54
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anmol3614
­Thank you everyone for your advice. I am trying to apply for R1 but looks like I will have to go with R2 only as my essays and LORs aren't ready.
I have one more question though. I planned to take LOR from my previous client and my college prof.
While speaking to a friend (current ISB student) he suggested that rather than college prof, I should take LOR from my previous job stint (I was SDE for 1.9 yrs). I am confused now especially because of 3 thoughts:

1. Most of the leadership stories that I have written in my essays are from my college time and while I started my Ed-tech startup on the side while working on job. I did a lot of work in college as Placement Coordinator and the professor (the Placement Head) was very impressed by me that he will be happy to write LOR for me.

2. Since most of my time after job was going into my side hustle - I was never a star performer and didn't get any good leadership experience in job. To add, I did not have good relationship with my manager. I can ask recommendation to a senior software engineer but I feel he will have few things to add.

3. In my current job I am a great performer but I have only joined 7 months back. I am not feeling very comfortable in asking for LOR as it is a startup with frequent position changes and my current manager is someone who is just 1 year older than me (and he is also applying for MBA this year lol). I don't trust the founder as I didn't have close connection with him yet.

What should I do int his case? Please guide.
Show more
If possible, you could also consider a combination of recommendations. For instance, if you can secure a strong LOR from your college professor and a supplementary one from a colleague or a senior engineer who can speak positively about your technical skills or teamwork, it may provide a well-rounded view of your capabilities.