Harvard Profile Evaluation - Tools for B-School Profile Evaluation

Hi folks, could you rate my profile please?

Demographics:
- 27yo Brazilian male

Education:
- Bachelor in Computer Science from a top 2 Brazilian university
- GPA: 62/100 (class avg 58/100). Position in class: 37/67
- Completed ~1.5ys of additional course work in economics in another top university

Test Results:
- GMAT: 740 (Q49, V44, IR8 - still waiting for AWA score)
- TOELF: TBA (scored 108 several years ago)

Work Experience:
- 5 years of product management experience in Brazil's most valuable startup/digital bank (25B dollars valuation)
- Promoted 3 times (Jr. PM -> PM -> PM Manager -> Senior PM Manager). Currently heading product management for our 3rd largest business, directly overseeing 3 PMs
- Multiple leadership positions leading teams of up to 18 people, awards for participation on cross-company programs
- While in university I worked as a software engineer and completed a 1y Apple software development program

Extracurricular Activities:
- Co-hosted a large product management meetup for 1.5 years
- Heavy involvement on university-wide sports league during undergrad, eventually becoming its president. Also played volleyball.
- All work experience and education in Brazil, but current company has a strong international employee base (all managers have been international)

Goals:
- Long-term: come back to Latam to launch and scale my own startup on fintech or AI space
- Medium-term (post-MBA): VC role in the US to gain exposure to multiple companies and early stage process

Essay & References:
- Fairly confident I can prepare strong essays
- Can get great references from 2 previous managers (alumni from top MBAs, each lead me for 2 years and knows me well) and/or good references from current managers (director+ role, working together for 6 months)

Schools:
- Considering HBS, Stanford, Wharton, Sloan, Haas, INSEAD
- Planning to apply R1 this year to start H2 2022

Questions / points of concern:
1) My GPA is very low: ~2.5/4 according to the conversion factors I've seen. Is this a deal breaker for a top school regardless of other dimensions?
2) What do you believe would be the best way to strengthen my application: retake the GMAT (was consistently scoring ~770 on prep exams), take on additional extracurricular activities (e.g. mentoring), focus on essays, or something else?

Thanks so much for your inputs!

AndreT:

Questions / points of concern:

1) My GPA is very low: ~2.5/4 according to the conversion factors I've seen. Is this a deal breaker for a top school regardless of other dimensions?

A: It might be an issue. It'll depend on the competition and whether the school sees a solid fit for your interesting profile in their class. You benefit as an international in that the conversion could be more favorable than your calculation. Of course, it could work against you too. To hedge, I would add in some lower tiered schools to your list. HBS, Wharton, and Stanford are not terribly forgiving when it comes to GPA and GMAT/GRE.

Why is your GPA so low? If you can offer a credit and reasonable explanation, that might help!


2) What do you believe would be the best way to strengthen my application: retake the GMAT (was consistently scoring ~770 on prep exams), take on additional extracurricular activities (e.g. mentoring), focus on essays, or something else?

A: All of the above would be great. Because you have a solid 740, I don't think the 30 extra points is going to be a game changer. Picking up an extra EC and killing those essays will absolutely help. Letters of reference will matter too but there's not a ton you can do on that front. You should also try to form a relationship with your top schools and show you are really interested and have dug deep into exploring fit.

Please schedule a free consultation with us if you are interested in developing a strategy and using application support services for the remaining months prior to R1 deadlines.

https://admissionado.com/free-consultation/

-Admissionado

Hi everyone!

Planning to apply R1 for Sep 2022 start

Demographics: 24 years old, Female, White

Education:
BBA in Business Analytics from Top-15 US institution
GPA: 3.87/4.00
Honors: Graduated in top 10% of class, received major award at graduation recognizing my contributions to the business school community.
ECs: heavily involved in largest business club on campus. Served as the only female on the 12 member Board of Directors my senior year. I also worked as a campus tour guide and TA all four years.

GMAT: 740 (Q48, V42, IR7)

Work Experience
- 2 years (at time of applying) in merchandising at a major retailer (ie. Nordstrom, Target, Kohls)
- participated in internship program then received return offer for 6-month rotational management training program post-grad
- was promoted from first full-time role 6-months ahead of standard expectation
- working this last year in one of the industries most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic has allowed me to learn much more than I think I otherwise would have; I feel I have some compelling anecdotes to include in essays, interviews, etc about what I've learned in regards to crisis management


Leadership and Extracurricular Activities:
- Since graduation, I have maintained ties with the business club I worked with on campus. I now serve as mentor to current students.
- In the workplace, I have taken advantage of any opportunity to serve as a mentor or work on process improvement type initiatives that are outside of my scope of work.

Post MBA goal:
upon graduation – continue to work in the retail industry but pivot to an internal corporate strategy type role or external retail consulting role
long-term – executive at major retailer

Essay: N/A....starting to brainstorm!

Schools:
Top 4 at the moment: HBS, Stanford, Wharton, Haas
Also considering: LBS, Kellogg, Columbia

Points of concern:
- non-traditional industry!
1) I'm not sure how my background in merchandising stacks up against other applicants. On the plus side, I think it provides a point of differentiation, but on the other hand I worry my WE won't be viewed as as prestigious as IB, consulting, etc
2) Applying to MBA programs is not typical within my workplace. I'm concerned I won't be able to get the best support from my current manager in writing a compelling letter of recommendation as she has no familiarity with the MBA application process.
- ECs
1) I'm aware that I am lacking involvement in ECs outside of work/alumni ties, but to get involved with something now seems too late? I don't want to force something that seems disingenuous with only a few months of involvement before applying...

Let me know your thoughts! Thanks in advance for your help!

studybuddy:

Regarding your concerns:

1) I'm not sure how my background in merchandising stacks up against other applicants. On the plus side, I think it provides a point of differentiation, but on the other hand I worry my WE won't be viewed as as prestigious as IB, consulting, etc

A: That's exactly the tradeoff. You are better off with the non-traditional industry. Success in differentiating yourself is way harder to achieve than demonstrating credibility compared to IB, consulting, etc. Without knowing all the specifics, you have an impressive background and will be a credible candidate for may of the top MBA programs in the U.S. You will be competing with people from the retail industry and those coming from other elite undergraduate institutions.

2) Applying to MBA programs is not typical within my workplace. I'm concerned I won't be able to get the best support from my current manager in writing a compelling letter of recommendation as she has no familiarity with the MBA application process.

A: You need to guide her either by coaching her on what is expected in a letter of recommendation or by hiring an MBA admissions consultant who can take over that role. This is a common issue with people coming from industries that aren't natural MBA feeders. You can't change her experience, but you can change her execution of an important component of the MBA application.

3) I'm aware that I am lacking involvement in ECs outside of work/alumni ties, but to get involved with something now seems too late? I don't want to force something that seems disingenuous with only a few months of involvement before applying...

A: No, it is not too late. You do need to beef up your ECs if you want to get into HSW. You have a compelling profile but that was the first thing that stuck out as far as weaknesses are concerned. You should look to get involved in an event or an ad-hoc opportunity so you can get involved with the planning and an execution that you can speak to in a clear way. Membership in an organization at this point would probably come off as resume padding, hence the focus on a singular moment.

Please reach out to us at Admissionado if you would like help with your letters of recommendation or your application in general.

https://admissionado.com/free-consultation/

thank you for your feedback Admissionado! I’ll have to start doing some research on EC opportunities

Posted from my mobile device

Hi, Looking for profile evaluation for HBS

Background and nationality - Indian, Mechanical Engineer
Undergrad Information - Delhi Technological University, First Class (GPA not sure, 72% was the score), graduated in May 2016
Grad Information - University of Michigan, M.Eng Automotive and Mfg (GPA 3.73), Aug 2016-Dec 2017
GMAT: 750 (Q49, V42, IR8)
Work experience and leadership: Rivian (EV startup, joined back in May 2018 when there were fewer than 350 employees, now the company has over 5000)
Roles have ranged from strategy analyst, product strategist (product planning), data analyst for charging team, and now working with sales and marketing (retail, customer ownership, events, customer experience, customer service)
Community and others: ambassador for City of Ann Arbor's "A2zero" project to reach carbon neutrality by 2030.
Post-MBA goals: Get into a senior, more impactful, and direct customer-facing strategy role in mobility/EV/transportation/tech company

Hi again aastikc,

Please see our recent post under your GSB profile evaluation for more details.

Thinking about Harvard: As you are likely well aware, HBS educates and admits leaders. An application that does not demonstrate strong leadership will not be successful.

What kind of leadership roles have you taken on at Rivian? What about in your extracurriculars? Learning a bit more about the specifics of your work experience and overall profile would help us get a better idea of your chances here. Again, feel free to reach out to scott@personalmbacoach.com If you would like individual and personalized support while applying to HBS, GSB, and any of your other target schools.

Best,
Personal MBA Coach
_________________

Hi Everyone,

I am very new here but if someone could guide me on my chances or what b-schools should I apply to it would really help. Thanks in Advance.


Nationality:
Indian, currently living in London

Age at the start of studies:
37 (I want to apply for 2022 intake)

Undergrad/Post Grad Information in India:
Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) GPA (Indian equivalent 80/100)
MBA from Tier 2 College in India ( Ranks top 25) CGPA (3.25/4)

GMAT:
Yet to take- Target Score 700-750

Work experience and leadership:
Current Experience- 11 years of experience. Currently working as a consulting manager( up for promotion next year as a senior manager) in a Big 4 consulting firm in London. I have worked in 3-4 different consulting firms including Deloitte, PwC, Capgemini in Asia and Europe.

I work in the area of Technology Strategy and Digital transformation, leading multi-million dollar engagements for the firm. I do specialize in financial services as an Industry with good exposure to large-scale M&A transactions.


Past: I had co-founded an Ed-Tech start-up in 2013, which eventually got funded with $1.2 M but I had to leave that due to personal circumstances. The start-up is still doing well even after 8 years, I have been involved as an advisor to the firm.

Extra curriculars:
I am a member of the British Computer Society and have a Charter in IT. I also have multiple certifications such as PMP, Togaf, ITIL, and Cloud-based ones including AWS and Azure.

I am also involved in early career mentorship programs at my current firm.

I do a lot of College Alumni work for my MBA college as well, taking admission interviews, induction sessions and mock sessions for campus placements.

Post-MBA goals:
To break into MBB as a career in consulting


Languages:
Fluent English, Hindi, Bengali


Recommendation letters:
Will be able to get recommendation letters from the top management of the firms I have worked for.

Target schools:
Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, INSEAD, MIT, Oxford, LBS and Cambridge

Greetings admission consultants

Here is my profile - Indian

BBA - 65% out of 100% (India)
Master in Business strategy and Financial Technology from top Australian University (Yes, 2 specialization) (Top 20 percentile of the class)
Master in International Law (Law school ranked from 15 to 25).

GRE - 325

Work Ex

BBA - Big 4 ( 9 months)
Master - Mercer - Analyst & Senior analyst - (3.5 years) - Investment consulting team
Master in Law - Investment associate Pvt banking - National bank of Canada (6 months)

Extra cir. - Playing badmintion, squash, chess & cricket
Trained in boxing & kickboxing


Age = 30 this year

Hello abhimukh19,

Are you interested in full-time MBA programs? While you have some great experience, the M7s will be hard to crack at age 37. While European schools tend to trend older, you may also face some difficulty here.

That said, there are a number of other options, like part-time and EMBA programs. If you secure a strong GMAT, you should be well-positioned for your target schools.

Since you are coming from a consulting background, it will be key that you differentiate yourself from the pack in your applications, as it is a competitive field.

Take a look at our comprehensive services to learn how we can help you put together strong applications, and do not hesitate to reach out to scott@personalmbacoach.com to learn more. Founded by a former consultant, Personal MBA Coach helps numerous consultants get into top MBA programs and earn significant scholarships each year!

Best,
Personal MBA Coach
_________________

Hi Everyone ,

Shaunak Here...Same old same old...question...
Its time for my MBA profile evaluation-
Nationality - Indian
Work Exp - 42 months (29months international in Africa and Saudi arabia) as a Procurement Engineer
GMAT - 770 , IELTS - 7.5
Under Grad - 6.93/10 (Topper had I guess - 8.5) nagpur uni (year 2016)
10th - 91 % ; 12th - 68%
Extra Curricular - volunteer exp full time - 7 months
LORs - 2 (one from HOD/GM and other one from ex colleague)
Skill sets aquired - SAP MM , soon Will enrole for six sigma
Currently working on SAP integration projects
-
So what are my chances for Good MBA colleges(top 20)
Yale , MIT , Duke , HEC , Insead , cornell , Hass, Columbia? Etc...)
Do suggest some other options as well


Point to conaider -
Work exp is into oil and gas and EPC sector , not typical indian IT guy
And LORs from ex boss is very good as I helped and saved (sort of) his life when he had an heart attack, full disclosure - he is all right now☺☺

Regards
Shaunak
Do suggest and comment ...☺

Posted from my mobile device

Hi Everyone ,

Shaunak Here...Same old same old...question...
Its time for my MBA profile evaluation-
Nationality - Indian
Work Exp - 42 months (29months international in Africa and Saudi arabia) as a Procurement Engineer
GMAT - 770 , IELTS - 7.5
Under Grad - 6.93/10 (Topper had I guess - 8.5) nagpur uni (year 2016)
10th - 91 % ; 12th - 68%
Extra Curricular - volunteer exp full time - 7 months
LORs - 2 (one from HOD/GM and other one from ex colleague)
Skill sets aquired - SAP MM , soon Will enrole for six sigma
Currently working on SAP integration projects
-
So what are my chances for Good MBA colleges(top 20)
Yale , MIT , Duke , HEC , Insead , cornell , Hass, Columbia? Etc...)
Do suggest some other options as well


Point to consider -
Work exp is into oil and gas and EPC sector , not typical indian IT guy
And LORs from ex boss is very good as I helped and saved (sort of) his life when he had an heart attack, full disclosure - he is all right now☺☺

Regards
Shaunak
Do suggest and comment ...☺

Posted from my mobile device

Hi shaunak075,

Congrats on the great GMAT. Though just part of the equation, this will help strengthen and elevate your candidacy for HBS.

As for your work experience, Personal MBA Coach has worked with many clients from oil and gas backgrounds and we can certainly talk with you about how to best position this experience in the context of your MBA applications.

You have a solid list of target programs thus far. What are your post-MBA goals? Building a school list depends upon your personal interests, learning style, and aspirations so these will be important to reflect upon.

Take a look at our comprehensive services and feel free to send a note to scott@personalmbacoach.com if you are looking for help putting together strong applications for top programs!

Regards,
Personal MBA Coach


_________________

Hi - Would love some perspective on my chances at H/S/W. 26 year old white male applying R1 in 5th year of post undergrad experience. 730 GMAT (47V / 44Q). 3.67 UG GPA from Cornell (Applied Economics & Management Major). On-Campus business / investment organization leadership roles. 2 summer internships Top-Bulge Bracket TMT IB (GS / JPM / MS) and 2-years in analyst in same program full time before joining TMT private equity shop with large H/S footprint (>$5B Fund). Chair various firmwide employee committees at work and involved in 3+ philanthropy junior boards (underprivileged youth mentoring & fundraising - engagement chair of leadership council, endowment of UG organization internship grant board, other mentoring roles). Welcome any thoughts - thanks!

Hello Tornado72,

For a white male in finance, a 730 GMAT should be raised if just you are just targeting Harvard, Stanford and Wharton. The average Q is 49 and for a white male in a top finance role, we want to get to at least 49 and ideally higher. So targeting 750+ (possibly 740) with a 49 or higher is the way to go. While your current score may suffice, the odds are lower.

On the surface, the rest of your profile looks very solid – strong finance background, leadership/philanthropy experience, and a reputable undergrad institution.

With the right type of essays and positioning, you'd certainly have a shot at some of the top schools. H/S/W can be a bit of a black box, so it's often difficult to pinpoint exact chances since sometimes wonderful applicants get denied while weaker ones get accepted.

That said, Personal MBA Coach has helped numerous applicants with similar backgrounds to yours get into these programs each year. We would be happy to discuss our comprehensive services and application strategy with you to help maximize your chances of acceptance (this includes targeting a broader range of programs as well, since candidates are now applying to 5-8 schools on average).

Feel free to send a note to scott@personalmbacoach.com if you are looking for guidance in putting together strong applications!

Regards,
Personal MBA Coach


_________________

Hi Tornado72 - I would add to the feedback you already received that your chances at H/S/W will most heavily depend on how well you tell your story and connect all of the dots in terms of what you've done so far; what impact you want to have in the world, and why; and how an MBA from each specific school will best help you get there. Do you have a strong sense of where you're headed and the impact you ultimately want to have in the world?

Your extracurriculars look particularly great, both in terms of your employee committees and board roles - can you also demonstrate leadership and impact (ideally beyond your peers) in terms of your job?

You otherwise do seem like a compelling candidate for these top schools. I agree a higher GMAT (especially Q) would help, but if you can otherwise demonstrate quantitative readiness (through undergrad quant grades and the quant aspects of your job), I would be even more focused on pulling together a very compelling story.

Hope this helps! I would be happy to dive in deeper to your specific profile via a 30 minute free consultation - if you're interested, you can sign up here. In any case, best of luck to you!!
_________________

Hi everyone!

I wonder what do you think of my chances based on the profile below?

28yo, first gen, white male

Nationality:
Czech Republic

Education:
-BA (Hons) in Business Management from a non-prestigious university in the United Kingdom
-Exchange semester in Germany
-Mentee in the University’s Mentoring Programme
-Vice-Chancellor Scholarship Award

Grade:
4.0 GPA (1st Class)

GMAT:
720

Current Role:
S&OP Manager Amazon (2 years)
-Managing Sales and Operations planning for three countries

Work Experience:
-Business Analyst Intern at a boutique Management Consulting firm in Luxembourg (return offer received)
-Supply Chain Management Intern at Amazon in EMEA (return offer accepted)
-Management Intern at Enterprise Holdings in Scotland (return offer received)

Extracurriculars:
-Pro-Bono Management Consultant working on projects for social enterprises, non profits and start-ups within NA and EMEA regions
-Winter Internship Experience in Consulting - project based
-Volunteer English Teacher in Germany and Czech Republic
-IBM Data Science professional certificate
-Numerous certificates in data analytics from Coursera, Udemy, EDx, etc.
-Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Certificate
-Former member of the Czech Republic National Boxing Team
-Toastmasters Member

Skills:
-MySQL, Python, VBA, Excel, Tableau

Languages:
-Czech
-German
-English
-Slovak

Post MBA Goal:
-return to Amazon as a Senior Programme Manager in Supply Chain Management -> grow to a director/VP level
-long-term: work in Ops/Supply Chain Management division in a consulting firm

Posted from my mobile device

Hi everyone,

Please let me know what you think of the profile below. I'm considering applying to schools in the top 15 range:

Demographics: 25 years old, Male, African American

Education:
Columbia University
GPA/Major: 3.5/Economics
ECs: Board member of large sustainability group on campus. Founded non-profit focused on supporting first-generation and low-income college students

GMAT: 720 (Q48, V41, IR7)

Work Experience
- Currently an associate on the private equity secondaries investment team of a large private equity manager (Blackstone/Carlyle/Ares/TPG)
- Came in as an analyst and was promoted
- Will have ~48 months of WE by matriculation

Leadership post graduation:
- have been involved in a mentorship program focused on providing guidance to minority students at my alma matter
- Part of the recruiting team at my firm
- started professional development initiative for junior professionals at my firm
- Unofficially have served as a mentor to the analysts on the team

Essays and Recs are a WIP.

Schools: As mentioned above, I'm looking to apply to schools in the T15 range, but am wondering if I have a shot at M7 schools.

Notes: I plan on applying during this application cycle, but would like to gather feedback on where I stand. I am open to deferring my application to next year if there are holes in my application that need to be tightened up.

MBA2024:

Yes, you are definitely in the M7 range. You have the scores, undergraduate program, demographics, work experience and extracurricular activities to put yourself in contention.

As you indicated, essays/narrative and recommendations are the two outstanding x-factors. Those will be the difference between getting into any of those schools and being waitlisted or denied, especially coming from a competitive demographic (Ivy League + finance.)

If you are seeking professional help, we are available at Admissionado to best meet your needs. We have essay-focused packages if that's where you too think you need the most attention.

https://admissionado.com/free-consultation/