INSEAD Profile Evaluation - Tools for B-School Profile Evaluation

Hi Sumit,

Thanks for sharing your profile and MBA aspirations.

My name is Priyanka, Client Manager at ARINGO.

You have a very interesting profile! From what I can see:

Academics – good CGPA. We would also like to know your class ranking (or percentile).

Work Experience –Looking at your roles and responsibilities, your work experience is nice including the managerial tasks and awards.
You need to make an impactful resume quantifying the results, leadership skills, career trajectory (promotions), etc. Also, any international client/project?

Extracurricular activities/Volunteer Work- We would love to know about your hobbies and interests as the B schools look at an all-rounded profile. Any volunteer work?

Your career goals - Your career goals look fine as this is a logical extension of what you are doing presently but will be able to give more insights once you share your CV and provide more details.

School list & GMAT– You need to target a score of 710+ for making your applications strong. Since you are part of the overrepresented pool of applicants- the higher the score, the better it is. 😊
The following link will help you prepare the timelines for your process: https://www.aringo.com/ideal-timeline-for-mba-application/.

All in all sounds like you have a good profile! If you send me your CV and other info on PRIYANKAK@ARINGO.com once you are done with the exam, I would love to connect you with our CEO who will be happy to help further with a detailed review and perhaps work together on some amazing apps.

All the best.
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Hi Rudramishra1,

Thank you for sharing your profile. Your profile seems interesting on the surface. Your work experience is the most significant aspect of your profile. I’m sure you can bring a lot of good stories from it. Firstly let me tell you the aspects on which INSEAD evaluates your profile.

1) Ability to contribute
2) Leadership skills
3) International Motivation
4) Academics

I can see the mix of 1,2 and 3 in your profile. Your undergrad GPA is low, but you have compensated it with your 760 GMAT, so this part is pretty sorted for you. On the work front, your work experience is impressive. I’m sure you will have great stories to dig out from your journey on the ship while heading towards different countries. Also while creating the stories you will need to put forth the leadership qualities in you. While listing your work or responsibilities you will need to pick the most impactful one. Talk more deeply about your experiences and show how your different roles have developed leadership qualities in you and how you took care of things when things went south. Talking about such experiences helps give adcoms great insight into your values, beliefs, and leadership potential.

Your involvement in lots of sports activity describes your lively personality, do speak about it. I would like to know your ECs, any hobbies you pursue now? Try to find something you are doing now beyond work, dig deeper and find the answer for the same. You can also talk about your pre-sea training, its actually interesting and speak about the maritime course you have done, it will bring diversity to your profile.

Overall you have a great profile and have a shot at INSEAD. I would like to know the hidden aspects of your work experience and your impact in order to find your USPs. Also, it would be great if I get to know your post-MBA goals to gauge your fit for INSEAD. What’s going to matter most is how you link the dots with the values of the INSEAD and bring a great narrative to stand out from the other applicants in the pool.

For INSEAD, to get better insights into what the school looks for and how you can strategize your applications better, you can look into this session. It's on 20th March and it's a personalised session to help you assess your chances.

If you’d like, we are happy to hop on a call with you sometime this week to discuss your profile in length and your further chances for INSEAD. Feel free to book a free session with us as per your convenience.

"What it takes you to get into INSEAD? Know your chances in Round 2"

Cheers!
Shantanu Sharma
Founder and Admissions Consultant, MBA and Beyond
Testimonials
Email: shantanu@mbaandbeyond.com
What s app: +65-97158525





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Hi sumit7tiwari,

Your profile looks good on the surface. Talking about your stats, they're good and I suggest you target your GMAT score of 730+ in order to have a safer ground. B-schools judge your profile based on different aspects and so the qualitative aspects are going to play a crucial role.

On the work front, your work experience seems good. You will need to speak about the roles and responsibilities you have undertaken and how it leads to the growth and development of the organization. Working in a leading IT company can help to amplify the impact your projects would have created. You have some leadership experiences as well, do speak about them. This will put forth leadership attributes in your application.

Your ECs are missing, any hobby/interest? ECs play an important role in your apps, as it helps adcoms to know the different aspects of your personality and how you are going to add value to the b-school community. Post-MBA goals are in alignment with your prior work experience, that’s great. You will need to bring amazing stories to put a mark on the adcoms.

For INSEAD, to get better insights into what the school looks for and how you can strategize your applications better, you can look into this session. It's on 20th March and it's a personalised session to help you assess your chances.

Overall, I don't see any red flags. You need to work strongly in your stories and apps to stand out from your very competitive pool. If you’d like, we are happy to hop on a call with you once you are done with your GMAT. All the Best Feel free to book a free session with us as per your convenience.

"What it takes you to get into INSEAD? Know your chances in Round 2"

Cheers!
Shantanu Sharma
Founder and Admissions Consultant, MBA and Beyond
Testimonials
Email: shantanu@mbaandbeyond.com
What s app: +65-97158525




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Hi GMATclub members!

To all the INSEAD Round 2 MBA aspirants, if you want to know your chances in depth for Round 2 of INSEAD, here is an event for you.

The major agenda of the event will be to help you understand the school, your chances to it and how to tackle its essays. In this session:

Our Founder Shantanu will be walking you through snippets of his own application for INSEAD

He will be sharing what business schools want to see in an application and will be sharing tips on how you can stand out even if you belong to an overrepresented pool.

Finally, he will walk you through it's most challenging essay and how to tackle it. In the end, there will be a Q&A session where you can ask him your specific concerns.

Book your spot here.

Cheers!

MBA and Beyond
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Hello!!

I'm Rohan this side. I am planning to apply to the following MBA programmes for the cohort starting in 2022. Was wondering if someone can help evaluate my profile:

College Shortlist: INSEAD, Oxford, Cambridge (open to suggestions that might fit my profile)

Nationality: Indian
GMAT : 710 (Q49 and V38) in 2017. Preparing for another attempt. Scoring 730-750 in mocks

Full-time work-ex at matriculation (assuming 2022 start) - 4.4 Years

Bachelor's Education
- Bachelors in Economics from University of Delhi - top 10%

Masters Education
- MSc. Economics & Strategy from Imperial College London
- Dean's List Scholar

Work Experience

Work-Ex #1: Family Business in Steel Scrap Recycling
- Joined family business in college 4th semester as it was on brink of bankruptcy
- Negotiated supplier contracts and handled sales and operations in India
- Helped recover lesses and overturn company fortunes

Part-Time Work-Ex=14 months
Full-time Work-Ex =16 months

Work-Ex #2: Steel Trading House in Germany
- Received Best Junior Trader award
- Promoted to Junior Manager
- Roles and Responsibilities: deal sourcing, negotiating contracts with suppliers and customers, sale and purchase of steel

Full-Time Work-Ex = 18 months and counting

International Experience
- LSE Summer School in 2015
- Delegate at World Festival of Youth and Students in Sochi, Russia for 2 weeks (fully-funded)
- Participated in United Nations Conference on Trade and Development Youth Forum in Geneva, Switzerland
- Studied at Imperial College London, UK
- Visiting Consultant at Strategy Consulting firm in London (3 months)
- Working in Germany

Community Volunteering Experience
- Launched NGO in India to promote education for underprivileged children - 12 months (approx)
- Community Volunteer at Social Impact Initiative on London - 10 months
- Currently working at a pro-bono consulting initiative (part-time)

Other Extra-Curriculars
- President of MUN Club in College for 2 Years
- Won several Best Delegate and High Commendation Awards at MUNS
- Captain of School Football team in high school
- Picked up go-karting in London (haven't won anything though)
- Working as an MiM Consultant part-time

Languages
- 8.5/9.00 in IELTS
- A2 level certified in German

Career Goals
- Expanding family business: both in terms of product line expansion and geographical expansion

Other Comments
Full-time work-ex at matriculation = 4.4 Years (this excludes part-time work-ex in family business during bachelor's)

Hoping to get some constructive feedback and guidance.

Hi GMATGuy99,

Thanks for sharing your profile and MBA aspirations.

My name is Priyanka, Client Manager at ARINGO.

You have a very interesting profile! From what I can see:

Academics: Strong academics coupled with early international exposure is good. Being part of Dean’s List Scholar is an example of high intellect.

GMAT: Well, 710 is a fine score but if you can boost it to 730-750 your chances will definitely be better.😊

Work Experience: You have a very different experience which is good! Sailing your family business from bankruptcy to back on track will be a good story for your applications. Also, receiving a promotion and award in a short span shows your excellence at work. We suggest making an impactful resume by quantifying the results, leadership skills, etc.
Further, your story should talk about your passion for your business and the ideas that you have to scale it up.

Extracurricular activities/Volunteer Work: Launching an NGO, Pro-bono consulting, President of MUN club, School Football Team Captain, etc.- You definitely have it all! Further, strong international exposure is another star component in your application.

Career goals: Your career goals look fine as this connects the dots of your story. But we will be able to give more insights once you share your CV and provide more details about your family business and plans.

School list – You have a good list there, especially with the enhanced score. We will be able to suggest more schools once we have more clarity on your stories and preferences.

All in all sounds like you have a good profile! If you send me your CV and other info on PRIYANKAK@ARINGO.com, I would love to connect you with our CEO who will be happy to help further with a detailed review and perhaps work together on some amazing apps.

All the best.
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Hi GMATGuy99,

Thanks for sharing your profile. Your profile is “excellent”. Your accomplishments are incredible, and each one reveals something about your personality and capabilities. Talking about your undergrad, it’s great, and your GMAT score is quite good. If you can score up to 750, it will surely maximise your chances to the b-school.

You are one tough guy. It's great to see such a mature profile. Starting with your work, you have had a significant impact on your family's business. You should go into more depth about this experience and explain how you had built leadership skills in yourself as well as how you had managed when things went wrong. Your career promotion is conveyed in terms of the work you've done, not the position you've been assigned. B-schools prefer applicants who have shown growth and progress in their professional career, concisely describing this will add shine to the current profile. INSEAD specifically favours candidates who have previously led teams. You must be able to draw the dots in your interview process on how an MBA from a particular business school can advance your career and make you a more decisive leader. Your international experience is noteworthy, you can share your learnings and experience from it.

Your ECs are impressive with leadership qualities and achievements. Speaking about all these with the right passion would significantly enhance your apps. You can look at top employment opportunities at INSEAD you will get clarity of your fit to INSEAD in terms of career.

Overall you have a great profile and have a shot at your shortlisted b-school. Your post-MBA goals are clear. Make sure you specify how b-school help can help you fill gaps in the profile and achieve your goals. What's going to matter most about your application is how you link experiential dots and make a great narrative.

If you’d like, we are happy to hop on a call with you sometime this week to discuss your profile in length and gauge your fit for other b-schools as well. Feel free to book a free session with us as per your convenience.

Let's Decode MBA Applications for US Schools

Cheers!
Shantanu Sharma
Founder and Admissions Consultant, MBA and Beyond
Testimonials
Email: shantanu@mbaandbeyond.com
What s app: +65-97158525
Ask MBA & Beyond- if you're concerned about any of your gaps in your profile & need direction






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Hello GMATGuy99,

Thank you for your detailed post. There are several impressive aspects of your profile and scoring closer to the mid 700s on the GMAT will further enhance your candidacy.

That said, you will want to present a compelling story to the admissions committee. Looking at your extracurriculars and volunteer work, your experience is spread across a variety of interests. Successful applications share a consistent and impactful story. MBA admissions committees should instantly see who you are, what has defined you and why you have made specific choices.

Similarly, your MBA goals should share how you will be unique and impactful. You must go beyond simply stating what you are hoping to accomplish and share your vision for improving your chosen field or company.

INSEAD, Oxford, and Cambridge are great choices. If you want to stick to European schools, you might consider adding Imperial and LBS to your list (Personal MBA Coach recommends applying to 5 to 7 schools to maximize your chances of acceptance).

Resume review and story development are just a couple of the services we offer in our comprehensive packages. Take a look at our site to learn how we can help with essay editing, LOR support, interview prep, and more.

Do not hesitate to reach out to scott@personalmbacoach.com if you are looking to hire a consultant.

Regards,
Personal MBA Coach
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Post 09 Apr 2021, 05:43
Hello,

First post on here but long time lurker and would greatly appreciate if you could evaluate my profile. P

Profile
1. 27/Male
2. American/Lebanese
3. Looking to apply for September intake of '22.

GPA
UG was in the states with a horrible 2.9 due to bad first two semesters then changed majors however never fully recovered, plus two jobs which helped me full pay for my UG with no loans. (Will of course address this in more detail in my application

GMAT
Looking to take it in June with a target score of 700 or hopefully higher.

Languages
English (Lived in the states for over 15 years)
Arabic (Native)
French

Work Experience
3 years at a digital marketing agency in DC where I was an account manager and copywriter. In that time I developed content and managed accounts for local businesses from finance companies to pharmaceuticals.

Move to GCC:
1 year working for a digital marketing agency also as an account manager and copywriter. I gained experience working with both the public and private sector creating campaigns in both Arabic and English dialect.

After this position I realized advertising was not for me, received a job offer from a start up in another country in the GCC.

2 Years
- Product developer: Finding products to sell on our mobile application and would travel to China to meet with suppliers and then to Ukraine to work with our app development team. Gained extensive experience on how to launch a product from A to Z (backend and front end)
- Business development: Helped initiate joint venture negotiations with another local company, and also helped in the expansion into Europe.
- Marketing: Created and managed all marketing campaigns and designs

Current position (1year in August)
Working for a Holding Company/Group (also in GCC)
Position - Assistant Manager - Business Development
Due to travel restrictions we have been forced to work with our subsidiaries remotely.
- Working on marketing and branding for a medical company subsidiary
- Overseeing the implementation for an ERP system across all 40+ subsidiaries
- Devised short and long term business strategies for a hotel in Germany
- Created a new logo for an automobile brand

International Experience
USA
KSA
Kuwait
Ukraine
China

Extracurricular Activities
- Athletic competitions however not sure if worth mentioning
-(Would like to get involved in charitable events and if anyone has any input it would also be appreciated)

Certifications
CompTIA Security+
AWS Cloud Practitioner
Professional Scrum Master (PSM 1)

Career Goals: Why INSEAD and why an MBA?

I always envisioned having an international career not limited to one location. INSEAD positions me to land a job with MBB firms. I realize that I have been fortunate enough to gain experience across various industries which made me realize a career in consulting and strategy would be a great choice. The 10-month program is a great opportunity for me to gain the education and experience without forgoing a salary for 2 years.

Thank you!

Hi guys,

I am a 29 year old Egyptian with a technical background and I am considering applying for INSEAD MBA. Can you give me some feedback?

Education:
I have a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering with a 77% degree from one Egypt's top schools. In Egypt it is a 5 year degree and 77% is a very good degree compared to excellent which starts at 85%. After that, I was selected for a scholarship with an acceptance rate of 1% to continue my diploma in Mechatronics, and used this diploma to pursue a Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering in Germany with a 1.3 degree "100%= 1 in Germany, and 5= failing".

Work experience:
I have worked as an international freelance inspector before graduation and have travelled to China, Italy, Finland and many other European countries. During my Master's degree in Germany, I had a couple of student jobs as an engineer and started a full-time engineering position right after, also in Germany, focusing on customer support for 1.5 years. After that, however, I moved into product management for more than two years. The product manager role is truly international in the sense that I coordinate work with other groups in Japan, USA, France, China and of course Germany. It also involved strategy definition and business development.

Extracurricular activities:
This was really during my undergrad-studies in Egypt, as I participated in a number of NGO initiatives with a cultural background and was a project manager for an arts and culture program, leading 100 volunteers. In Germany I only did 3 months of volunteering, which I think is too small to mention.

Languages:
German, English, Arabic, and basic Spanish.

GMAT score:
Not yet available. I scored 540 on the test exam without preparation, I have 7 weeks left to prepare with about 10-15 hours per week.

Hi EgyGer1,

You have a great profile. Your acads are good and if you are able to get a solid GMAT score, you can definitely showcase your academic potential. Your proficiency in different languages will add a significant boost to your overall profile.

INSEAD evaluates your potential based on the following criteria:

1. Ability to contribute
2. Leadership skills
3. International motivation
4. Academics

Make sure you think through good examples to showcase the above while working on your application. Coming to your work experience, you have great international exposure. Your work as a product manager is interesting, and it does demonstrate the qualities of a successful manager. I'm sure you'll have plenty of impactful stories to share with the adcoms about your experience with groups in Japan, the United States, etc. I can clearly see a mature leader and an impactful person through your ECs and you should talk about your contribution to the NGO. So, while your work experience will lead to some interesting conversations with adcoms, your ECs help carry out the values that b-schools look for in a candidate. You can also talk about your hobbies & interests which will show adcoms different aspects of your personality. I liked your profile and you have a good shot at Insead and many other good schools. You may want to read the article on How to get into INSEAD. This article will help you understand INSEAD and instill the right confidence in you. We have more articles on INSEAD, it will give you a lot of confidence in owning up your own story, you can check them out here.

If you need any direction/guidance over any aspect of your application and have any specific concerns, you can ask us on the forum Ask MBA & Beyond.

Overall you have a good profile. Focus on your GMAT and aim to achieve a GMAT score of 730 or higher to maximize your chances. The more crucial part of your application is connecting all the dots and bringing out a strong story. Additionally, make sure you bring the narrative of your career in alignment with Insead's values for which you need to do a very comprehensive research of the school. I would like to know your post-MBA goals so that I can gauge your fit for the b-school and suggest other b-schools as well.

If you’d like, we are happy to hop on a call with you sometime this week or after you have taken your GMAT and discuss your further chances to b-school. Feel free to book a free session with us as per your convenience.

Cheers!
Shantanu Sharma
Founder and Admissions Consultant, MBA and Beyond
Testimonials
Email: shantanu@mbaandbeyond.com
What s app: +65-97158525



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Hey team, cross-posting from the Harvard thread, apologies if that's not allowed:

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!

Hi AndreT,

Thank you for sharing your profile. From the details you have provided, here are my two cents.

-Academics: Your undergrad GPA is on the lower side, but you have a strong GMAT score. Your GMAT score defines your current academic potential and your ability to crack the MBA program’s curriculum. So, no need to worry about it.

-Work experience: I can see a good career trajectory. Working through various functions and being promoted multiple times are also excellent ways to demonstrate how important you are to the organization. Furthermore, the startup has a social dimension. It can be used to your benefit to demonstrate impact if you can pull out some stories about how you contributed to the same, as INSEAD looks for 'Impact' and 'Leadership' in one's profile. Make sure to include stories about both your personal and professional experiences in your application to demonstrate self-awareness.

-Ecs: Your Ecs are good as well! However, adcoms are interested in getting to know you beyond work. Aside from your work, try to find something you like doing. You are free to discuss hobbies or interests you have. It can be something that demonstrates certain critical facets of your personality.

If you need any direction/guidance over any aspect of your application and have any specific concerns, you can ask us on the forum Ask MBA & Beyond.

-Post-MBA goals: It is good to see you have clarity over your goals. You will need to demonstrate to adcoms your mission and ambitions, and how an MBA from a specific b-school will help you fill gaps in your profile and achieve your goals.

Overall you have a good profile and stand a chance at your targeted b-schools. About your concerns, I suggest that you concentrate on your application right now. You have a high GMAT score, which would make up for your low GPA. Adding activities that would exhibit leadership qualities in you would enhance your candidacy. Focus on how you can build a compelling story by aligning the values of the business school you are applying to. You would need to connect the dots beginning with Jr. PM and progressing to the expertise acquired from various positions you have worked in, culminating in the senior PM role.

If you’d like, we are happy to hop on a call with you sometime this week to discuss your profile in length and your further chances to b-school. Feel free to book a free session with us as per your convenience.

Let’s maximize your chances in Round 1 for fall intake

Cheers!
Shantanu Sharma
Founder and Admissions Consultant, MBA and Beyond
Testimonials
Email: shantanu@mbaandbeyond.com
What s app: +65-97158525



_________________

Hello,

This is my first post here. I would really appreciate any comment on my profile. It’s a really long post (sorry). I included a lot of details because I don’t know anyone personally who can give me advice on this.

Profile
- 33 Female (34 at target intake, Sep2022)
- Filipino

Education and GMAT
- Undergrad is BS in Accountancy. Graduated with honors leadership awards.
- I completed the two-year coursework of Master’s in ASEAN Studies (online) and passed the comprehensive exam. I only need to finish the thesis to get the degree. This is a challenge for now because of the pandemic (unresponsive thesis advisers and lack of focus).
- Will take the GMAT in June and targeting a minimum 700 score

Profession and Work experience
- CPA and CFA Charterholder
- 7+ years of full-time corporate experience from EY, Citibank, and a growing startup (all in the Philippines). My last corporate experience was as Head of Corporate Planning and Treasury for four years. I joined the company when it was a startup and helped in its successful IPO. I formed my department from the ground up, growing it from a one-man team to a group of over 10 professionals.
- I left my corporate job in 2016 to figure out what I really wanted to do. I became a digital nomad and ended up freelancing. I held a CFO role (virtual and fractional) for a startup hotel developer for three years. I’ve set up the Finance department and managed accountants and consultants in three countries for this role. I also worked on other freelance projects for clients in Asia, Europe, and the USA.

International Experience
As a digital nomad, I lived in over 40 countries for the last five years, including 1 year in New Zealand, 3 months in Australia, 4 months in Georgia and Armenia, and 6 months in Europe.

Extracurricular Activities
I volunteered around the world, mainly in smallholdings and farms (I dream of having an organic farm someday). When I was still in the corporate, I volunteer teaching kids in slums, orphanages, and our church. I volunteered in Cambodia and raised funds to cover one semester of expenses for the school.

Career goals/Post-MBA Plan
I have a Dutch partner who is also a digital nomad. Even before the pandemic, we already decided that 2021 will be our last travel year and settle in the Netherlands. I want to get into a top consulting firm in the Netherlands as I plan to start my own consulting firm 10 years down the road.

Concerns/Questions
1. My age – The admission committee always has reassuring words that they still consider older applicants, but I still can’t help feeling insecure about this.
2. I’m worried that my freelancing stint will be seen as a long career gap. I was not out of work, but I was also not working full-time for the last five years because I combined traveling, volunteering, and online Masters with my freelance jobs.
3. Will the non-completion of my Master’s degree be taken against me?
4. I’m anxious about not getting in as I don’t really have a Plan B. I feel that INSEAD is a perfect fit for me, and I don’t feel the urge to apply to any other B school.
5. Option to get back to corporate without MBA – Most people take the CFA after the MBA. It’s a recognized global certification, but I don’t think it’s enough to get me into a top consulting firm or a top company in NL. I don’t have international and investment banking experience.
6. I don't have the financial means to pay for an INSEAD MBA. If I don't get a scholarship, my plan is to loan most of the fees. Will it be worth getting in a lot of debt, in case?

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this. I’d love to hear what you think are my strengths and weaknesses and any recommendations.

Hi Krystelle,

Insead alumna here. 5 years out and I whole heartedly believe this was my best investment. I loaned the full amount and was able to pay it back (I chose a corporate track with Amazon) in a few years comfortably.

When you think about your profile/ application, I found it helpful to consider all the ‘why’s and where realistically you want an MBA to get you (be it an industry, geography or income bracket).

As an applicant, you should make aure that your story is coherent and there is a reason why you should get a seat: your unique experience (not only professional), your demographics, your development potential.

I notice many people want to go to INSEAD because they want to become entrepreneurs... that’s not always a sound logic: one doesn’t need an MBA to start a business. Moreover, having €100K in debt is not helping factor either.

So with that, ask your friends or family - what do they see special in you and your life - and build your narrative from there. This story needs to be strong and clear.

Don’t let your young age stop you!

Posted from my mobile device

Thank you so much! I'll keep all of these in mind as I work on my application.

Hi KOB,

Thank you for sharing. Overall, you have an interesting profile and some reputable companies in your work experience. A 700+ GMAT should make you a competitive applicant for INSEAD, given the rest of your application tells a consistent and compelling story.

To address some of your concerns, I’ll start with your age. At 33, you are slightly older than the average INSEAD student, which is reported as 29 in their latest class profile. Age, but more accurately, work experience, does have a significant impact on your chances of success. That said, Personal MBA Coach has worked with a lot of applicants on the older end of the spectrum who have successfully gotten into their target schools! We would be happy to guide you here.

In terms of your gap in full-time work experience, it is tough to say how it will look on your application. With freelancing it depends on how much work you did, what the impact was, how many jobs, compensation, etc. so we would have to find out more, to be honest.

The non-completion of your masters should be addressed in the optional essay section. Keep in mind that these essays should be short and to the point. Do not offer a long-winded explanation here.

For school selection, I highly suggest targeting more schools. Our average client applies to at least 5 schools. Make sure that you have some “reach” schools, some “more likely” schools and some “safer” schools, especially if you want to secure an acceptance this year. All business schools look to fill their classes with diverse candidates, and you cannot always predict which school might need someone who fits your profile.

Feel free to reach out to scott@personalmbacoach.com to further discuss your situation and take a look at our services to find out how we can help!

Best,
Personal MBA Coach
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Sorry for the long post! I am interested in knowing my eligibility. Targeting to join September 2022.
1. Background and nationality: 23 year Indian female
2. Pre-undergrad Information: Top 5% throughout school, 95% in 10th, 91.2% in 12th. Various accolades throughout school career (International and national abacus
champion, Diploma in Fine Arts, National Cadet Corps, etc.)
3. Undergrad Information: Majors in Economics from University of Mumbai- 9.13 GPA. Top 5% in the batch throughout college.
4. GMAT: Targeting 740 (680 in first official mock)
5. Work experience and leadership: - 2 years work experience (will have 3 by the time I join) in Ernst & Young LLP in government consulting.
- Received 4 awards in the short tenure of 2 years
- Worked back closely with diverse stakeholders like philanthropies (Gates Foundation), Central Ministry State Government, Local
Government, vulnerable groups like women Self Help Groups, sanitation workers, etc. Assisted in conducting various capacity building trainings and supported in livelihood intervention to these vulnerable groups
- Leading a team of 8 in Knowledge Management; supporting in capacity building of the entire team; independently published thought leaderships in the sector
- Worked extensively on Business Development and Strategy:
- Other experiences include vendor management of subcontractors worth 1 Crore, extensive stakeholder and project management
- Will be able to get good recommendations
6. Community and others: - Strong volunteering experience with Teach for India, and other educational NGOs, Social Media for change fellowship- worked back
closely on integrated rural development and solar project; crowd-sourcing of INR 50,000 after severe cyclone in home state through the NGO
- International and abacus Champion; Diploma in Fine Arts
- Other interests include mindfulness and yoga; swimming; scuba-diving; reading fantasy fiction
7. Post MBA goals: Consulting- ready to explore Strategy and Impact consulting. Want to ultimately settle in India (mostly)

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
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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 ...☺

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