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INSEAD Profile Evaluation - Tools for B-School Profile Evaluation 28 Nov 2021, 02:55
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I’m wondering if maybe you came off arrogant, or did a lot of bragging thinking that that would work? This is a pretty common occurrence. People think that works. It’s kind of ironic because to get into b school you need to seem like a cool person that other people want to be around, a value-add hang, read: not too serious and business like, in addition to being accomplished.

of course you need to have proof of impact but you don’t have to work with that one angle all the time.

So Im curious if your essays/video kind of revealed that. Hopefully not.

I’m wondering if you got any outside perspective as it related to your application materials?

Insead is not traditionally reapplicant friendly it’s a massive application but you would want to think about where the Delta exists as it relates to leadership, contribution and international goals & orientation.

The academics are already great, and the other three are the other admission criteria so I would encourage you to take one of those criteria and really get across how much you’ve developed in that area..

As to why you were dinged, my guess is that they had hit their max percentage for your country or just didn’t present enough diversity. Of course the dynamics of the competition, last year. Maybe they weren’t convinced that you needed to be in a United Nations style program.

Unless you’re really interested in doing a period In UAE you might consider going for January intake and applying earlier in the cycle because you are coming from an over represented demographic.


applicant1101
Hi,

I am looking to reapply for the INSEAD Aug 2022 intake. Can you please evaluate my profile and let me know if it is worth reapplying?

Age: 30 years old Male reapplicant (applied and was dinged without interview for INSEAD Sep 2021 intake)
Location: Singapore
Education: Double Degree in Economics and Business Management (Finance) from Singapore Management University
GPA: 3.68/4.00
GRE Score 164V, 170Q, 5.5AW
Industry: Family Office
Experience: 4.5 years (based on entry in Aug 2022)
Nationality: Singaporean Chinese
Language: English, Mandarin

Current role:
Business development manager at a boutique family office.

New achievements:
1) Appointed as director for a new lithium-ion recycling venture; in charge of equipment sourcing with Chinese vendors and developing business plan
2) Developed business plans for new ventures into packaging and beverage industries in South Asia in close cooperation with MNCs
3) Lead sourcing of ventilators from China during COVID and facilitated the delivery of medical supply donation as project manager of the family office's foundation

Professional Past Achievements:
1) Led key workstreams for US$160m investment in a listed Indian packaging company; reduced financial DD fees by 30% and proposed innovative capital structure
2) Secured approval for a US$20m investment into a listed Indian hospitality company
3) Managed competitive bidding exercise reducing interest margin by 35%
4) Assessed viability of a new South Asia cargo/passenger airline in consultation with Bombardier, ATR, ex-Blue Dart and ex-Jet Airways executives
5) Managed a US$4m annual budget; negotiated vendor fees and implemented a new cloud-based back-end operations leading to 10% operational cost savings

Volunteer work:
1) Overseas community service projects and fundraising lead in college over 7 months period in Thailand and the Philippines
2) Project manager at the foundation of the family office

Awards/Honors:
1) School scholarship
2) Dean List for a year
3) Runner-up in an asset management competition
4) CFA Level 1
5) Full MBA sponsorship

Post-MBA goals :
1) Short term - Take on a more front-facing leading role for new business ventures and PE deals at the family office
2) Long term - Partner at PE firm/family office

Extracurriculars:
1) Research leader in investment club - host investment seminars in school and lead investment research
2) Writer for an investment blog - achieved 28k views this year and 780 followers

Potential reasons for ding:
1) Limited promotion/leadership opportunity as the team size is small with no staff under me and no change in job title (maybe the new work achievement will mitigate that?)
2) Had a salary and bonus freeze in 2020 due to COVID, managed to get a 30% increment this year (not sure if it's at a level suitable to the adcom? INSEAD has a relatively high pre-MBA salary.)
3) Wanted to explore my interest in equity research post-graduation so took on free-lance writing and an internship at a boutique asset management firm (9 months before I started my current job)
4) Flunked the video interview as the questions were, unfortunately, those that I did not prep well (more prepared this time)
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crispychicken
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INSEAD Profile Evaluation - Tools for B-School Profile Evaluation Updated on: 19 Jan 2022, 16:24
Originally posted by crispychicken on 28 Nov 2021, 03:38.
Last edited by crispychicken on 19 Jan 2022, 16:24, edited 1 time in total.
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Thank you, everyone, in advance!
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INSEAD Profile Evaluation - Tools for B-School Profile Evaluation 28 Nov 2021, 04:25
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Lizettelizette

You have everything that INSEAD looks for in an application, the trick is if you are able to translate your profile into your essays and overall application, specifically if you are able to explain the lack of bachelor's degree. I once helped an application get to a top ranked MBA program in EU without Bachelor's or Master's degree. So the good news is that schools such as INSEAD are willing to make exceptions. Additionally, if the reason was your undetected learning disability, you will not be penalized for it as long as Adcom is convinced that you will be able to cope with the rigorous curriculum at INSEAD. You could use your GMAT and Master's grades to make the point.

INSEAD is very objective about what it looks in a candidate and you should be able to tick all the boxes through your application and the essays. INSEAD looks for the following 4 factors in prospective candidates-
1. Ability to Contribute
2. Academic Capability
3. International Motivation
4. Leadership Potential

Through your Master's grades and GMAT score, you could convince the Adcom about your academic capability. Fact that you are multi-lingual and have lived and worked across 2 continents could highlight your International motivation. You must ensure that your essays bring out your "ability o contribute" and "Leadership potential". For instance, if you talk about promotions and leadership roles, you should highlight on how you incrementally mentored more people within the organization.

Hope it helps.

I would recommend you to read this article before starting your application process - "What INSEAD looks for in applicants? How important is international education/ work experience?"
https://aidmit.com/index.php/2018/09/12/ ... xperience/

Lizettelizette
I could use a reality check. Thank you, everyone, in advance!

GMAT: 730 (Q48, V42, IR7) - just got it two days ago! Still waiting on AWA
Background: Philippines for nationality but living/working in Australia
Languages: Filipino(native), Hookien - Chinese dialect(native), English(fluent), Mandarin (intermediate), German (completed A1)

Education
  • Big red flag: expelled from first university (Philippines); I was 19 then and living with an undiagnosed learning disability (2008)
  • Completed Master of Marketing from top Australian university(2018) with distinction average (“A”)
  • Note that I do not have a completed undergraduate and so in submitting completed qualifications I would have a master's but not a bachelor's. The uni is always ranking within the top 20 to 50 worldwide and I'm hoping this can make up for it.


Work highlights (8+ years)
  • Overall my background is heavily in education, non-profit, and startups; no commercial/large-scale/FMCG/consulting
  • “First hire” in a top-ranking university’s startup accelerator back when it was a new concept. I established and led its operations. I co-developed further programs(e.g., idea stage validation). My work was central to it winning many awards, raising further funds etc at some point, my workplace in Australia also paid for me to go to Toronto/Boston/NYC and check out leading startup programs and bring home learnings(including those of Harvard and MIT)
  • Was Innovation Projects Manager for the university’s student union (leading digital transformation); my work in the accelerator was what caught the student union’s attention for this role and get me to introduce structured innovation for the organisation
  • Worked in a startup as Head of Operations
  • Directly worked with/mentored/advised 100+ startups
  • I like a good adventure! e.g., I'm a licensed advance diver; I hiked the summit of Mt Agung in Bali; the December right before the pandemic I took an immersive program in Germany and lived with a local host while attending language classes

Other stuff
  • I owned an escape room (as a foreign national in Australia I was ineligible for student loans and with my non-profit wage, I needed to get creative in finding ways to pay for my master’s) It was just a small business so not sure how valuable this is. Although it was consistently ranked within top 3 Sydney escape rooms on Tripadvisor
  • Essentially I was working full-time, running my own business (3-5 staff), and doing a master’s at the same time
  • Active in neurodiversity across my work (e.g., embedding digital accessibility in technology procurement process, being a guest in a tech panel on mental health)
  • Regular mentor & volunteer in the innovation ecosystem - examples: hackathons for wicked problems, mentor in sustainability engineering course, grader/interviewer for an accelerator program
  • Recently selected for a competitive investor traineeship program run by one of the country's top venture capitalist firms

Post-MBA Goals
  • develop leadership + strategic skills, gain international lens
  • A role where I can have big impacts through the tech/entrepreneurship space such as: commercial incubators for launching sustainable revenue streams, national programs, major VC firms
Show more
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INSEAD Profile Evaluation - Tools for B-School Profile Evaluation 28 Nov 2021, 06:34
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Hi! A very interesting profile indeed and strong chances of getting the INSEAD interview invite with a well written application.

Do not worry about your incomplete undergraduate degree, but only give an honest reason as to why you could not complete it. Perhaps it would give confidence to the ad com if you mentioned how you pivoted your career towards creating value through your work in the field of education, non profits or start ups in the years that followed your expulsion from this university in Philippines. Also, it would be better to follow a chronological sequence for your narratives/stories in all the essays showing that you progressed year on year to achieve your goals. Otherwise a balanced profile overall.

My two cents on creating a mind-space (intrigue) with the ad com (give it a thought if it interests you)- showcase your passion and leadership vision so strongly in the essays that it might seem the school is at loss if the ad com does not take you in! Talking about your willingness to alleviate certain societal concerns can add a unique perspective to your story (is mental health or learning disability an issue close to your heart? What do you wish do about it as a future leader?). Also especially since you have spent most of your career in the education sector and as a mentor in the start up space, have a central theme in your narrative that can smoothly transition into your goals.

Make your goals sound impressive yet SMART(Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Timebound). As an example, if I were you I would consider working for the World Bank Group at some point (with an interest in advancing tech/entrepreneurship space in my home country Philippines.) INSEAD would be an enabler in providing knowledge and access to the network that can help achieve this goal. And if INSEAD does not happen for me, then I would take steps XYZ to make sure that I still achieve my goals (perseverance!) but with a longer timeline. Think thoroughly about your short term and long term goals and show the dedication needed to achieve them.

Best wishes




Lizettelizette
I could use a reality check. Thank you, everyone, in advance!

GMAT: 730 (Q48, V42, IR7) - just got it two days ago! Still waiting on AWA
Background: Philippines for nationality but living/working in Australia
Languages: Filipino(native), Hookien - Chinese dialect(native), English(fluent), Mandarin (intermediate), German (completed A1)

Education
  • Big red flag: expelled from first university (Philippines); I was 19 then and living with an undiagnosed learning disability (2008)
  • Completed Master of Marketing from top Australian university(2018) with distinction average (“A”)
  • Note that I do not have a completed undergraduate and so in submitting completed qualifications I would have a master's but not a bachelor's. The uni is always ranking within the top 20 to 50 worldwide and I'm hoping this can make up for it.


Work highlights (8+ years)
  • Overall my background is heavily in education, non-profit, and startups; no commercial/large-scale/FMCG/consulting
  • “First hire” in a top-ranking university’s startup accelerator back when it was a new concept. I established and led its operations. I co-developed further programs(e.g., idea stage validation). My work was central to it winning many awards, raising further funds etc at some point, my workplace in Australia also paid for me to go to Toronto/Boston/NYC and check out leading startup programs and bring home learnings(including those of Harvard and MIT)
  • Was Innovation Projects Manager for the university’s student union (leading digital transformation); my work in the accelerator was what caught the student union’s attention for this role and get me to introduce structured innovation for the organisation
  • Worked in a startup as Head of Operations
  • Directly worked with/mentored/advised 100+ startups
  • I like a good adventure! e.g., I'm a licensed advance diver; I hiked the summit of Mt Agung in Bali; the December right before the pandemic I took an immersive program in Germany and lived with a local host while attending language classes

Other stuff
  • I owned an escape room (as a foreign national in Australia I was ineligible for student loans and with my non-profit wage, I needed to get creative in finding ways to pay for my master’s) It was just a small business so not sure how valuable this is. Although it was consistently ranked within top 3 Sydney escape rooms on Tripadvisor
  • Essentially I was working full-time, running my own business (3-5 staff), and doing a master’s at the same time
  • Active in neurodiversity across my work (e.g., embedding digital accessibility in technology procurement process, being a guest in a tech panel on mental health)
  • Regular mentor & volunteer in the innovation ecosystem - examples: hackathons for wicked problems, mentor in sustainability engineering course, grader/interviewer for an accelerator program
  • Recently selected for a competitive investor traineeship program run by one of the country's top venture capitalist firms

Post-MBA Goals
  • develop leadership + strategic skills, gain international lens
  • A role where I can have big impacts through the tech/entrepreneurship space such as: commercial incubators for launching sustainable revenue streams, national programs, major VC firms
Show more
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LegacyRag
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Schools: ISB '23 (D) IIMA PGPX'23 (WA) INSEAD Aug 22 intake
GMAT 1: 700 Q49 V36
GPA: 3.5
Schools: ISB '23 (D) IIMA PGPX'23 (WA) INSEAD Aug 22 intake
GMAT 1: 700 Q49 V36
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INSEAD Profile Evaluation - Tools for B-School Profile Evaluation 10 Dec 2021, 03:20
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Hi,

I am an Indian Male (26 years old)
Background: Working in a top Indian Automotive company with a global presence - Mahindra & Mahindra. (5 years & 1 month by Sept 2022)
Completed a Bachelors in Engineering (Mechanical Engineering) with an 8.44/10 GPA. Corresponds to 3.52/4
GMAT: 700 (49 Q, 36 V, 4 IR, 5 AWA)
Languages Known: Tamil (Mother Tongue); English; Hindi; German

Education: High school from a reputed school in my locality. Passed with 80.4%. Completed my UG from a top University in India. Recruited by M&M as a fresher from college.

Work ex: 5 years 1 month by Sept 2022
I work in Research and Development in an Automotive company with a strong market presence in SUVs. Specifically in Product Development. Promoted in 3 years and selected to represent my company in a Joint-Venture with Ford India. No international work-ex but interact with many clients from other countries on a daily basis. Multiple product and customer issues were solved, and cost and weight-saving ideas were implemented.
Have also done an internship with another part manufacturing company for a month prior to my full-time role.

Extra-Curricular:
Won multiple consecutive zonal table tennis tournaments in high school and got selected to represent my school in national-level TT tournaments. Won 2 back-to-back zonal level tournaments at university level. Worked in safe-guarding eggs of the endangered Olive Ridley Turtles which lay eggs along the beaches of my hometown. Participated in many lake cleanups with local organizations and took part in teaching exercises for under privileged school children.
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MBAGuide
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INSEAD Profile Evaluation - Tools for B-School Profile Evaluation 10 Dec 2021, 03:55
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Hi, decent work profile, however a 720+ GMAT score could really help you improve the odds for ISB and INSEAD (I see in your bio those are your schools of interest).

The good news is that you do not belong to an over represented segment at the top B Schools, but you must select your stories very carefully so as to demonstrate progression in your career and your transition from an engineer/individual contributor to a project leader during the course of 5 years at the same company. Showcase your strong leadership skills through stories where you helped resolve conflicts, expedited projects, were trusted with bigger responsibilities over and over again, motivated team members or staff on the shop floor to get the prototypes going on time, influenced senior management with your insights to take a certain stand on decisions, saved $$ for the company, were appreciated by local and international stakeholders and so on.

You should think more on your ECs. I would suggest you build focus on your conservationist attitude as it will help you stand out.

You have not mentioned your post MBA goals but make sure they are realistic and achievable.

Best wishes




LegacyRag
Hi,

I am an Indian Male (26 years old)
Background: Working in a top Indian Automotive company with a global presence - Mahindra & Mahindra. (5 years & 1 month by Sept 2022)
Completed a Bachelors in Engineering (Mechanical Engineering) with an 8.44/10 GPA. Corresponds to 3.52/4
GMAT: 700 (49 Q, 36 V, 4 IR, 5 AWA)
Languages Known: Tamil (Mother Tongue); English; Hindi; German

Education: High school from a reputed school in my locality. Passed with 80.4%. Completed my UG from a top University in India. Recruited by M&M as a fresher from college.

Work ex: 5 years 1 month by Sept 2022
I work in Research and Development in an Automotive company with a strong market presence in SUVs. Specifically in Product Development. Promoted in 3 years and selected to represent my company in a Joint-Venture with Ford India. No international work-ex but interact with many clients from other countries on a daily basis. Multiple product and customer issues were solved, and cost and weight-saving ideas were implemented.
Have also done an internship with another part manufacturing company for a month prior to my full-time role.

Extra-Curricular:
Won multiple consecutive zonal table tennis tournaments in high school and got selected to represent my school in national-level TT tournaments. Won 2 back-to-back zonal level tournaments at university level. Worked in safe-guarding eggs of the endangered Olive Ridley Turtles which lay eggs along the beaches of my hometown. Participated in many lake cleanups with local organizations and took part in teaching exercises for under privileged school children.
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LegacyRag
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Location: India
Schools: ISB '23 (D) IIMA PGPX'23 (WA) INSEAD Aug 22 intake
GMAT 1: 700 Q49 V36
GPA: 3.5
Schools: ISB '23 (D) IIMA PGPX'23 (WA) INSEAD Aug 22 intake
GMAT 1: 700 Q49 V36
Posts: 13
Kudos: 2
INSEAD Profile Evaluation - Tools for B-School Profile Evaluation 10 Dec 2021, 04:33
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Thanks for the reply, MBAGuide.

Let me update you on the career transition and leadership activities undertaken by me. I had missed communicating it in my first post.

Leadership Activities:
1. Elected into the Student Council in my school to voice student concerns to the management. - organized 2 inter-school events during my tenure.
2. Table Tennis team captain of my university team. Won many competitions during my 4 years.
3. Created a team of 25 members and captained it to participate in the SAEINDIA Baja competition (2016 & 2017) - A national event in which each team should build an All-Terrain Vehicle (ATV) according to a given rule book and race it. Finished in the top 100 in both years out of a pool of 450+ teams.
4. Asked to sit in the Technical Evaluation Panel as a Technical Inspection Judge in the SAEINDIA Baja event in 2019.
5. Mentored new joiners in my work department for seamless integration into their role.

Other achievements:
1. Managed 15 different vehicle projects simultaneously which got me promoted in 3 years. (Standard promotion timeline is 4 years)
2. One of the first 5 people to be selected to work in the Mahindra-Ford Joint Venture in India.
3. Successfully delivered 5 vehicles (Mahindra Thar, XUV700, XUV300, Marazzo and Ford Ecosport)
4. Solved 10+ part design issues and implemented 5+ weight and cost saving ideas amounting to Rs. 300 per vehicle cost savings.
5. One of the few people in my organization with the know-how of a particular activity called Road Load Data Acquisition (RLDA).

Short and Long term goals:
Short term goals are to shift to a managerial role from a purely technical role so that I can participate in more decision-making activities and run projects as a project lead. Accelerated career growth due to a managerial role also excites me. I want to work with experienced teams so that I can pick up necessary skills related to program management/operations management. Since I already have the technical skills required to understand a particular product, I need to hone my people-management skills, decision making, working under pressure, time management, and prioritization.
Long term goal is to take up senior leadership roles in established companies to encounter challenges everyday, forgoing the monotony in my current role.
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INSEAD Profile Evaluation - Tools for B-School Profile Evaluation 10 Dec 2021, 22:46
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Hi LegacyRag,

Thank you for sharing your profile. Your profile looks good on the surface. Starting with the stats, your undergrad GPA is good, and I suggest increasing your GMAT score by 20-30 points to maximize your chances. On the work front, your R&D experience must include stories of leadership and innovation. I see a good career trajectory; nevertheless, you must discuss how you outperform your colleagues in your essays. You have also implemented some ideas into action; talking about them, and your contribution to making an effect will make a convincing case. Your ECs and leadership activities are amazing. You have won tournaments, participated in lake clean-ups, led a team, and other activities will help you bring diversity. You can discuss how all of these situations impacted or affected your life, both personally and professionally. The committee's purpose is to have as many viewpoints and as much diversity as possible in the class. Therefore, you will need to diversify your profile. Your other achievements are the icing on the cake. I see several examples of impact, leadership, maturity, and innovation. To make an impression on the AdComs, you must accurately demonstrate all of them.

Your post-MBA goals appear to be reasonable. Try to align it to your previous work experience. If you wish to take on leadership roles, strive to demonstrate your leadership abilities in your previous work experience. Also, how an MBA from INSEAD will assist you in achieving your goals. You may want to read an article on how to frame practical post-MBA goals essays, you will get some insights on how to communicate the convincing case to the adcoms. Overall you have a good profile and a shot at INSEAD. 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 further chances to INSEAD. Feel free to book a free session with us as per your convenience.

Maximize your chances for top MBA programs in January intake

Cheers!
Neha Hadke
Profile Analyst & Channel Manager, MBA and Beyond
Testimonials
Email: neha@mbaandbeyond.com


LegacyRag
Hi,

I am an Indian Male (26 years old)
Background: Working in a top Indian Automotive company with a global presence - Mahindra & Mahindra. (5 years & 1 month by Sept 2022)
Completed a Bachelors in Engineering (Mechanical Engineering) with an 8.44/10 GPA. Corresponds to 3.52/4
GMAT: 700 (49 Q, 36 V, 4 IR, 5 AWA)
Languages Known: Tamil (Mother Tongue); English; Hindi; German

Education: High school from a reputed school in my locality. Passed with 80.4%. Completed my UG from a top University in India. Recruited by M&M as a fresher from college.

Work ex: 5 years 1 month by Sept 2022
I work in Research and Development in an Automotive company with a strong market presence in SUVs. Specifically in Product Development. Promoted in 3 years and selected to represent my company in a Joint-Venture with Ford India. No international work-ex but interact with many clients from other countries on a daily basis. Multiple product and customer issues were solved, and cost and weight-saving ideas were implemented.
Have also done an internship with another part manufacturing company for a month prior to my full-time role.

Extra-Curricular:
Won multiple consecutive zonal table tennis tournaments in high school and got selected to represent my school in national-level TT tournaments. Won 2 back-to-back zonal level tournaments at university level. Worked in safe-guarding eggs of the endangered Olive Ridley Turtles which lay eggs along the beaches of my hometown. Participated in many lake cleanups with local organizations and took part in teaching exercises for under privileged school children.
Show more
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MBAGuide
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Location: India
Concentration: Operations, Marketing
Schools: Insead Sept'18 (A$$) ISB '19 (A)
Schools: Insead Sept'18 (A$$) ISB '19 (A)
Posts: 2,282
Kudos: 942
INSEAD Profile Evaluation - Tools for B-School Profile Evaluation 12 Dec 2021, 22:14
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Hi again, you have a decent shot at Top B schools provided you have a persuasive narrative backing all your essays.
My two cents- Targeting goals that show passion for automotive industry or for the kind of field you have been in since last 5 years will strengthen your application. INSEAD industry club has great appreciation for people from engineering background and those who wish to move back into the industry to pursue greater responsibilities in management roles. Do research and find out what companies that you wish to work for have good connections with INSEAD (there are quite a few I can recall !).

Best wishes

LegacyRag
Thanks for the reply, MBAGuide.

Let me update you on the career transition and leadership activities undertaken by me. I had missed communicating it in my first post.

Leadership Activities:
1. Elected into the Student Council in my school to voice student concerns to the management. - organized 2 inter-school events during my tenure.
2. Table Tennis team captain of my university team. Won many competitions during my 4 years.
3. Created a team of 25 members and captained it to participate in the SAEINDIA Baja competition (2016 & 2017) - A national event in which each team should build an All-Terrain Vehicle (ATV) according to a given rule book and race it. Finished in the top 100 in both years out of a pool of 450+ teams.
4. Asked to sit in the Technical Evaluation Panel as a Technical Inspection Judge in the SAEINDIA Baja event in 2019.
5. Mentored new joiners in my work department for seamless integration into their role.

Other achievements:
1. Managed 15 different vehicle projects simultaneously which got me promoted in 3 years. (Standard promotion timeline is 4 years)
2. One of the first 5 people to be selected to work in the Mahindra-Ford Joint Venture in India.
3. Successfully delivered 5 vehicles (Mahindra Thar, XUV700, XUV300, Marazzo and Ford Ecosport)
4. Solved 10+ part design issues and implemented 5+ weight and cost saving ideas amounting to Rs. 300 per vehicle cost savings.
5. One of the few people in my organization with the know-how of a particular activity called Road Load Data Acquisition (RLDA).

Short and Long term goals:
Short term goals are to shift to a managerial role from a purely technical role so that I can participate in more decision-making activities and run projects as a project lead. Accelerated career growth due to a managerial role also excites me. I want to work with experienced teams so that I can pick up necessary skills related to program management/operations management. Since I already have the technical skills required to understand a particular product, I need to hone my people-management skills, decision making, working under pressure, time management, and prioritization.
Long term goal is to take up senior leadership roles in established companies to encounter challenges everyday, forgoing the monotony in my current role.
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INSEAD Profile Evaluation - Tools for B-School Profile Evaluation 11 Jan 2022, 16:52
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Background and nationality: South Asian, Canadian citizen
Undergrad Information: Top Engineering Undergrad in Canada, GPA: 3.6/4
GMAT: 740

Work experience and leadership: 1 yr experience as a North America/Domestic Account Manager of a global chemical manufacturing company services, promoted from Technical Advisor position (3 years) servicing customers in those markets. Exceptional performance leading to early promotion, industry wide recognition with a Top 35 under 35 award by reputable Industry Association, direct P&L responsibilities of major corporate accounts totaling 150 MM USD/yr in revenue. Also have a track record of successful wins/accomplishments with direct commercial benefits to company bottom line.

Community and others: Avid Hip-Hop and Choreography dancer throughout University, lead dancer in yearly charity Fashion Show. Had executive and leadership positions with university hip-hop dance club, regularly taught drop-in classes, led groups in performances. Continued avidly dancing outside of work with two different dance companies preparing videos and performances. Outside of dance, helped lead charity initiatives with Canadian charity focused on education, intermediate-ability in Chinese.

Post MBA goals: Leverage extensive sales and client facing experience with broad leadership background to work abroad in Asia-Pacific in client facing industries.

Anything else? Nope!
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INSEAD Profile Evaluation - Tools for B-School Profile Evaluation 11 Jan 2022, 20:15
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qwertymachine:

You have a terrific profile, which should make you a viable candidate for INSEAD. Your GMAT, GPA, work experience and extracurricular activities all hit the mark.

The biggest outstanding matter for you is to really write some sharp essays. That's going to be the difference between a good application and a fantastic one. Along those lines, I would also sharpen your career goal. What you have described here (which is obviously not the entire story) is too vague for these types of applications. You will also need a short-term and long-term goal, so best to have those laid out too.

If you think a professional could be of help, please drop us a line for a free consultation. If not, good luck.

https://admissionado.com/free-consultation/
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INSEAD Profile Evaluation - Tools for B-School Profile Evaluation 12 Jan 2022, 04:37
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Hi qwertymachine , let us go over the key criteria INSEAD uses to evaluate applicants

1. Ability to contribute
As someone with a multi-cultural background, you could show a unique perspective on things you have experienced in your personal and professional life. Your active community-involvement, artistic inclination and charity initiatives could become really good conversation starters and show your passion, enthusiasm and a well-rounded profile.

2. International motivation
Though you may not have worked in a truly international setting in the past, you could take examples from various areas of your life to show you have the ability to develop perceptive insights on dealing with international work settings. Use your interest in foreign languages to demonstrate that you are highly motivated to explore opportunities in Asia-Pacific. Show adaptability towards other cultures and that you made effort to understand their perspective.

3. Academic Inclination
You have a good GMAT score and decent academics. Do not miss an opportunity to highlight any academic rewards, achievements and recognitions you may have received in the past. Talk about what "education" means to you or to others in your family to show a deep rooted value system.

4. Leadership Potential
You have an interesting work experience. Leverage anecdotes from your professional life to demonstrate your leadership skills. Show that you have motivated teams to expedite projects and deliver desired results, resolved conflicts with strong persuasive skills, influenced senior management's decisions with your keen observations and insights and generated value for your team and company as a whole. Show bias for action and conscientious decision making capabilities.

If you address the above points well in your application, you are on the right track :)

Best wishes


qwertymachine
Background and nationality: South Asian, Canadian citizen
Undergrad Information: Top Engineering Undergrad in Canada, GPA: 3.6/4
GMAT: 740

Work experience and leadership: 1 yr experience as a North America/Domestic Account Manager of a global chemical manufacturing company services, promoted from Technical Advisor position (3 years) servicing customers in those markets. Exceptional performance leading to early promotion, industry wide recognition with a Top 35 under 35 award by reputable Industry Association, direct P&L responsibilities of major corporate accounts totaling 150 MM USD/yr in revenue. Also have a track record of successful wins/accomplishments with direct commercial benefits to company bottom line.

Community and others: Avid Hip-Hop and Choreography dancer throughout University, lead dancer in yearly charity Fashion Show. Had executive and leadership positions with university hip-hop dance club, regularly taught drop-in classes, led groups in performances. Continued avidly dancing outside of work with two different dance companies preparing videos and performances. Outside of dance, helped lead charity initiatives with Canadian charity focused on education, intermediate-ability in Chinese.

Post MBA goals: Leverage extensive sales and client facing experience with broad leadership background to work abroad in Asia-Pacific in client facing industries.

Anything else? Nope!
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INSEAD Profile Evaluation - Tools for B-School Profile Evaluation Updated on: 11 Apr 2022, 07:15
Originally posted by CaptainRey on 26 Jan 2022, 20:22.
Last edited by CaptainRey on 11 Apr 2022, 07:15, edited 2 times in total.
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Hi,

I am looking to apply for INSEAD's upcoming intake for Jan'23. Would like to get some honest feedback on my profile and what is necessary to execute a good application.

GMAT: 730 (Q49, V41, IR8)
Background: Singaporean Chinese Male
Languages: English and Mandarin, basic Malay
Location: Singapore
Education: Bachelors in Accountancy from Nanyang Technological University (NTU)
Experience: 5.5 years (by the time of matriculation)

Current role
S&O role in a SEA big tech (Grab/SEA) - Current employer is a target for INSEAD grads, routinely work with grads from INSEAD in my line of work

Work experience and leadership
- Started in Big 4 (4 years - 2 years in audit, transition to transaction services (FDD) for the remaining 2 years)
- Led audit of listed company as an associate; subsequently managed scoring good performance ratings for internal transfer
- While in FDD, supported a couple of billion dollar deals (mainly buy-side) - Healthcare, TMT.

Community and others
- Ran for student office twice while in university (2 years)
1 year as a community lead for around ~150 students (planning events etc.)
1 year as a financial controller for my hall of residence (~600 students) - in charge of financial planning and budgeting for the hall's entire year of events and managing the finances of the hall
- Avid contributor in my university hall of residence (awarded Hall colours for representing hall in 3-4 sports while in school)

Others
- CFA Level 1 (CFA scholarship holder)
- Singapore Armed Forces leadership position

Post-MBA Goals
- Transition into management consulting/tech strategy leadership role

Questions
1) Is my GMAT score competitive enough given a lower than average GPA for INSEAD?
2) Are my work, international and ECs strong enough for a shot?
3) Evaluation of my profile? Comments or any weak points

Would appreciate any honest feedback. Thank you!
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INSEAD Profile Evaluation - Tools for B-School Profile Evaluation 26 Jan 2022, 22:00
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CaptainRey:

1) Is my GMAT score competitive enough given a lower than average GPA for INSEAD?

A: Yes, your GMAT score is fine. Even if you retook it again, I don't think 20-30 points would really make a huge difference in your candidacy.

2) Are my work, international and ECs strong enough for a shot?

A: Yes, as long as you present them in a way that highlights the strength of your accomplishments as you have done here.

3) Evaluation of my profile? Comments or any weak points

A: I would avoid the talk of going into MBB consulting. It's overplayed. You need a more interesting post-MBA narrative or you'll fall into the "regular" pile. I'm also not seeing the "brand." There are a lot of good attributes, but you need to tie it altogether around a few key themes that best capture you and what you would bring to the MBA program at INSEAD.
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INSEAD Profile Evaluation - Tools for B-School Profile Evaluation 26 Jan 2022, 22:15
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Admissionado

Quote:

3) Evaluation of my profile? Comments or any weak points

A: I would avoid the talk of going into MBB consulting. It's overplayed. You need a more interesting post-MBA narrative or you'll fall into the "regular" pile. I'm also not seeing the "brand." There are a lot of good attributes, but you need to tie it altogether around a few key themes that best capture you and what you would bring to the MBA program at INSEAD.
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Thank you for replying. Could you elaborate further on the "brand" that you refer to in your reply?

Appreciate the direction, this is quite helpful!
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INSEAD Profile Evaluation - Tools for B-School Profile Evaluation 26 Jan 2022, 23:52
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Hi CaptainRey,

Thank you for sharing your profile. Your profile looks good on the surface. Let’s evaluate your profile one by one:

Academics: Your GMAT score and GPA are good and demonstrate your academic potential. So, this part is sorted, and the rest is up to your overall application.

Work experience: Amazing! You will need to exhibit your roles and responsibilities in an impactful manner. You seem to be a mature leader, and your work should have some huge impacts on the organization. Make sure you highlight all these in a stark way.

Community & others: Your community experience sounds great right from your college (exhibiting some leadership). You will need to project the right story (which encapsulates all your personality) and then polish it in the best possible manner.

Post-MBA goals: Your goal of consulting makes sense. You need to connect it with your prior work experience, the firms you would like to work for, your long-term goals, and so on. You may want to read an article on how to frame practical post-MBA goals essays, you will get some insights on how to communicate the convincing case to the adcoms.

So, overall, I would say you have a competitive profile, and there appear to be no red flags in your profile. Still, you will have to work hard on putting an interesting story on the table and making it unique in terms of how YOU are different from the pool and will be contributing to the INSEAD's community (because obviously, there will be candidates with similar profiles and possibly more achievements, but it's your life story that stands out). And I hope I have answered all of your questions in the overall profile evaluation. If you’d like, we are happy to hop on a call with you sometime this week to discuss your profile in length and further chances to the schools. Feel free to book a free session with us as per your convenience.

Cheers!
Neha Hadke
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CaptainRey
Hi,

I am looking to apply for INSEAD's upcoming intake for Jan'23. Would like to get some honest feedback on my profile and what is necessary to execute a good application.

GMAT: 730 (Q49, V41, IR8) Retook from a 710 on my first attempt
Background: Singaporean Chinese Male
Languages: English and Mandarin
Age: 30 yo (by time of matriculation)
Location: Singapore
Education: Bachelors in Accountancy from Nanyang Technological University (NTU)
GPA: 4/5 (conversion would be ~3.2 on a 4 scale) (Second upper/ Distinction according to NTU's nomenclature)
Experience: 5.5 years (by the time of matriculation in Jan'23)

Current role
S&O role in a SEA big tech (Grab/SEA) - Current employer is a target for INSEAD grads, routinely work with grads from INSEAD in my line of work

Work experience and leadership
- Started in Big 4 (4 years - 2 years in audit, transition to transaction services (FDD) for the remaining 2 years)
- Led audit of listed company as an associate; subsequently managed scoring good performance ratings for internal transfer
- While in FDD, supported a couple of billion dollar deals (mainly buy-side) - Healthcare, TMT. Was direct local lead for a cross border transaction (~400m) for a media company by a PE firm
- Current role: mainly in charge of producing financial forecasts of performance across company's different markets - liaise with leads across 10+ markets spanning the world. Reports reviewed and report directly to C-suite.

Community and others
- Ran for student office twice while in university (2 years)
1 year as a community lead for around ~150 students (planning events etc.)
1 year as a financial controller for my hall of residence (~600 students) - in charge of financial planning and budgeting for the hall's entire year of events and managing the finances of the hall (~10k budget surplus through shrewd management and managing to obtain sponsors) (Halls usually breakeven on their budget)
- Avid contributor in my university hall of residence (awarded Hall colours for representing hall in 3-4 sports while in school)

Others
- CFA Level 1 (CFA scholarship holder)
- Sergeant - Singapore Armed Forces (National Service) (Leading a team of ~7men to execute military drills and missions as part of active unit)

Post-MBA Goals
- Transition into management consulting, hopefully MBB.

Questions
1) Is my GMAT score competitive enough given a lower than average GPA for INSEAD?
2) Are my work, international and ECs strong enough for a shot?
3) Evaluation of my profile? Comments or any weak points

Would appreciate any honest feedback. Thank you!
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INSEAD Profile Evaluation - Tools for B-School Profile Evaluation 27 Jan 2022, 11:41
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CaptainRey:

By "brand" it's effectively what the previous post just mentioned: "an interesting story on the table and making it unique in terms of how YOU are different from the pool."

What do you represent? Are you a manufacturing operations guru? Are you a technically-driven tech investor? Are you are an outside-the-box thinking energy entrepreneur? You need to be proactive in defining how you are to the AdCom. This is the major difference between those who find success and those who struggle in the admissions process.

Hope that helps,
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GPA: 2.49
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INSEAD Profile Evaluation - Tools for B-School Profile Evaluation 13 Feb 2022, 01:39
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Hi

I am looking to apply to INSEAD's Jan 2023 intake. My professional, personal and academic details are as below:

Nationality:Indian
Age:31
Undergrad GPA: 2.49/4.00 (from BITS Pilani - one of the top 6-8 engineering schools in india with an acceptance rate of ~1.2%)
Postgraduate GPA: 2.8/4.00 (from IIFT Delhi - one of the top 15 b schools in India) (was in the top 0.5 percentile in the entrance test) (have multiple straight A in Finance subjects)
GMAT: 710 (q49,v38)
CFA level 1 with distinction in all subject areas tested.

Work Experience: 7 years of work experience across the social sector, venture capital, front-end finance and banking, and finally in Financial Technology.

1.2 years as a full-time Teach for India fellow teaching kids in an under-resourced and low-income community in Pune, India.
2.1 year as an Analyst at a Venture capital firm
3.Management Trainee then Manager and finally Senior Manager at one of the largest private banks in India (hired straight out of b school as part of a selective leadership development program of the bank). Role in front-end securities trading, structuring, valuation etc. Considerable interaction with overseas corporate clients, both Indian and MNCs. Have handles businesses/deals of the order of 100 to 500 million $.Obtained the highest possible performance rating for three consecutive years (basically every year I was with the bank) and promoted twice in as many years.
4.Currently, a fintech product manager at one of India's largest online investment platforms. Managing product strategy, customer interactions, user experience, etc

Other Information:
1. Nominated for the Economic Times Young leaders award by my previous employer.
2. Rally driver for Mahindra Adventure in the amateur category.
3. Leadership position in multiple student bodies, clubs and organizing committees at BITS Pilani.
4.Part of the team that brought Tedx to BITS pilani for the first time.
5. Distinction holding painter in school.

My specific question: Considering my low cgpa I realize that I should ideally re-attempt the gmat and aim to score in the 740+ range. However, going for a re-attempt will result in missing the round 2 deadline for insead and because I am from an over-represented applicant pool I believe it is not advisable to apply in Round 3. Further,there is no guarantee that I will score a 740+ in my second re-attempt although I am confident I have fairly high chances of doing so.

Taking into account all of the above should I chose round 2 + a bit lower gmat score OR re-attempt and go for round 3 with the new score (provided I do better in my re-attempt) ? Any expert advice will be highly valuable

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INSEAD Profile Evaluation - Tools for B-School Profile Evaluation 13 Feb 2022, 07:50
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rc871824:

You really have to retake the GMAT and give yourself at least the chance that you will score better. I'm afraid that your GPA is going to be a big handicap in your application. The only way to even come close to outweighing its impact is with an excellent GMAT score. You have a good one, but not a great one for your demographic and your GPA. Therefore, I feel the risk of not improving your score and worth giving up applying in the earlier round is worth at least the shot of achieving a 740+.

The only other option you have is to wait a full year and apply in the "better" round but that's a personal call as you may want to get an MBA now. Plus you'll be 32 which is not ideal either.

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INSEAD Profile Evaluation - Tools for B-School Profile Evaluation 13 Feb 2022, 23:46
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Hi rc871824,

Thank you for sharing your profile. Your profile looks good on the surface. To begin with, your work experience is quite amazing and diverse. You have a good career trajectory, and demonstrating it will establish you as a high-performing individual. You've held several leadership positions, so I'm sure you've had some excellent leadership and mentorship experiences. You should also emphasize your contributions to the work, the efforts you took, and their impact on the organization. Regarding your ECs, you might discuss why you were nominated for Economic Times Young Leader, as well as any hobbies or interests you have. With good hobbies and ECAs, you should aim to demonstrate the skill-set you have gained and how this extra knowledge and talent can benefit you in your MBA and post-MBA goals. Other than your work, all of this information will assist the adcom getting to know you better!

Now, let me address your problem. Your undergrad GPA is low, and your GMAT score is ok-ish. The average GMAT(Middle 80%) is 710. However, according to recent reports, Insead is now accepting applicants with low GMAT scores. Applicants must show their academic abilities in various methods other than the GMAT score. Your CFA Level 1 certification will assist you in demonstrating your academic competence here. In addition, if everything else is good, they can either interview you or ask you to repeat a test. So, I recommend that you retake the test and begin working on your apps parallel. It's nice if you get a high score, and even if you can raise your score by 20 points, you still have a chance. Please allow at least two months to prepare this application. As you are applying for round two, you should begin very soon, if not sooner. I don't recommend applying in R3 because chances are slim. Overall, you have a good profile, and to compensate for your GPA and GMAT, you will need to construct a strong application. You would face stiff competition, and a large part of your selection would be based on your essays and how well you present them. Our consultants are INSEAD graduates, and they know everything there is to know about the school. If you'd like, we'd be happy to jump on a call with you sometime this week to explore your profile in-depth and further opportunities at INSEAD. Feel free to book a free session with us as per your convenience.

Cheers!
Neha Hadke
Profile Analyst & Channel Manager, MBA and Beyond
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Email: neha@mbaandbeyond.com

rc871824
Hi

I am looking to apply to INSEAD's Jan 2023 intake. My professional, personal and academic details are as below:

Nationality:Indian
Age:31
Undergrad GPA: 2.49/4.00 (from BITS Pilani - one of the top 6-8 engineering schools in india with an acceptance rate of ~1.2%)
Postgraduate GPA: 2.8/4.00 (from IIFT Delhi - one of the top 15 b schools in India) (was in the top 0.5 percentile in the entrance test) (have multiple straight A in Finance subjects)
GMAT: 710 (q49,v38)
CFA level 1 with distinction in all subject areas tested.

Work Experience: 7 years of work experience across the social sector, venture capital, front-end finance and banking, and finally in Financial Technology.

1.2 years as a full-time Teach for India fellow teaching kids in an under-resourced and low-income community in Pune, India.
2.1 year as an Analyst at a Venture capital firm
3.Management Trainee then Manager and finally Senior Manager at one of the largest private banks in India (hired straight out of b school as part of a selective leadership development program of the bank). Role in front-end securities trading, structuring, valuation etc. Considerable interaction with overseas corporate clients, both Indian and MNCs. Have handles businesses/deals of the order of 100 to 500 million $.Obtained the highest possible performance rating for three consecutive years (basically every year I was with the bank) and promoted twice in as many years.
4.Currently, a fintech product manager at one of India's largest online investment platforms. Managing product strategy, customer interactions, user experience, etc

Other Information:
1. Nominated for the Economic Times Young leaders award by my previous employer.
2. Rally driver for Mahindra Adventure in the amateur category.
3. Leadership position in multiple student bodies, clubs and organizing committees at BITS Pilani.
4.Part of the team that brought Tedx to BITS pilani for the first time.
5. Distinction holding painter in school.

My specific question: Considering my low cgpa I realize that I should ideally re-attempt the gmat and aim to score in the 740+ range. However, going for a re-attempt will result in missing the round 2 deadline for insead and because I am from an over-represented applicant pool I believe it is not advisable to apply in Round 3. Further,there is no guarantee that I will score a 740+ in my second re-attempt although I am confident I have fairly high chances of doing so.

Taking into account all of the above should I chose round 2 + a bit lower gmat score OR re-attempt and go for round 3 with the new score (provided I do better in my re-attempt) ? Any expert advice will be highly valuable

Posted from my mobile device
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