MBAPrepCoach wrote:
Thinking about the four criteria for INSEAD we have leadership, contribution, academics, International orientation.
You have light work experience and I can see your duties but I'm interested to know if you have any hard hitting results. If you are applying as a younger candidate they want to see that you have gotten *hit done hopefully at the organization level. Recs need to be powerful telling those stories... is it something you can demonstrate through the start-up ?
I am concerned that you don't have any data points listed here in terms of contribution I do like the creative interests is good but they really want to know that you're going to be someone who is actively contributing to the student body taking part in international days and that kind of stuff and someone who is going to throw their hand up to be an interviewer as an alum down the road. So think hard about ways to demonstrate that you are someone who is a Pay It Forward mentality person and is willing to invest in community.
In terms of academics I would say that 700 is really a bit low...and if gpa is lowish that must be higher... you would be to have some really strong offsetting entries to make up bit of ground on that front. Get a tutor?
You might try your luck on a mock GRE and see how that comes out because 700 is really not very competitive for US schools, and at European schools you're too young to really be that competitive without having a strong compelling story involving impact and Leadership.
That said you might consider HEC and IESE with a 700.
I like that you have an internship in China and so that's helpful but you would need to really show how that's part of a broader picture (goals) and how you want to have an international career in a Asia and how INSEAD would be indispensable to achieve it.. it's not enough as a standalone.
Sorry if this is disappointing just want to save you the time of applying prematurely... it's a huge application... I think you just need to dial in your story get clear on your impact and have a more competitive test score.
fasih96fasih96 wrote:
Hi everyone, could anyone help evaluate my profile for a shot at INSEAD.
Profile:
Nationality: Pakistan (Might be an underrepresented nationality)
Gender: Male
Age: 25 (soon to be)
Undergrad: Bachelors in Science (Honors) - Major (Accounting and Finance) - 3.2 GPA (Lahore University of Management Sciences)
GMAT: 700 (Q48, V38, IR 4) - Online GMAT Hence no AWA
Work Experience: 3 Years
1 Year in a Burgeoning Startup Attempting to Create Livelihood for Local Farmer Population
2 Years in Friesland Campina as Assistant Manager Sales and Operational Planning
-Joined as a Management Trainee, to be promoted to full time at the above role in January 2021.
-Main Charges:
1. Forecasting Sales of Company's Portfolio and Creating Lifting Plans for Primary Sales
2. Analyzing Retail Data to Develop Sales Strategies
3. Creating Trade Strategies to maximize monthly sales.
4. Scheduling Movement of Stocks to ensure Regional Demand is met on a monthly basis.
Awards: Topped Country in Additional Mathematics in IGCSE Exams
Co-Curricular: None - however a documented creative streak (write my own blog and have self published a small novella describing life in University, also delivered a University Level Talk on Video Game Addiction)
Internships: Multiple Local as well as Single International Internship in China at an International Accounting/Tax Firm
Letters of Recommendation: Planning on getting 2 from Directors at Pakistani OPCO's of Multi National Companies who I've worked with previously.
Posted from my mobile deviceThank you for taking the time out to get back to me in a very comprehensive manner no less. I'll try and best answer the questions you've asked as well.
Before doing so however, I understand my chances are a bit limited with my current standing and my primary goals are actually in countries such as AUS, Canada and Singapore however I do want to atleast try my hand at some top US and European universities even if I get rejected down the line I can apply again when i have a better profile. I have a typical list made with some dream universities, some hopeful ones and then a few that i feel a bit more confident since I'm well above in terms of median GMAT and close in terms of GPA as well. I hope that's a good approach going into applications?
Some detail would help here in terms of work experience.
2018 - Mandi Express Pvt Ltd (eCommerce Portal connecting farmers producing fresh produce to consumers)
Primary Responsibilites:
1-Handling Website Operations and Backend from Customer Service to Completion
2-Designed Marketing and Pricing Protocols for new Vendors
While I could honestly host a list of achievements here my primary duties were simply to ensure that the front end and backend of the website was functioning properly as any problem resulted in business loss. My primary achievement was the role I played in acquisition of a massive eCommerce account that basically put the startup on the map - I was responsible for designing the pricing mechanism that we were using with the acquired account.
Mid 2019 Till Date - Friesland Campina Engro Pakistan
Primary Achievements:
1-Reduced OOS from a higher limit of 15 OOS days to a target of 5 OOS days for Value Brands (Brands driving Productivity Growth)
2-Demand and Supply Alignment to achieve growth of 16% in Volume base from 2018-2019 over a 300mn annual Volume Base
3-Responsible for Ongoing Digital Revitalization of Demand Forecasting (Ongoing - involves migrating from a manual forecasting system to an entirely digital solution)
4-Responsible for annual Corporate Planning
My referrers will also likely attest to the same achievements as above.
Creative Outlets:
1-University Blog - I used to contribute weekly to university literature and as stated earlier I wrote a small book describing the typical struggles of a university student back in Pakistan
2-Public Speaking - Delivered a talk on Video Game Addiction in collaboration with the Psychology Club in University.
3-Community Contribution - I have a strong sense of community in general, while it's definitely hard to document such instances because a lot of what I've often done is more informal however whichever University I am to be a part of will find that I'm among those who will often go well beyond the line of duty to contribute to anything either the university or the student body might require.
I understand that my application is weak and my career is in its infancy as well but that is precisely why I want to apply for an MBA. My interests lie in Marketing and Data Analytics and as it stands there is a lack of appreciation or work on generating Strategic Insights for growth on a national level in my home country. I want to get in a room with the individuals that will likely be accompanying me in this MBA journey and learn from them and be able to take that learning to wherever I join. My aim would be to start a Career in Marketing or Strategy with my primary interests being in Consumer Products or in Consumer Technology - that too preferably in the country where i graduate.
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22 Jul 2020, 16:01
