INSEAD Profile Evaluation - Tools for B-School Profile Evaluation

Hi

Background and nationality: 30+ Russian/Romanian
Undergrad Information: Top 10 Russian finance/econ schools 3.2/4
Grad: Top 10 UK engineering schools, petroleum engineer 4/4
GMAT: 720 (I have plenty of time to retake if needed)
Work experience and leadership: 10 years of corpfin/corpdev for Russian oil giant (top 50 in Global F500) of which 5 years in Singapore, led a couple of high-caliber M&A assignments; been on career track, promoted 3 times, been awarded by CEO, shortlisted for senior leadership roles in portfolio companies (still will be able to play this card post-mba)
Community and others: within my employer led several de-carbonization, tech and operational efficiency projects with tangible quantifiable results, interned at tech VC, did 3 Ironman 70.3 triathlons and a marathon in a row in 4 months (I don't know how it can be helpful but some folks mention it), CFA lvl 3 candidate
Overall international exposure (studied or worked): European and Siberian parts of Russia, Europe, Asia/Singapore, Middle East
Post MBA goals: Consulting with emphasize on energy transition or VC in clean tech, not sure about my odds in IB
Schools:
a) I guess European schools will be the best fit for me (INSEAD, LBS) since I'm a bit older, have int. exposure and visa will not be an issue;
b) also would love to explore 1-year programs at Cornell and NYU (MBA Tech) since I'm inclined to tech/STEM and hey, NY is the center of galaxy;
c) maybe 1-year accelerated at Duke (with concentration in Energy Finance) since I have significant energy experience;
d) not much info about MIT fellows or Stanford Msx;
e) not sure about standard 2 year US MBA path, but would love to hear your suggestions.

Hi boblesponge,

thanks for your post. You have a very well-rounded profile with potential for INSEAD (and LBS).

Without knowing much about those 10 years of work experience, the 3 promotions, the senior leadership roles, and the achievements (e.g. awarded by CEO) all indicate good career progression. Though, I would love to take a look at your CV to understand better your career path.

You clearly have the international experience that INSEAD (and LBS) appreciates so much.

I also like your experience with Ironman, triathlon and marathons. Besides training and preparing for these, though, what else do you do in your free time? Do you have any community service involvement outside of work?

I have other questions for you if you don't mind:

1. How old are you? Because you did graduate studies and you have 10 years of work experience, I guess you're around 33-34? Is that right? INSEAD's range goes from 26 to 32, and the range for years of work experience goes from 3 to 8 years. If you're outside this range, don't worry. It doesn't mean you have no chances to get accepted. All you need to do is show in your application that you have accomplished much more than the average 28-29-year-old applicant.

2. When are you planning to apply? You mentioned you have plenty of time to retake the GMAT, so what intake and round are you targetting? Depending on your age, I wouldn't wait much longer.

3. What's your GMAT Q/V/IR split? Your 720 overall score is about 10 points above INSEAD's (and LBS') average so, in principle, a retake wouldn't be that necessary. I would prioritize a strong application over a few more points in your GMAT score. That being said, if you indeed have plenty of time to retake the GMAT and you are confident about increasing your score, by all means, go ahead and retake it. A higher score would also help you offset the (potential) age issue.

4. What is your long-term goal? I'm assuming consulting, VC or IB are your immediate post-MBA goals.

As for US schools, your age could potentially be a vulnerability, especially for traditional 2-year Top MBA Programs. But I would def try the Duke Accelerated MBA, NYU Tech MBA and Cornell 1-Year MBA.

I hope this helps.

As I said, I would love to take a look at your CV (or LinkedIn profile). Feel free to share it directly with me at [email protected].

Thank you very much.

Warm regards
Alex

27 year old Indian woman here.

\(Stats\)

GMAT Score: 740 (Q:50, V:40, 97 percentile)

Undergrad GPA: 8/10

Grad GPA: 6.7/7 (2nd in a class of 120)


Why I want an MBA: I have experience in IT/Finance and want to pivot into Strategy Consulting or General Management and am keen on an international study experience.

Why I want one now: I have always had an interest in the the process management space. I have been working as a business analyst where I am part of the implementation of a digital strategy in the organisation for over 3 years which led me to an interest in strategy in general. I want to learn and explore this new but related field.

Background

Work experience: 3.5 years (1 promotion) as a Business Analyst in a global financial services firm with a focus on technology platforms

Extra curriculars and other experience:

Part of a Leadership Prep program at work
Part of Digital Innovation Initiatives at work
Part of the site-level (1000+ employees) employee engagement and communications workgroups at work
Head of the Alumni Committee at Grad School

Undergrad school/major: Bachelor of Engineering in Information Technology

Other education/coursework: Master of Management Studies with a focus on Information Systems

Hi everyone! Firstly, best of luck to everyone who is applying to INSEAD and congratulations to those who have already secured an admit. We are two incoming MBA candidates at INSEAD. Last year, when we were in the middle of our application process, we had a lot of questions about the school but not enough avenues to find the answers. We wanted to bridge this gap and, at the same time, relieve some of the stress and uncertainty the pandemic has caused in the minds of prospective MBA candidates. This is how our YouTube channel 'Role Call' was created!

Role Call presents its first live fireside chat 'Pursuing an MBA in Challenging Times' tomorrow, Sunday (22nd November) at 3PM GMT (10AM EST, 8.30PM IST, 11PM SGT). Our guest is an INSEAD alum, Sharath Jeevan, who graduated from INSEAD during the dot com bubble burst. He is one of the world's leading experts on intrinsic motivation and on how to apply motivation thinking to address our deepest problems. If you are an incoming or aspiring MBA candidate and you are feeling the burn of uncertainty all around, this session will nudge you to form a unique perspective. To register for the event, Please visit https://rb.gy/be4sju .

Dear all,

Would you know if anyone who has been admitted to INSEAD with an Integrated Reasoning of 5?

Thank you for your answers

mimosa

Hi mimosa1712,

May I know your main concern? We have some recent INSEAD admits, can help you connect with someone!

Shantanu Sharma,
Founder and Admissions Consultant, MBA and Beyond

Hi,

I could really use a profile evaluation favor. I would like to know whether I am a good fit for this school and for which schools I may be a good fit. Thanks in advance!

Nationality:
Georgia (European country, not a state!), was born here and currently based here.

Age at the start of studies:
27 (if I apply in January for R2)
28 (if I apply for 2022 intake)

Undergrad information:
Bachelor of Arts in Economics from an average private university in Warsaw, Poland. GPA around 4.8/5.

GMAT:
730 (Q49, V40); IR 6; AWA 6.0
I’ve canceled the first test result.

Work experience and leadership:
Current: For the past 3.5 years I’ve been working at the LSE listed FTSE 250 constituent top bank in Georgia. For the last 1.5 years I’ve been the head of regional corporate investment banking team. Started out as a junior banker.
Current: Board member at the medical non-profit society, responsible for creating the biggest annual international conference of anesthesiology in Georgia.
Past: AML analyst for 1.5 years at Citibank in Warsaw, Poland.

Extra curriculars:
Passed CFA Level 2 Exam, targeting Level 3 exam in May 2021.
2011-12 Finalist of US Department State funded Future Leaders Exchange Program, via which I went to the USA and studied at a US high school for one full academic year, on full scholarship and a stipend.
2014 Participated in Startup Weekend by Google in Warsaw and won a symbolic prize.
2014 Participated in Erasmus Intensive Program when I was in Warsaw. I led the team in Portugal where we simulated the launch of a business for 10 days.
2019 Participated as a panel discussion speaker at Krynica Economic Forum with top finance executives, we spoke on FinTech and digital banking.

Post MBA goals:
Private equity shop or venture capital would be a dream come true. Otherwise, investment banking preferably with GS, MS or top tier boutiques.

Languages:
Fluent Georgia, English, Russian
Conversational Polish

Recommendation letters:
Will be able to get recommendation letters from the top management of the bank I work for. Some of the recommenders are top 20 bschool alums.

Target schools:
Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, Booth, MIT, Yale, Cornell.

Hi raindr0p,

I saw your profile at various forums and will give a collective evaluation.

You have got a great profile, I can see certain amazing elements in your profile. Let's go step-by-step.

- Stats: Quite amazing. You have shown your potential through many great examples and considering your background, it should be a good score with all your target schools.

- Work-ex: From the details that you've provided, I can see a good career trajectory and I believe you can present many good leadership stories out of your experience. I would like to know your impact on the companies. Plus, you've got great recommenders. I will suggest you also get letters of support from the respective schools' alum after application. It can complement your apps well.

- ECs: You are an achiever! I can see some wonderful things, for example, your participation in the Erasmus program, then your role as a board member in a non-profit. You should highlight your motivation and purpose behind these actions in the apps.

Overall, you have a fair shot at the schools you've mentioned. But keep a well-researched portfolio of schools to target. Try avoiding those schools with which your values and goals can not resonate. Also, if you're thinking to work in Europe post-MBA, you may consider INSEAD and LBS which provide great opportunities for a career in PE/VC. If you'd like, we are happy to hop on a call with you to discuss your profile at length and help you shortlist schools. Feel free to book a free session with us as per your convenience.

Cheers!
Kashish Garg,
Community Manager, MBA and Beyond

On behalf of,
Shantanu Sharma, Linkedin
Founder and Admissions Consultant, MBA and Beyond
Testimonials
Email: [email protected]
What s app: +65-97158525

Thanks a lot for your time! What do you mean by letters of support? Is it something different from the letters of recommendation? And how do they work?
And also, how likely is it to get PE/VC jobs after the graduation? I've heard it's extremely hard if not impossible.

Hi raindr0p,

apologies for jumping in.

Landing a job in PE/VC is indeed not easy, but INSEAD has good placements. Take a look at the 2019 employers list here and filter by Sector = "Private Equity / Venture Capital". You'll see that a number of PE/CV firms hired INSEAD grads in 2019.

https://intheknow.insead.edu/employment ... recruiters

Overall, INSEAD is quite strong in PE and offers a number of PE electives. In my personal case, despite my technical background pre-INSEAD in telecom, I was able to land a summer internship with a PE firm in Cambodia. We were three MBA interns: one from Wharton, one from NYU Stern, and myself from INSEAD. It was a great experience.

So, if I was able to land the role despite my non-IB/Finance background, I am confident you will be of interest to PE/CV firms.

As for the letters of support, these are different from the official letters of recommendation. These are letters from current students or alumni expressing their support for your candidacy. They could share these letters with you and you upload them to your online application (Supporting Documents section), or they could email them directly to your Admissions Officer after you submit your application and once you know her contact details. I personally prefer the latter.

I hope this helps.

Thank you very much.

Warm regards
Alex

Letters of support come from current students, alumni or staff of a school. You can ask it from any of your contacts who may are alumni to the target schools to send their word post-application. You can learn more about letters of support here: https://www.clearadmit.com/mba-admissio ... f-support/

As far as PE is concerned, it's a very tight-knit community as suggested by Alex. The companies generally hire only through the network and hence to make your space in this industry, you need to create a strong network. And that's where a business school can help you. Being an Insead alum, I know INSEAD is a hub of PE. There is a solid network of people in the field there and hence it can be a good option for you. If possible, I can help you connect with mine. LBS, too, provides a plethora of opportunities to create a strong network in the field.

You are welcome to connect to me and we can have a discussion at length about your various options. I would love to be a help to you

Cheers!
Shantanu Sharma, Linkedin
Founder and Admissions Consultant, MBA and Beyond
Testimonials
Email: [email protected]
What s app: +65-97158525

Hi all,

Appreciate you taking the time to take a look at my profile!

Background:
Female, 27 (will be 28 when I start the program), married, no children
Born in Russia; left home at 15 to attend boarding school in the UK

Languages:
- russian (native)
- english (fluent)
- french (just started earlier this year; plan on going back to intensive learning once I am done with the GMAT/apps)

Education:
finished high school in the UK (A-Levels): Psychology, Economics, Politics, Maths
attended Syracuse University (USA) for undergrad; graduated with a B.S. in Communications and Rhetoric (2.94/4 GPA)
- no quant courses at all; low GPA because I was immature and needed some time to adjust to a new educational system (UK vs US)
- as an avid music fan, for the longest time I wanted to get into music industry
- while in college, I interned as a Spotify campus ambassador
- worked at a music venue off-campus as a promoter and led a marketing street team of 5 people
- wrote and did photography for a few campus magazines
- summer internships included marketing for a French social media company (Moscow, Russia), event marketing for a Russian media company (Moscow, Russia), marketing for a music startup in (NYC)

GMAT: 680 (42Q 41V IR6)

Professional:
- 4.5 years of experience post-graduation
- have a somewhat non-linear path; multiple industries, but most roles were in client relations in some capacity
- got into a highly competitive internship program with Red Bull (culture marketing) right after college in Atlanta, GA
- moved to NYC to start my career; ended up working at a digital agency as a project manager (bilingual environment; offshore team in Eastern Europe; US-based clients); consulted in UX and web design, managed client assets, received and shared technical specs
- was forced to leave my job and take a break due to a pending immigration case (did not have a work visa); spent this time volunteering for an events/music organization company, doing photo retouching, and volunteering for Habitat for Humanity as a Resource Development specialist
- joined an Ad-tech company in a rush to minimize unemployment, which backfired. for a brief time worked as an account manager until I realized I derive zero pleasure from working in advertising; left my job after 9 months to do some soul searching and decide what I wanted to do
- been working for an international ed-tech company (publicly traded) in NYC for close to 3 years; started as a coordinator, got promoted to manager after 1 year (and switched departments); got promoted a second time in October (two promotions in less than 3 years); my role is unique and involves project management and client relations, as well as instructional design consulting; I work with professors from top universities (currently: LSE and Harvard Business School); no direct reports

Extracurricular/Hobbies:
- avid traveler (been to 6 continents and 40+ countries)
- as mentioned above, I always wanted to work in the music industry but got discouraged when I saw the amount of discrimination women face in the music industry; nevertheless, I have been to hundreds of concerts and have proudly maintained a monthly favorites Spotify playlist consistently since 2016
- I have been doing photography since I was 15 (street, travel, portrait)
- volunteered for Sofar Sounds (an organization that puts on intimate concerts in bizarre venues, including people's living room around the globe); acted as the Show Lead for 2.5 years and organized dozens of concerts
- volunteered for Habitat for Humanity when I couldn't work
- huge cinephile, I adore film
- learning French for fun

Misc:
- my dad graduated from INSEAD

Goals and Aspirations:
- would like to lean into my strengths and continue on a path of client relations, but on a larger scale; interested in strategic partnerships and customer success in the tech industry (would like to stay in Europe and relocate permanently through the MBA); specifically interested in roles at Salesforce, Atlassian, Google, Amazon
- also interested in product marketing (also in tech)

My general thoughts/questions:
- my quant score is low for INSEAD; my instinct is to retake to make my score a bit more balanced; given that the R1 deadline for Jan2022 is not until March, I have the time to improve my quant (but also don't want to waste my time on a retake if it's not exactly needed) -- should I retake the GMAT? I know the average is 709, but I am also considering my profile as a Russian female with a lot of international experience
- is MBAmath something I should consider? I did not take a single quant course since high school
- does legacy help at all at INSEAD?
- curious to hear your general thoughts and feedback

Thanks!

Hi adw,

thanks for all the details.

You have indeed a well-rounded profile with extensive international experience. As you know, this is highly appreciated by INSEAD and International Motivation is even one of the admissions criteria.

I am just a bit concerned about your non-linear path before joining your current company. Are there big gaps between roles? Fortunately, the INSEAD application has several places where you can address any gaps and the non-linearity of the start of your professional career. For example, Job Description Essay #3 (i.e. description of your career path and rationale behind your choices) is an ideal place to explain your career path and highlight your interest in client relations as one of the main motivations behind your choices. Also, make sure to explain your career path so that every new role has meant a move upwards.

Feel free to share your resume with me ([email protected]). I would love to take a look.

As to your questions/concerns:

a. GMAT. Considering that you don't come from an over-represented background, your overall score of 680 would be fine. But your Quant score is indeed a bit far from the 70-75th percentile recommended by INSEAD. But at the end of the day, it's just a recommendation, and plenty of applicants get accepted with lower scores. That being said, as you mentioned, there is still plenty of time until the Round 1 deadline (Jan 2022 intake), so a retake would be a good idea just to be on the "safer" side.

b. MBAmath. From an admissions perspective, the best thing you could do is retake GMAT. But if you want to ramp up your quant skills before the beginning of the program, MBAmath could be a good option.

c. Legacy. Unlike some other top MBA programs, INSEAD does not ask in the application for any information regarding your parents (e.g. education level, institutions attended, professional background...) and does not ask whether there are INSEAD graduates in your family. So, in principle, looks like legacy is not that important for INSEAD. That being said, if you let INSEAD know that your dad is an alum (e.g. in one of the essays), it could help tip the balance if your candidacy is considered to be on the borderline.

I hope this helps.

By the way, I also saw your post on the HEC Paris forum. Obviously, you also have a very competitive profile for HEC Paris, despite their recommendation to be above 60th percentile for both Quant and Verbal sections of the GMAT. So, I definitely encourage you to apply.

Thank you very much.

Warm regards
Alex

thank you ARLeeConsulting! I appreciate it.

Hi everyone,

Was hoping to get some insight on my overall profile.

Indian / F / 27.

I have strong academic credentials:
1. CGPA 10 / Rank #1 in secondary school examination (CBSE - grade X)
2. 96.25% / Rank #2 in higher secondary school examination (CBSE - grade XII)
3. CGPA 7.8 / 10 / Rank #3 in BCom with a major in Accounting and Finance
4. CFA Charterholder

Professionally, I have ~5.5 years of investment banking experience in India, of which I spent ~4 months working at the company's office in New York.

In addition, I am extremely passionate about Yoga. I am a certified instructor and teach on a regular basis.

I also took the GMAT last week after around 2 weeks of prep but scored a 640 (Q42 V35 AWA5 IR6). I lost points in Quants, but I am hoping my academic and professional qualifications would make up for it. I was wondering whether this score, considered in tandem with my overall profile, would be deemed competitive.

Thanks!

Hi NP2909,

I responded to your message on the LBS thread and the same advice holds for INSEAD as well. Retake the GMAT. INSEAD has a January Intake as well and the application round for that one begins in March. You can benefit from the 2 month internship that is part of the January intake (and not included in the Sept intake), esp if you are vying for an IB job.

Hi Everyone request your inputs on my profile for INSEAD 2022 Jan & July incoming batch

Indian
Female
26

High school: 10/10 CGPA 2010
Sr High school: 93% Aggregate (science) 2012
Grad: Tier 1 engineering college (Non IIT, Non NIT) in biotechnology 7.1/10 absolute grading 2016
Post grad: IIM A/B/C/L (India's top 4) in Agrobusiness management 5.5 on relative grading scale 2018


Work ex (only post IIM MBA)

1 yr as group leadership associate (internal consultant) with India's Biggest conglomerate in the following 3 projects.
All 3 companies are of the same conglomerate & I worked here on stint rotations

1. Branding & Marketing Manager: B2B Fibre company, Mumbai (4 months)
Launched a new category, did GTM planning & execution for the category, handled PR, Media, Social Media etc. Worked with national celebrities for the launch

2. Digital Marketing Manager, Payments Bank, Fintech industry, Mumbai (4 months)
Scaled up paid digital marketing efforts for two apps of the company via affiliate marketing, referral programs, SEO, SEM etc

3. Demand Planning Manager, World's biggest aluminum manufacturer, Atlanta (USA) (4 months)
Worked on reducing the demand variance in the supply chain for the can manufacturing team, handled key accounts like Pepsico, Ball etc.


Brand Marketing Manager, India's biggest premium apparel Mens brand (1.5 yrs) , Based in India
Worked on advertising campaigns, social media marketing, SEO, SEM, Campaign launches, store launches, retail management, Ecommerce scale up, PR & Celebrity management. Drove All aspects of Media, Social Media, Marketing, Branding for the lifestyle brand. Was SPOC for all advertising agencies, PR, Media, Print houses, Ecommerce platforms like Amazon, Flipkart (Walmart)etc.


Current role: Business development manager, Fashion & Lifestyle category, World's Biggest Ecommerce company, Based in India.
Just started this role. Got a 100% hike, promotion. The role typically goes to people with 4-5 years of experience while I only have 2.5 yrs


Extra curriculars:
Trained vocalist.
Self taught dancer (contemporary dance form, Bollywood, Bhangra)
Trained Keyboard player, Learning guitar

Volunteering

National Service Scheme Cadet (School)
Associated with Red Cross as fundraising volunteer (School)
Associated with Goonj NGO as a volunteer (College)
Highly passionate about Women's & Child education issues
Helped 150+ students from lesser fortunate backgrounds with soft skills like interviews, grooming, presentation skills to crack Job interviews, B school admissions etc.

GMAT Score (yet to take): current performance 700+, have a month to go for the actual GMAT.

Languages:
Hindi
English
Punjabi
Italian (beginner)

Request the experts to weight in on:
My profile for INSEAD
Suggested incoming batch: Should I go for Jan 2022 or Sep 2022
Perception of IIM MBA wrt application & if this will impact my admission chance or scholarship chance.

Thank you in advance