ISB Profile Evaluation

Question

Academics
10th- 9.60 CGPA
12th-90.2 %, IOM- National Rank 115
B.Tech from Tier 1, Mechanical Engineering 6.65 CGPA

2 internships- Nestle and Regal Rexnord Corporation: both core engineering roles

Fulltime
1 year 9 months in AI Product management, B2B ,SaaS high paced startup
Shipped end to end AI driven products, Led a POC which generated $1.50M TCV.
Worked with multiple clients and led a team of 2.
Double promotion within 12 months.

Pivoted to a research consultant role in a startup- to get exposed to consulting and analysis for FMCGs (Food industry) in business strategy.

Extra curriculars: 180 DC senior consultant in college, BMC course in professional mountaineering from HMI Darjeeling.(A grade)

GRE:330

TutelageXMentor · Answer

You have a competitive profile, go ahead. Make sure your essays and interview prep is top class, often applicants feel that a good test score is enough to. Essays do carry a lot of weight.

Thanks

LakshyaAdmit · Answer

Hi  ariesDawning ,

Best wishes for your application. You have a strong profile - in terms of work experience, curriculars, and accomplishments. While GPA is slightly lower, you have a GRE score that is within the range. Focus on post-MBA goals and showcase your story arc. Within two years, you worked in both PM and Consulting roles. How you position your pivot will be critical.

Regards,

Lakshya Admit

Daphnee · Answer

Hi! Your profile is competitive, but your career narrative looks a bit fragmented with under three years of experience split between AI Product Management and a new Research Consultant role. In your essays, be sure to explain why you left a high-trajectory PM track for a startup research position.

Best of luck!

Best of luck!

MBAGuide · Answer

ariesDawning

At ISB, you need an edge, which usually comes to candidates in your experience group who either come from consulting backgrounds (exposure to multiple clients/industries) or those who have worked in fast-paced startup environments with unique exposure to how decisions are made at the highest levels. So what is your unique story here?
ISB sees a lot of pre-MBA techies/engineers applying to the program.

My recommendation is that you latch on to a uniqueness in your area of work and build your entire application around that. You will have to unpack your experiences and reconstruct them in a way that shows that working on high-impact projects has given you much more hands-on experience, the opportunity to engage with leaders within the industry, greater experiential maturity, and a stronger capability to contextualize business problems related to your field than most young applicants who apply. Always remember that ISB is spoilt for choice and won't blink an eye before rejecting an applicant who has an area for improvement.

Your profile will be compared to that of other applicants with similar backgrounds and a similar number of years of work experience. This is because adcoms work hard to maintain diversity in the cohort, including the industry and distribution of work experience. What you also need to do differently as a younger applicant is demonstrate that you have gained a solid understanding of your industry or field in a short period of time by working on a variety of projects and initiatives. You should also thoroughly explain the types of roles you are seeking after the PGP and why. In addition, you should expect to be grilled in the interview and to be presented with some case scenarios or problems. These are the things I prepare my ISB applicants for. I have had mentees who cracked the ISB admit with exactly 2 years of experience. Should you want more guidance, feel free to connect.

[color=#000000]Best wishes
Aanchal Sahni (INSEAD MBA alumna, former INSEAD MBA admissions interviewer)
Founder, MBAGuideConsulting
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aanchal-sahni-83b00819/ |WEBSITE: https://mbaguideconsulting.com/| Message(WA): +91 9971200927| email- [email protected] [/color]

ariesDawning

Academics
10th- 9.60 CGPA
12th-90.2 %, IOM- National Rank 115
B.Tech from Tier 1, Mechanical Engineering 6.65 CGPA

2 internships- Nestle and Regal Rexnord Corporation: both core engineering roles

Fulltime
1 year 9 months in AI Product management, B2B ,SaaS high paced startup
Shipped end to end AI driven products, Led a POC which generated $1.50M TCV.
Worked with multiple clients and led a team of 2.
Double promotion within 12 months.

Pivoted to a research consultant role in a startup- to get exposed to consulting and analysis for FMCGs (Food industry) in business strategy.

Extra curriculars: 180 DC senior consultant in college, BMC course in professional mountaineering from HMI Darjeeling.(A grade)

GRE:330

ISB Profile Evaluation

Prep Toolkit

Top 5 GMAT Debrief Videos

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards