ISB Profile Evaluation - Tools for B-School Profile Evaluation

Thank you Varun,

Appreciate your insights. You mentioned IIM B as another possible option, would you say that IIMB One Year is comparable to ISB? I am saying this because IIM's flagship programs are the two year one's?

Best Regards,

Munna

definitely increase your score (atleast 710 +)and gain some volunteer experience and try to apply wit 3+experience. Good luck

low GMAT and no volunteer work

Dear All,

Kindly review my profile.
Would having a PG degree be a boon or a bane?
Would having a gap year in order to chase a dream would come across like a boon or a bane?

Thanks and warm regards,
The Grey Pilgrim.

Planning to switch industry and role.
Indian Male 30
Class X : 90 %
Class XII : 90 %
Graduation : B.Tech Civil Engineer (2010) 80.1 %
Post Graduation : M.Tech Structural Engineering (2010-12) from IIT Kanpur with a CPI of 8.0.
2012 July- 2013 Feb : Worked as a Research Assistant at IIT Kanpur till Feb. For 6 months.
2013 March till 2014 July: Tried unsuccessfully for a shot at Civil Services Exam for 1.5 years.

2014 July till date: Ship Structural Engineer at the Research and Development Division of a re-known Ship Classification Society (Member of International Association of Classification Societies) that contributes to maritime safety and regulation through technical support, compliance verification and research and development .
- Client facing key consultancy projects involved in the stress assessment, fatigue life estimation, vibration analysis etc. of Naval Vessels, Bulk Carriers, Oil Tankers and other vessels.
- Managed cross-functional departments of the organisation and executed analysis and design projects
- Worked with Defense firms and Shipyards like Alion, Reliance Defence, ABG Shipyard, Mazagaon Dock Ltd, GRSE, CSL etc. on Consultancy projects
- Liaised with MoD, Navy and Coast Guards during projects
- Skilled at Core Engineering Analysis, Project Management, client handling, work quotations etc.

Total Work Experience : Work experience of 55 months till date

Achievements :
Work Related:
1) Optimized structural assessment methodology and brought about time savings (in man days) of a typical strength assessment project by 33%.
2) Executed consultancy projects to the tune of 1M$.
3) AAA rated client feedback after project completion in 2 projects.
4) Part of a key team involved in the development of structural guidelines for Steel vessels that all ships classed with my organisation needs to adhere with.

Hobbies & Extra-curricular : PADI Certified Scuba Diver, Home cook, Singer and Hobbyist Photographer.
Social Work : Part time Volunteer at the Art of Living Foundation
Post MBA goal: My short term post MBA goal is to switch over from my niche industry (Research/Engineering/Shipping) domain to a more generalized management role in the industry. I would like to acquire the necessary skills (core courses expertise) and soft skills (man management, negotiations, group activities) etc at ISB in order to prepare for this switch to a Management Consultancy role.

Long term goals: Use the knowledge, connections, network and experiences gained in all business roles from Consulting to start up and scale a chain of hotels/foodtrucks.

GMAT Score: 710

Posted from my mobile device

Dear GreyPilgrim

Thanks for sharing such well written profile points. It shows the amount of clarity you already have as far as getting in B-school is concerned. This will surely help you.

GMAT Score and acads are good, Post graduate from an IIT adds to your application points positively.

Your achievements and extra-curricular are more than enough to help you write your story in the essays in a well structure format. One of the candidates we worked with was from core merchant navy background and he has successfully transitioned to a non-shipping role (not from ISB). You should speak with someone with a similar background as yours.

Coming to the first 2 questions that you have posted and as I see these concern you.

Having a PG degree will NOT be a bane to your..it will help you realize your post MBA goals and will make your journey smoother with lots of opportunities and ways in hand.

1.5 years of gap in your profile is not a bad thing to have unless you can justify as to what you were doing and in what way the learning from that experience helped you grow personally and professionally. I am sure you would have learning points that have enabled you take better decisions and apply those learning in your work later. You just have to give a thought again as to what were the core learning from that experience that have changed you professionally or personally as a person.

ISB encourages diverse profile, ISB also proudly has national level players (with gaps in their profile), monk as their alumni. Point is that ISB will definitely appreciate your overall profile if your essays and clarity of thoughts are bang on. As I see your profile is quite diverse given that you also have teaching experience in one of the premier institutes of India, roles undertaken at work front.

You already have a clear post mba goal and your thoughts are pretty clear as to where you see yourself. Focus on bringing out the learning that you have had from different experiences in your life with the choices that you have made

All the Best !

I scored a 680 in my GMAT. Have worked for a year and a half as a Derivatives Trader, had a startup for 7 months and have been working online for the past 4 months on a small but scalable business model. Have written 3 guide books. That is pretty much the experience.
Any chance of getting an interview call from ISB?

Dear drunkentrepreneur,

Based on the limited information shared, given your experience Is well presented in the essays, you have a pretty decent chance of getting the interview call from ISB. Have a clarity on post mba goals and how ISB fits in to help you achieve your long term and short term goals.

All the Best !

Posted from my mobile device

Hello GreyPilgrim

Yours is a pretty balanced profile.
The PG from IIT can only be helpful (definitely not a bane)
The challenge is to showcase why an MBA after this. As long as your can showcase career goals that are clear and realistic, you stand a good chance of getting an interview call.
Past acads, GMAT, work ex, extracurricular activities all seem to have enough potential. Key here is now how you choose to present your story and diversity.

Best
Varun Sharma
+919137133507
MBAkarma.com
GMAT Score Predictor
info@mbakarma.com

Hello undrachivrpapu

Generally speaking IIMB is targeting people with slightly higher work ex than ISB is.
However, there is an applicant pool that is common to both schools.
Several people apply and get admissions to both and end up choosing/rejecting one program for the other.
Both programs have their own pros and cons.
Flagship, Batch size (large vs small), location, fees- all these features matter.
Whether a particular feature is an advantage or disadvantage will depend on your personal preference.
My personal opinion is of least importance here. Make a decision that takes care of all the features of the program and speak to alumni/current students to understand the pros and cons better.

Best
Varun Sharma
+919137133507
MBAkarma.com
GMAT Score Predictor
info@mbakarma.com

B

A lot would depend on how your application, particularly the essays, frame up. However, if I were you, I would definitely give GMAT one more shot and go above 710 at least. Low experience and low GMAT is generally a weak combination.

All the best!

Hi! Pretty good chance if you are able to present your story well. Don't let 680 deter you. There are enough candidates getting in with 680 as long as one is able to present their strengths well. Overall, you seem to have good ingredients to build a strong set of essays. Go for it!

All the Best!
'ISBmantra'

PROFILE EVALUATION REQUEST FOR ISB, Round 2 this year.

Hello. I'm a 22 year old Indian Male who just graduated this year and will be taking GMAT in the mid-December. Looking at top 20 MBA Programmes in the US and the UK.


I’m a Professional Footballer, from India who has played in top tier football clubs of the world like Stoke city FC (Premiership - UK)

That being said, I've achieved my undergraduate degree in Bachelor of Business Management (International Business) - BBM(IB)

And I have completed it in 4 years rather than 3 as I was on tour most of the time due to my sporting career.

Undergrad % - 54.(Approx.GPA:3.4, according to the official gmat conversion table). 
Fluent in English and other 3 languages of India. Solid character like an Athlete should possess. 

My father is a senior figure in the world of consultancy in my city (Pune) and the state. 1 year Work Ex. with him since last year to present.

Obviously I won't nail the GMAT by getting a score like 750 or something. Not even 700 for that matter,but will try my best. I'm familiar with the application process and the diversity factor etc. But realistically what are we looking at here.

Any advices, suggestions, information as well as honesty will be appreciated.

Thanks,
K.

Posted from my mobile device

Hi all,

I need feedback on my profile for ISB application. My profile is as follows:

Male (Indian) / 28 Years / GMAT Score - 680 (Q 50, V 31, IR 8, AWA 5)

Education-
M. Tech in Materials Science Engineering, IIT Bombay, 2013-15, GPA of 9.18/10.
B. Tech in Electrical & Electronics Engineering, College of Engineering Roorkee, GPA – 4 (Based on the GMAT 4.0 scale)
10th Standard - 88 %, Awarded merit based scholarship for 1 year
12th Standard - 85.6 %

Work Experience-
Scientist at Aditya Birla Science & Technology (Corporate Research & Development Centre of Aditya Birla Group), Aug 2015 - Present.
It’s a Technology Consultant role. As a part of R&D team, my role is to understand the in-depth knowledge of the aluminium production process, cater the technical challenges faced by our customer, and provide a cost-effective and energy efficient solution depending upon the customer requirements.

Awards & Achievements during my WE of 40 months (as of now):
1. Successfully implemented 2 major projects at plant site, in which each project has a benefit potential of 5-6 Cr annually.
2. Awarded with "PRIDE - The Monetary Recognition Scheme for Excellence" award for successful implementations of my plant trials at customer site.
3. Nominated for the "Emerging Professional" category in the Chairman's Award 2018 of Aditya Birla Group.
4. During my tenure as a Scientist, I have patented 1 technology as a first inventor, published 3 manuscripts in National/International conferences, and delivered technical talks during conferences/meetings.

Extra-curricular activities-
1. National level Kho-Kho player (Uttarakhand).
2. An avid Cricket player. Captain of corporate cricket team. Received best Batsman of the tournament award at ABG Annual Sports Event 2018 by Kapil Dev.
3. Student Coordinator, Zion (Annual Cultural Fest) 2012, College of Engineering Roorkee.
4. I have looked after my Dad’s business from time to time. My Dad is a super stockist/distributor of Britannia Biscuits in our city. It is sort of a supply-chain management role.

With Regards to my post MBA goals, I would like to continue in Consulting related role. MBA for me is to enter into the techno-managerial role related to Technical companies. I really need to shape my essays in a way that my achievements would compensate for my low GMAT score.

Thanks in advance for your reply.

Hello Bhavya1506

Your profile is strong on almost all factors- Academic Scores, Work Experience, Extracurricular, Educational and Professional Brands on the CV.
In fact the GMAT betrays the otherwise strong 'stat's of the profile. Not a deal breaker in itself, but maybe you scored much below your potential and might want a retake. However, even with this GMAT, you seem to have a good chance.
The key no doubt will be to showcase a need of an MBA and tie it in with your long-term and short-term career goals. But overall, pretty optimistic about your chances based on the 'quantitative' aspects.

Best
Varun Sharma
+919137133507
MBAkarma.com
GMAT Score Predictor
info@mbakarma.com

Hi,

Could you please evaluate my profile. Will write my GMAT in 2 weeks. Will apply to ISB R2.

1)Will my graduation marks take away too much from my profile?
2)Does having a master's degree and CFA help my application or will it be seen as a negative?
3) are breaks in the resume before work experience count as an issue (like during study)?
4)Are there any other negatives or positives that I am over looking in my profile because above are my major concerns?


30, Female
10TH ICSE - 81%
12TH ISC - 90%
Graduation - BA (H) Economics - Delhi University - 48%
Post graduation - MA (H) Economics - Ferguson College Pune - 71% - (distinction & rank holder)
CFA level 2 cleared.


Job experience:
1.5 years - EY - Business Modelling (back office - global support advisory role)
2.5 years - KPMG india - project valuations and business Modelling ( client facing front office advisory role)
Exposure in various sectors especially infrastructure.


Extra curricular - Salsa and Kizomba dancer, regular NGO volunteer

Future:
Strategy and operations role.. hopefully commercial strategy.. possibly consumer products / FMCG company (PnG , HUL) or Deloitte USI- S&O.

Thank you.

Hello Coldcoffee1

Please see my replies in Blue