ISB Profile Evaluation - Tools for B-School Profile Evaluation

Hello Chahalsuri,
Great GMAT score to distinguish you in the applicant pool. You check all the buckets for a competitive chance (good employer brand name, 3 promotions in 4 years, sales background (distinguishes you from the over-represented pool)). I am missing your post-MBA goals though.
The biggest challenge in your case is a second MBA. Considering you already have an MBA, you will have to make a strong case as to why you need this second MBA and especially not so farther apart in time from your first MBA.
I am sure you have great stories of impact from work, but please make sure to address the need for second MBA.

Kindly evaluate my profile for ISB PGP-

Academics -
10th - 10 CGPA
12th - 93.4%
Undergraduate- 6.5% ( BTech from NIT Calicut)
Work Ex: 3+ years working in US Listed Pharmaceutical Consultancy. Joined from campus as Analyst and now working as Assoc Consultant.

Post MBA Goals: Short term: Switch over to a strategy role for CP/ FMCG ; Long term: head a young company from a Leadership role

Extracurriculars -

1. Won multiple awards in Company for excellence
2. Released a whitepaper on Indian Healthcare Post Covid with the Organization
3. In 2020, did some Real Estate brokering for a turnover of 0.5M INR
4. College Fest Core team
5. Literary Club Secretary in University; Co Founded a Satirical Campus News letter and attracted 500+ views per week
6. Amateur Stock/Crypto Trader, Fantasy Premier League (India 2000s/1M)
7. Manages social media handle For few Artists and homebakers (5 only)


Haven't taken the GMAT yet, Mocks have hit the 700 mark only once. Would I have any shot at an admit without touching the 720 mark? (Considering my low UG CGPA)

Post mba -

Industry - i want to work in - FMCG/conglomerate/Retail/ecommerce/

JOB role- Regional sales manager/ brand manager/ Digital marketing manager

Posted from my mobile device

Hello gmatlover1010,
For now, just focus on getting the best GMAT score you can. Admission at ISB is a composite of many factors, including your academics, work profile, your achievements, your leadership potential, etc. Though ISB places emphasis on academics, a well-put application can equally help distinguish your case.
You would need to well-present your impact stories at work, leadership roles inside and outside of work, any EC achievements, volunteering initiatives, etc., to demonstrate you will be a successful leader in the future.

Sorry for the long post! I am interested in knowing my eligibility. Targeting to join September 2022.
1. Background and nationality: 23 year Indian female
2. Pre-undergrad Information: Top 5% throughout school, 95% in 10th, 91.2% in 12th. Various accolades throughout school career (International and national abacus
champion, Diploma in Fine Arts, National Cadet Corps, etc.)
3. Undergrad Information: Majors in Economics from University of Mumbai- 9.13 GPA. Top 5% in the batch throughout college.
4. GMAT: Targeting 740 (680 in first official mock)
5. Work experience and leadership: - 2 years work experience (will have 3 by the time I join) in Ernst & Young LLP in government consulting.
- Received 4 awards in the short tenure of 2 years
- Worked back closely with diverse stakeholders like philanthropies (Gates Foundation), Central Ministry State Government, Local
Government, vulnerable groups like women Self Help Groups, sanitation workers, etc. Assisted in conducting various capacity building trainings and supported in livelihood intervention to these vulnerable groups
- Leading a team of 8 in Knowledge Management; supporting in capacity building of the entire team; independently published thought leaderships in the sector
- Worked extensively on Business Development and Strategy:
- Other experiences include vendor management of subcontractors worth 1 Crore, extensive stakeholder and project management
- Will be able to get good recommendations
6. Community and others: - Strong volunteering experience with Teach for India, and other educational NGOs, Social Media for change fellowship- worked back
closely on integrated rural development and solar project; crowd-sourcing of INR 50,000 after severe cyclone in home state through the NGO
- International and abacus Champion; Diploma in Fine Arts
- Other interests include mindfulness and yoga; swimming; scuba-diving; reading fantasy fiction
7. Post MBA goals: Consulting- ready to explore Strategy and Impact consulting. Want to ultimately settle in India (mostly)

Posted from my mobile device

Hi Chahalsuri,

Thank you for sharing your profile. Starting with stats, your undergrad GPA is on the lower side. The average GMAT score for ISB and IIMA PGPX is 710 and 701, respectively. You have a strong GMAT score that will help you make up for your low GPA. Your certification course will give a significant boost to your profile. Regarding your work experience, see a career progression that demonstrates you as a high-performing individual. You will be required to explain your roles and responsibilities and how they impacted the organization's growth and development. Your ECs seem good. You can create stories about your participation in various events and how they have helped you shape your life. What changes it has brought in your life (try to bring real-life examples).

Your post-MBA goals make sense. ISB always encourages students for a second MBA. You must have compelling reasons for pursuing an MBA now, as well as a concrete roadmap for your post-MBA goals. You must explain the gaps in your profile and how a second MBA from a particular school can help you fill those gaps and achieve your goals.

Overall you have a good profile. But the impact is missing right now. I would like to know more about your work profile to find major USPs because it is an important aspect of your profile. Quality matters more than quantity. How are you unique? What would you bring new to the community? You will need to focus on getting a robust, unique story to get in. You may want to read the story of a military veteran with 16 years of experience shaking traditional barriers and going for a full-time MBA at ISB. Through the strength of storytelling, he gains admission to ISB.

If you need any direction/guidance over any aspect of your application and have any specific concerns, you can ask us on the forum Ask MBA & Beyond.

If you’d like, we are happy to hop on a call with you sometime this week to discuss your profile in length and guide you wherever you feel stuck with your profile. Feel free to book a free session with us as per your convenience.

Let’s maximize your chances in Round 1 for fall intake

Cheers!
Shantanu Sharma
Founder and Admissions Consultant, MBA and Beyond
Testimonials
Email: shantanu@mbaandbeyond.com
What s app: +65-97158525

Hi himanshunandarshi,

Thank you for sharing your profile. Starting with stats, your undergrad GPA is good, and the average GMAT score for ISB is 710, so if you get your expected score, it will increase your chances. On the work front, it’s a plus for you that you have worked in your family business and that you are handling 3 different sectors, which must have given you a good understanding of different industries. You must have had an impact on your work and exhibited strong leadership. You will need to explain the size and scale of the business. You have low experience but believe me, it's the quality that matters and if you can bring the right points to highlight in your story (with a good GMAT score), you have a good chance at ISB. Your ECs seem good. You may want to read an article on how with little work experience you can still make the strongest case for yourself. You will get some insight

If you need more direction/guidance over any aspect of your application and have any specific concerns, you can ask us on the forum Ask MBA & Beyond.

Overall you have a good profile. I need to know more about you to really take some wow points from your profile and guide you accordingly. What are your post-MBA goals? Is it for a family business? You are involved in different sectors, if you are pursuing MBA for family business, then how it will help you to reach those goals. You will need to explain skills you’ll gain through your MBA experience to help your family’s business. Think about it.

If you’d like, we are happy to hop on a call with you sometime to discuss your profile in length, guide you more, and brainstorm your chances to ISB. Feel free to book a free session with us as per your convenience.

Let’s maximize your chances in Round 1 for fall intake

Cheers!
Shantanu Sharma
Founder and Admissions Consultant, MBA and Beyond
Testimonials
Email: shantanu@mbaandbeyond.com
What s app: +65-97158525

Hi gmatlover1010,

Thank you for sharing your profile. Your profile looks good on the surface. Starting with stats, your undergrad GPA is on the lower side. To compensate for it you need a solid GMAT score. On the work front, I can see a good career trajectory. Starting as an analyst and now working as an Assoc consultant would bring stories of impact and achievements. ISB expects that the candidates have shown leadership qualities in the past along with career progression. So you will need to highlight the points in your work experience on how you contributed to your current organization, what leadership positions you undertook, or how you handled a tough task that showcases some core values of yours. Your ECs seem good. You have a lot of things to speak about in this part. I would suggest include the most impacting one in your apps which will help you to show the values of the b-school. Speaking about them with the right passion would greatly enhance your apps.

If you need any direction/guidance over any aspect of your application and have any specific concerns, you can ask us on the forum Ask MBA & Beyond.

Your post-MBA goals must be specific. I do understand your reasons for pursuing MBA but they are very generic. This is only the first step, realizing the importance of management and looking for MBA. But then you have to think about why you need those management skills and where do you want to implement them (which industry) and how an MBA will be crucial to your long term aspirations. So, you'll have to fine-tune these goals and we are delighted to guide you and try to address your hiccups.

-Haven't taken the GMAT yet, Mocks have hit the 700 mark only once. Would I have any shot at an admit without touching the 720 mark? (Considering my low UG CGPA)

-You need to score at least 710+ in GMAT to compensate for your low GPA. This will demonstrate your academic potential as well as your ability to deal with the quantitative rigor of business school. You may want to read an article on importance of GMAT and how to overcome a low GMAT score. It will instill the right confidence in you

Overall you have a good profile. I would like to know about some major aspects of your work profile to found out USPs. If you’d like, we are happy to hop on a call with you sometime this week or after your GMAT to discuss your profile in length and further chances to ISB.
Feel free to book a free session with us as per your convenience.

Let’s maximize your chances in Round 1 for fall intake

Cheers!
Shantanu Sharma
Founder and Admissions Consultant, MBA and Beyond
Testimonials
Email: shantanu@mbaandbeyond.com
What s app: +65-97158525

Hi anwesharath,

Thank you for sharing your profile. I see some good elements in your profile that will certainly help you make good stories. To begin with, your undergrad GPA is good, and if you got your target score (740), this part would be pretty sorted for you. On the work front, I recommend that you bring leadership and impact stories from your experience because ISB places a high value on exceptional leadership (also choose your LOR very wisely because b-schools give it high importance). In addition, speaking about your experiences working with various organizations will create an interesting discussion between you and adcoms. But to make a profile stand apart, you need to detail the experiences from and beyond work that shaped the most important traits of you.

For community involvement, you can elaborate on showing your integrity to your community and how it has shaped your personality. Also, for interests, express them as to how these impact you and work as a stress-buster.

If you need more direction/guidance over any aspect of your application and have any specific concerns, you can ask us on the forum Ask MBA & Beyond.

For your post-MBA goals, you need to bring the right motivations for these goals to present a powerful story. So, on an overall note, I would say it all boils down to how you present your story. Your primary goal is into consulting while living in India post-mba. So, the best program is ISB.

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 ISB. Feel free to book a free session with us as per your convenience.

Let’s maximize your chances in Round 1 for fall intake

Cheers!
Shantanu Sharma
Founder and Admissions Consultant, MBA and Beyond
Testimonials
Email: shantanu@mbaandbeyond.com
What s app: +65-97158525

Kindly evaluate my profile for ISB PGP-

Academics -
10th - 8.0 CGPA
12th - 8.4 CGPA
Undergraduate- 7.1% ( B.Com from RKM Vivekananda college)
Work Ex: 3+ years working in EY GDS as an Auditor.

Post MBA Goals: Short term: Switch over to a financial consulting/strategy role;
Long term: lead a company from the executive leadership position

Extracurriculars -

1. Won multiple all India and regional level awards awards in company for excellence
2. Authored and self published a book.
3. Automated 0.5 million working hours in company by introducing performance optimization tools and techniques.
4. Presented papers on various topics in college seminars (one of the papers was published in SRMs official journal)
5. Certified chartered accountant (ACCA, UK)
6. Certified white belt six sigma

Haven't taken the GMAT yet. Would I have any shot at an admit to ISB for 2022

Hello Annamalai96,
From what you have mentioned, you have a good and distinct profile for ISB. You have good ECs too. What will help me more definitively answer your question is your GMAT score (which you are yet to take), stories of impact at work, any promotions, etc.
For now, focus on getting a competitive GMAT score (anything above 710 should be good) and then focus on putting together a compelling application.
Good luck!

Hello,

I am looking for an evaluation of my profile for ISB

Indian, Female, 26
10th 82
12th 86
B.Pharmacy 8.4
Work experience 3.5years

Current Designation- District Manager, Johnson&Johnson

Role - sales in the healthcare industry. Have won Inspire awards, Spot Awards, and Outstanding sales performance award
Have a decent volunteer experience.

Lack extra-curricular activities to write about

Mock score around 650
Haven't taken the test yet.

Short-term goal- To move to the Marketing domain from sales in the healthcare industry.


Thanks in Advance.

Hi there Annamalai96,

You have solid work experience and an impressive list of extracurriculars. As mentioned above, however, it will be key to know your GMAT score here. Have you taken a practice test yet to see how you stack up? While GMAT scores are just part of the equation, they are an important element of your candidacy and a strong score will make you an even more competitive applicant for ISB.

Of course, there are other ways to maximize your chances of admission as well, like developing unique essays and fine-tuning your goals (both cornerstones of Personal MBA Coach's support).

Feel free to review our services if you are looking for guidance throughout the application process, and do not hesitate to reach out to scott@personalmbacoach.com to further discuss your profile.

Best,
Personal MBA Coach

Hi Everyone ,

Shaunak Here...Same old same old...question...
Its time for my MBA profile evaluation-
Nationality - Indian
Work Exp - 42 months (29months international in Africa and Saudi arabia) as a Procurement Engineer
GMAT - 770 , IELTS - 7.5
Under Grad - 6.93/10 (Topper had I guess - 8.5) nagpur uni (year 2016)
10th - 91 % ; 12th - 68%
Extra Curricular - volunteer exp full time - 7 months
LORs - 2 (one from HOD/GM and other one from ex colleague)
Skill sets aquired - SAP MM , soon Will enrole for six sigma
Currently working on SAP integration projects
-
So what are my chances for Good MBA colleges(top 20)
Yale , MIT , Duke , HEC , Insead , cornell , Hass, Columbia? Etc...)
Do suggest some other options as well


Point to consider -
Work exp is into oil and gas and EPC sector , not typical indian IT guy
And LORs from ex boss is very good as I helped and saved (sort of) his life when he had an heart attack, full disclosure - he is all right now☺☺

Regards
Shaunak
Do suggest and comment ...☺
All suggestion are welcome...
Pls do revert...

Posted from my mobile device

Hi Annamalai96,

Thank you for sharing your profile. Starting with stats, your undergrad GPA is quite good. But you need a high GMAT score to show your academic potential. Your CA title very well declares you as a high-performing, analytical and intellectual individual. The average GMAT score for ISB is 710, I suggest you score 710+ to increase your chances. On the work front, I would need you to share a little more about your work experience (Think examples of leadership, decision making, promotions, achievements). Your ECs seem good. Speaking about the book you have published will bring your creative personality. Regarding your post-MBA goals, they are clear, just you need to elaborate more in your essays.

I would like to hear more about your work experience to give you my realistic assessment. 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 ISB. Feel free to book a free session with us as per your convenience.

Let’s maximize your chances in Round 1 for fall intake

Cheers!
Shantanu Sharma
Founder and Admissions Consultant, MBA and Beyond
Testimonials
Email: shantanu@mbaandbeyond.com
What s app: +65-97158525

Hey, There!
Background and nationality
My name is Vinay and I'm from Bangalore, India. I would be applying for my MBA in a month or so and request some input on my selection of universities. I've added the details of my profile as briefly as I could. My shortlist of colleges is given at the bottom of the comment. I'm also wondering if I should apply to universities outside of the US and love some advice from you.

GRE
- 330 (V-157; Q-170; AWA- 3)


Undergraduate

Completed my Bachelors of Business Administration from Alliance University, Bangalore in Finance with an aggregate of 81.5% ( First Class with Distinction )


Work Experience
4of Years work-ex, with the deep domain of equity research and valuation
Equity Research Analyst at Sarthak Returns ( June 5th, 2017 – Date ) – Sarthak Returns is a Stock Market Advisory Company based in Bangalore. Responsibilities here include
- Technical Analysis, Fundamental Analysis, Equity Research, Proprietary trading, Handling clients accounts, Blog writing.Was Handling a team of 3 people directly reporting


Certifications

NSE Academy's Certified Investment Analyst Champion (NCIAC) & NCMP Level 3
NISM-Series-VIII: Equity Derivatives Certification Examination
NISM-Series-X-A: Investment Adviser (Level 1) Certification Examination
NISM-Series-X-B: Investment Adviser (Level 2) Certification Examination
NISM Series-XV: Research Analyst Certification Examination


Extra-Curricular Activities:

• Volunteer with Youth for Seva ( July 1st, 2016 – September 30th, 2016 ), a Non-Non-Governmental Organisation. The work involved teaching Spoken English and Basic Computer Skills to Primary and Middle School children. This continues till date in a Part-time effect, with overall service time over **Five Hundred Hours**.
• Organised “Mock Stock”, a stock market simulator, in an inter-college event.
•Co-Founded a start-up in the college days - Started with the platform-based company for travel (Air and Bus) with Hotel booking. It was improved based on blind spots, Started renting out textbooks. That rented out students' old books and paid them a share of the earnings, thereby enabling students to make money off books they do not need.
•Co-Founded a niche-based stock research firm meanwhile I was working as an equity research analyst.
• Have pursued Young Leadership program from Indian Institute of Management Bangalore, the program was for the one-year duration with blend learning from both online and offline.


Post MBA goals
Short Term
Work for Investment Banking field

Long Term
Start an Asset Management Company

Please evaluate my profile so I know if I should try for ISB or there is no chance of getting an admit at all?