ISB Profile Evaluation - Tools for B-School Profile Evaluation

Thank you Manan, I have booked the first available session. Looking forward to it.

Dear TheMBAEdge,

You story, your profile and your career aspirations seem to be out of sync which can potentially be weakness specially for a 1 year format where the admissions team will expect you to have a higher level of clarity with regards to your experience and your aspirations.
I agree with you. I need to better articulate what I want to achieve through the programme. My current role is kind of a boutique consulting role, and I like it very much because of the nature of problems we solve. I do feel that there are some aspects that are lacking, for e.g. overall business impact, in my current thinking. I want to bridge that gap through the programme and a consulting role. Once I have those skills, I want to get into corporate strategy and if all goes well, do something in education sector. I understand these are somewhat vague, but I also don't want to very rigid with what I am planning as it tends to get too much in my head. I appreciate the feedback, and I will work on telling a better story.

Also, you didn't happen to shed any light on your interview experience? How did that go? It will be important to assess if there were any bottlenecks in the area that could be addressed with better interview prep. Interviews are crucial deciding factors for ISB admissions.
My interview experience was okay-ish. It started off on a somewhat bad note with a discussion on capitalism out of nowhere, went into some details about the work I am doing, why consulting, how do you deal with clients from different cultural backgrounds, some grilling on need for MBA coming from a niche background, how would i help my peers. Questions were basic, and there were not any obvious red flags. However I agree I could have done better. I may have let the situation get better of me

Awesome! These can be good starting point along with a deeper reflection on how you have improved your profile from the last application. Do try to focus on that since it will help convince the adcom on the work you have put in since your last application.

All the best!

Cheers!
TheMBAEdge
info@thembaedge.com

Hey could you evaluate my profile:
Brief background:
- 25 year old Indian Male 
- Qualifications: Chartered Accountant (2019), CFA Level 2 cleared, BCom (2018). 10th - 86.3%, 12th - 88% 
- GMAT: 730 (Q49 V40)
- Work Experience: 3 Years experience in Investment Banking at a boutique firm - primarily involves helping companies raise funds through IPOs and Private equity raises. Have closed 5 IPOs till date.
Prior to CA: 2.5 Years (1.5 Year after Bcom) articleship at a boutique tax firm in International Tax
6 Months articleship at a firm now merged with deloitte in M&A Taxation
- Post MBA Goals: Private Equity or Venture Capital. I understand we may not be able to write this as goal in essay, so can work in a bigger Investment Bank post MBA to eventually go to PE/VC
- Geography preference - wish to come back to India in 3-4 years 
- Applied to ISB and INSEAD last year (with GMAT 700), interviewed at both, rejected by INSEAD, rejected after waitlist by ISB
Extracurricular: Associated with NGO to mentor students. Trained badminton player (participated in school events), flute player and part of a rotaract club.

Questions:
 
- What do you think are the weak points in my application and any suggestions on what could be improved
- What should I write my short term goal especially in non finance focused schools

Posted from my mobile device

Hey could you evaluate my profile:
Brief background:
- 25 year old Indian Male 
- Qualifications: Chartered Accountant (2019), CFA Level 2 cleared, BCom (2018). 10th - 86.3%, 12th - 88% 
- GMAT: 730 (Q49 V40)
- Work Experience: 3 Years experience in Investment Banking at a boutique firm - primarily involves helping companies raise funds through IPOs and Private equity raises. Have closed 5 IPOs till date.
Prior to CA: 2.5 Years (1.5 Year after Bcom) articleship at a boutique tax firm in International Tax
6 Months articleship at a firm now merged with deloitte in M&A Taxation
- Post MBA Goals: Private Equity or Venture Capital. I understand we may not be able to write this as goal in essay, so can work in a bigger Investment Bank post MBA to eventually go to PE/VC
- Geography preference - wish to come back to India in 3-4 years 
- Applied to ISB and INSEAD last year (with GMAT 700), interviewed at both, rejected by INSEAD, rejected after waitlist by ISB
Extracurricular: Associated with NGO to mentor students. Trained badminton player (participated in school events), flute player and part of a rotaract club.

Questions:
 
- What do you think are the weak points in my application and any suggestions on what could be improved
- What should I write my short term goal especially in non finance focused schools

Posted from my mobile device

Hey AdiPar,

Sorry to hear about the rejections! From the information that you have provided my initial 2 cents are as follows:
- The schools selection does not tie in with your professional aspirations. ISB and INSEAD are very good schools for consulting, however their recruiting for the PE/VC space tends to be limited
- In India, the number of openings for the PE/VC industry straight our of business school will be very limited and you will have to explore these options after a gig at a large IB or top tier consulting firm if you don't have prior experience. Similarly, the recruitment for these industries tends to be limited in EU and Asia as well if you don't have prior experience.
- Your 700 score will be well below average for INSEAD and even ISB. I think the 730 school will be good for ISB.
- INSEAD is heavily focused on international experience and hence if you don't have international exposure (can be in the form of living in another country, pursuing education outside India, work for a top tier company with a diverse workforce), chance are that you will be less competitive for the INSEAD cohort.
- Otherwise your academics seems fine, the CFA is an icing on the cake and fund raising experience will be valuable if its not with large shop.
- Would suggest that get back to drawing board and rework your application with more targeted school selection (this will be crucial). Have you thought about maybe pursuing a US MBA spending those 3-4 years in Investment Banking on Wall Street and then maybe pivoting into the PE/VC space? This route will open the top tier funds for you and give you some really valuable global exposure which you can leverage to recruit for niche opportunities in India.

Hope the above helps? Do reach out at https://thembaedge.com/contact/ or info@thembaedge.com to have a more detailed discussion regarding your applications.

Thank you,
TheMBAEdge
info@thembaedge.com

Hello there,

Thank you for providing a detailed overview of your profile. Here's our assessment:

- Your academic background is impressive. The combination of a Chartered Accountant qualification, a strong GMAT score (730), and a CFA Level 2 is quite robust. You have also actively participated in extracurricular activities. However, a slight concern might be your undergraduate degree percentage, which is decent but not outstanding. We would advise you to make a case of your continuous growth and learning curve in your application essays.
- Regarding your post-MBA goals, the aspiration to transition into Private Equity or Venture Capital is ambitious though aligns well with your background in Investment Banking. We have observed that admissions committees tend to favor applicants who exhibit a logical progression in their career goals. Hence, portraying your goal to work in a bigger Investment Bank as a stepping stone to PE/VC might resonate better with them.
- Your work experience stands out in terms of the boutique firms you've been associated with and the significant impact you've made in your roles, evidenced by the closing of 5 IPOs. It's important to articulate these achievements effectively, showing your potential for leadership. From our experience with applicants from Investment Banking, the challenge often lies in distinguishing yourself in a highly competitive applicant pool and convincingly portraying your unique contributions.
- Addressing your questions: The potential weaknesses in your application could be a relatively common background as an Indian male in finance and your undergraduate degree percentages. To improve, you could focus on articulating your unique story and experiences, emphasizing leadership roles or projects where you made a significant impact. For short-term goals in non-finance focused schools, you could consider roles that leverage your finance expertise, such as strategic roles in corporates or management consulting.

Hi ayushiiiarya,

Given you mentioned you had a bad test day, we suggest you retake GMAT as this does not seem to reflect your actual potential. Also, there is time to get to R1 deadline, so we recommend you focus on GMAT first and get this out of your way.

1. Acads: Seem decent and undergrad college credibility is also good. What this means is your GMAT score expectations would also be above normal (at least average score of 720 in usual circumstances)
2. Worl ex.: Falls in the sweet spot in terms of # of years of work ex. for ISB. It is also different in terms of function (customer success) compared to a typical IT role. Having international collaborations / interactions also boosts your profile
3. Extra-curriculars: We believe it would not a major contributor to your profile in your case
4. Goals: Attainable with your current skill sets

Please see below our answers (very brief). For more detailed discussion, feel free to book a slot here- https://calendly.com/reachusfly/15min
1. Difficult to pin point on one aspect. Your profile seems decent (barring GMAT score) at high level. It could have been your storyline in your essays, relative performance in the interview (as explained by you later) or recos
2. We can discuss in detail on the call
3. As mentioned, we believe this won't be a major contributing factor. Any new extra-curricular just before deadline would be considered not natural
4. India manager should be fine. However, if you have built good rapport with your EMEA manager and you believe this person can better articulate your projects/ potential, we suggest you to consider taking reco from this manager
5. Sure

Hope this was helpful! We are a bunch of ISB alums who help potential ISB candidates with profile positioning, essay reviews and interview mocks.

With warm regards,
Team Fly
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/reachusfly/

Hi,

I am 28 years old with 1.5 years experience in FMCG sector as customer service executive of Key account section (Modern Trade). Almost 2 years of experience as Trainee at a leading steel manufacturing firm and currently I am working as Lecturer in Government college since 2021. I had droped out of JU M.tech course.

I had set up a student community during my college days which looks after eduction of 50+ kids. I am still associated with them as a mentor. I have won best paper presentation award at a national level competetion. Multiple Gate score. Currently I am looking to get an admit at ISB with 100% scholarship becuase i am economically challenged background. I will share my accademic profile below. currently i am really struggling with SC but i am killing in quant with 95% accuracy and pretty much sure that i can easily nail Q48+. but when it comes to verbal things are looking bleak. Can anyone suggest me lower range that i must target to get the scholarship. I am aware that 780 is sweet spot but i dont have hope that i will be able to score that much. but i wish to know what is the lower tollerance band. I am Targetting mid August for my GMAT.

B.tech in Chemical Engineering with 8.22 DGPA from tier 2/3 college
HS 63%
X 79% both from state board.

Thank You,
Regards,
Om Prakash Jha

Hi AdiPar,

Please see below our feedback from ISB PoV.

Your acads and GMAT score look impressive. Your extra-curriculars makes you a well-round personality but we believe it would not be a deal breaker in your profile.
Your education (including CFA), work ex. and post MBA goals all have the common theme of financial services background. You have a solid work ex. and that differentiates not only from other potential candidates but also from candidates with finance experience (in terms of quality- closing 5 IPOs till date). Please note that while ISB is not a finance heavy school, we have seen decent number of candidates from financial world choosing ISB and now working in the same domain/ pivoted to adjacent industries.

Please see below our answers to your Qs. Feel free to book a slot here for more discussion- https://calendly.com/reachusfly/15min
- Your post MBA goals might need some alteration, taking into account the ISB's track record on placements
- It would be better if we discuss all the options over a call. Short answer: one option could be management consulting focused on financial industry

Hope this was helpful! We are a bunch of ISB alums who help potential ISB candidates with profile positioning, essay reviews and interview mocks.

With warm regards,
Team Fly
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/reachusfly/

Hi Om

Thanks for posting. Aim for a minimum of V36, to get a combined score of 690+.

That is the first part. The second (and more important one) will be around your goals, given that you are working as a lecturer, which is not a traditional role MBA aspirants apply from. The two earlier roles you have held have also been quite different from each other and from the role you now have. You will need to show a clear need for an MBA, and convincing goals related to your current role.

Hey Om, hope all is well.

There are 2 types of scholarships at ISB - 1) Need-Based Scholarship, 2) Merit-Based Scholarship.

You can also apply for a need-based scholarship with ISB (that applies for anyone having financial constraints) and the school understands that. For a need-based scholarship, the school asks you to elaborate on the constraints at hand and then evaluates if it should be awarded.

A merit-based scholarship at ISB is a function of multiple things - high GMAT (>=740 typically), well-crafted essays (which showcase the impact you created at work and previous educational milestones), and diversity (coming from a unique background like the army or liberal arts).

I would recommend you to definitely target a high GMAT and spend time in writing stellar and compelling essays, that will definitely influence the admit likelihood. But from a scholarship standpoint, you can also apply for the ISB need-based scholarship.

Happy to schedule a free profile evaluation/analysis call if you want - https://calendly.com/ce-bschool-profile-evaluation

Cheers and all the best!
Sarthak, Co-Founder - Career Edge | ISB Alumnus (Dean’s & Merit Lister, Rank 8/692) | https://www.linkedin.com/in/verma-sarthak/
B-School Admissions Mentorship Testimonials - https://career-edge.in/gmat-coaching-an ... mentorship

Your academic background and GMAT is good. Your work experience is also impressive and demonstrates a strong professional track record. However, ISB has limited opportunities in the field of Investment Banking. We did get 3-4 companies in our year though.

Answer 1 -
While it's difficult to pinpoint specific weak points in your application, there are a few factors that may have influenced your rejection from INSEAD. These could include relatively low work experience, limited international exposure, and a lower GMAT score. Regarding ISB, it is plausible that minor enhancements across multiple areas, such as essays and interview preparation, could have had a positive impact. To provide more comprehensive insights, it would be beneficial to review your previous year's application in greater detail.

Answer 2 -
For non-finance focused schools, you may consider highlighting your interest in areas such as the private equity practices of renowned companies like Bain or exploring fintech startups. These options can showcase your enthusiasm for leveraging your MBA to make significant contributions in sectors beyond traditional finance.

Feel free to schedule a 30 min conversation with me for a free profile deep dive and to discuss any questions that you may have around application process.
All the best!

Link to schedule a session - https://calendly.com/admissioninja/30min

The GMAT score could benefit from a slight improvement, with a target of 730, which would significantly enhance the application. The work experience is decent. Having a background in the energy sector provided a competitive edge during the application process for me. Extracurricular involvement is satisfactory and shows a balanced profile.

Answer 1: I would need to review your application before providing specific feedback on what might have gone wrong. It is unlikely that the issue lies solely with the GMAT score and could potentially be related to other factors such as the essays.

Answer 2: Your quantitative score appears to be strong. I recommend obtaining an Enhanced Score Report (ESR) to identify any areas of weakness in the verbal section. This will help determine the necessary steps for improvement, whether it's focusing on a particular section like sentence correction or addressing overall verbal performance.

Answer 3: It is not crucial to overly worry about this aspect. Instead, concentrate on improving your GMAT score and constructing a compelling narrative around your work experience. Building a strong story can greatly enhance your application.

Answer 4: Obtain a LOR from someone who can present a convincing case on your behalf. The location of the recommender is not of significant importance.

Answer 5: I am available for a 30-minute profile deep dive call to assess your previous year's application and determine the appropriate next steps. Together, we can evaluate your strengths and weaknesses and develop a strategy for improvement.

Feel free to schedule a 30 min conversation with me for a free profile deep dive and to discuss any questions that you may have around application process.
All the best!

Link to schedule a session - https://calendly.com/admissioninja/30min

Hello AdiPar

Most aspects on your profile seem to check the box.
Decent GMAT, CA experience (helps add diversity) is a positive too and shows potential for story telling with impact and achievements.
At the same time, extracurricular activities seem dated (the NGO one needs to be explored for accomplishments and recency) and school/university activities might not add much value.
Career goals need to be debated as to how to build the narrative. You will need to start by picking a Long Term Goal (say 5-10 years from now) and mention your personal motivation behind said goal. In order to reach such a goal, what are your Short term plans- that is what role/function/company do you wish to work in for the next 3-5 years to gain enough learning and experience to be able to transition into your long term goal. Then talk about how ISB will act as a stepping stone to help you land the said role in the immediate term post MBA. What New Skills will ISB help gain and what Existing Skills will it help build upon to help you land the target role. If you are not convinced with your target role/narrative, start by looking at what is it that most CAs end up doing after each school. (though I am not a fan of this, as the goals should be your own with your own motivation, otherwise you don't have a strong reason to pursue the program, but to each his own)
Last time rejection might have been a mix of three things- 1) lower GMAT 2) lower work ex (and by the virtue of that, achievements might not have been that impressive) 3) Lack of vision/clarity of career goals and inability to defend the same in interviews.

Best
Varun
MBAkarma.com

For the year 2023-24, ISB has announced the schedule of PGP Info-sessions in the following cities:

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You can find more information here and register for the info-session.

Hi GauthamManoj hope this finds you well

I did some digging into your background since it appeared to be similar to mine (and it is!). It is good to see a fellow R&D profile with automation/industrialization background.

Here are my suggestions

1. GMAT and academics
Your academics are strong. Your Quant score is fine, but there is plenty of room for improvement in the Verbal section. In the end, if it all comes down to statistics, your GMAT score will have an impact on the final decision. If you are not willing to retake the exam, you can show your strengths in areas that directly substantiate the success of your goal strategy. For example, by taking courses or demonstrating knowledge that validates your success in product management (specific to your industry of focus, etc.)

2. Goals strategy
Product management is a broad field. You need to be clear not only about what type of role you are interested in, but also how your previous experience in a role focused on "process design" and troubleshooting of mechanical products and systems will provide you with the right type of transferable skills and design thinking you need to succeed as a technical product manager. Research the types of companies that would value your previous experience and provide a springboard for your career in a new field. Sometimes mechanical profiles have a hard time presenting a solid strategy for transitioning directly into a PM role. If this is the case for you, you could present a phased plan where you either start in a role on the fringes of product management or take responsibility for a small part of a larger product system. Think about the skills you have acquired based on your previous experience and identify areas where you would like to improve. If you are looking to move to another industry, think about the new skills that would be required for that move.

Outstanding applicants are more likely to provide a Plan A and a Plan B, and back them up with relevant insights gained from networking with graduates, potential recruiters, and industry experts. This demonstrates that you are well-informed and proactively planning for your future career success.

3. Career progression
Most importantly, your leadership skills or, as I like to call it, your "career progression," is of particular interest to the school.

While R&D profiles for the MBA program are differentiated, you should also demonstrate functional responsibilities on relevant projects and show your ability to manage and engage stakeholders. Highlight your hands-on experience, your ability to connect with industry leaders to gain insights, and your ability to contextualize business problems specific to the field of work you are pursuing after the MBA.

As an R&D engineer, I believe you have great potential for developing product concepts, creating product design specifications, designing and testing prototypes, identifying and solving design problems, and collaborating with teams right from shop floors to senior leadership to ensure a successful product launch. You need to be able to demonstrate a solid vision behind your decision to pursue an MBA now, and that should align your past career decisions with what you plan to do in the near and long term.

Feel free to connect should need candid advice.

Aanchal Sahni (INSEAD alum, ex admissions interviewer)
MBAGuideConsulting
LinkedIn |WEBSITE: https://mbaguideconsulting.com/ | Message: +91 9971200927| email- mbaguideconsulting@gmail.com

Hi ayushiiiarya hope this finds you well.

Before you invest time in your GMAT preparation again, I would suggest that you take a step back and really analyze what might have gone so wrong in the last application cycle that you did not even get on the waitlist despite a solid academic background, the BITs tag and impressive work experience. In my opinion, your case could be a classic case of not having presented a solid goal plan to the ISB adcom.

You have an impressive and distinguished background as an energy market analyst. But your long-term goals in edtech (or corp strategy) are not clear. Adcoms would have wanted to gain clarity on what kind of consulting or short- to mid-term assignments would help you move in that direction? Applicants must understand that the question about goals (in essay or the interviews) is not simply a checklist on which you can mention a goal that you have not thoroughly thought through. Choosing your goals is a key criterion that a business school will use to determine whether you have deliberated well enough about what you want to do in life and whether you are taking the right steps to achieve those mid- to long-term goals. And from the brief description you gave, I cannot see how your energy background relates to EdTech or Corporate Strategy (not specific to an industry). You must connect these dots with a solid plan. If the adcom and the interview panel felt you were unprepared to answer about your career plan, that is ground for rejection.

Your GMAT with a Q50 will do fine as long as the rest of your application is on point. I don't think your GMAT, or your LOR or your ECs are an issue here. Don't be consumed with minor aspects that you miss the forest for the trees, failing to address the core issues at hand.

Feel free to reach out for candid advice

Aanchal Sahni (INSEAD MBA alum, ex INSEAD admissions interviewer)
MBAGuideConsulting
LinkedIn |WEBSITE: https://mbaguideconsulting.com/ | Message: +91 9971200927| email- mbaguideconsulting@gmail.com