LBS Profile Evaluation - Tools for B-School Profile Evaluation

Hi indianaspirant826
My name is Shimri Winters. I am a London Business School alumnus and head the strategy team here at ARINGO.
In terms of your profile. From what I can see:

Your undergraduate GPA doesn't sound too wonderful, but with a high GMAT, no one will ask you about this
In terms of your professional experience and achievements - you have been at a VC and have seen many startups and understand their struggle for raising capital. on the other hand, you moved to a startup, and have seen the world from that side too... I am sure you have many stories about moving quick, growing, changing strategies etc.
Your promotional and current role, sound very impressive, and if the company is doing well, and you have international interactions, direct management of employees and strong references, your professional experience sounds amazing!
Extracurricular activities are always goo.d and you have ticked this box too

What next? as you do come from a competitive background, you should invest in the GMAT, and score the highest possible score. what can you get away with? Well, we had a 650 that got into LBS this year so anything above that, but naturally, try to score above the school average (708)
and then, "simply" write the best possible, unique, outstanding application you can (well, we can help with that, feel free to reach out to me on shimriw@ARINGO.com for help with that) and perhaps apply to some backup schools too

GOOD LUCK!
Shimri

Hi indianaspirant826,

Thank you for your post and for sharing your profile. It looks like you have had great experiences in the past 4-years since graduating from college. You definitely want to leverage those experiences in your application to showcase you impact. An area that is concerning is the undergraduate GPA/CGPA (what is your class rank?). Being that you are a young applicant (their class average age at LBS is 29), this may be a hurdle too. I recommend a 730+ GMAT score and showcase a candidate that is ready for the MBA journey (through the written work in your application).


I am happy to speak further about your experiences and the next steps. When ready, do not hesitate to reach out.

Good luck!

Susan

I am a Singaporean Chinese, graduated from a local university (which ranks well on international lists) in Business, majoring in Finance in end-2017. Worked for 2 years at an investment banking/equity capital markets boutique doing small deals and corporate finance advisory. Moved to commercial deal team in a large state-owned enterprise shortly after receiving a promotion, focusing on sustainable energy solutions.

My main issues are a low undergraduate GPA and lack of extracurriculars.

MBA Info
Why I want an MBA:
My schooling and work experience are all geographically limited. The longest stint I had outside my country of birth is 3 months in Europe on Erasmus. I am looking to develop 1. an international network; 2. move into strategy consulting to earn my chops; and 3. hopefully continue developing in the sustainable energy space in the future after.

Why I want one now:
Organic career growth prospects are limited on my current trajectory and I find it difficult to have international mobility given my background.
There's 1 year 10 months of mandatory military service in Singapore (at 19), which explains the age/work experience I have today (3.5 years post-Bachelor's at point of matriculation for the September 2021 intake). From a practical standpoint, it's when I have the least opportunity cost to pursue a full-time MBA while also meeting the minimum work requirements to make a competitive application.

Background
Work experience:
2 years 2 months in a no-name equity capital markets boutique. Promoted at the end of the second year.
Started working at a state-owned enterprise from end-February (annual revenue US$3 bn), on a deal desk that has an international focus (especially China) in sustainable energy solutions and investments.
Will reach a cumulative >3.5 years of experience in time for matriculation for September 2021.

Extra curriculars and other experience:
Minimal. School athlete in running before age 19.

Undergrad school/major:
Singapore university with decent international rankings (NTU/NUS), Bachelor in Business (major in Finance).

Other education/coursework:
Passed CFA Level 1. Took a bunch of online courses in Python and SQL.

Race/nationality: Singaporean Chinese.
Sex: Male.

Stats
GMAT Score: [Online] 720 (Q49, V38, IR7)
Undergrad GPA: 3.90/5.00 (3.12/4.0; 2:2)

zedeffwu hi,
My name is Shimri Winters and I head the strategy here at ARINGO.
I am also a London business school graduate and used to interview candidates for LBS for 8 years.
I think your profile is great!
professionally - I am not sure why you are undermining your military experience - this is great experience and we make sure to emphasize this with any candidate we have that has a military background. Your communication skills, sense of ownership, leadership, teamwork etc. can all be discussed from this experience.
your 2-year position sounds great and getting a promotion at the end of year 2, sounds pretty fast to me!
Your current position with international focus in sustainable energy solutions (lots of buzz words here to be mentioned ) sounds very interesting too
Your academics - GCFA helps a bit! and GMAT is great and is above the school average (Will you be attempting another one?), and it offsets a mediocre GPA (not the end of the world!). I too have a low GPA (well and a low GMAT too )and made it, and hence, no reason you won't.
your extracurricular activities - all good! not everyone takes a year off and builds an orphanage ... Running is nice, and we can try to discuss something else (how come you were in Europe for three months?)
ARINGO specializes in working with candidates with low GPAs and GMATs! send me your CV for some more analysis (shimriw@ARINGO.com)
GOOD LUCK!

Hi,

Requesting a profile evaluation.
Target School: LBS, IMD

Background:
- Indian
- Male
- 33 years old with 8 Years of Work Experience

· Education:
- PG Diploma in Management (MBA Equivalent)- Marketing – India- 73%
- Bachelor of Technology- Mechanical Engineering- 76% (with Honors)

· GMAT:
- Will be taking in July End (Getting 680-690 in GMAT Prep Mocks) Expecting 690-700 in Actual

Profile-
Experience of 8 Years in Sales & Marketing, Strategy and Capability building in India’s Leading Automobile OEM

• Lead a field Team of 13 Area Managers along with a dotted line reporting by managers of Rural, Corporate & Exchange Sales
• Rated as Best Manager within one year into the leadership role- Scored 100% in Employee Satisfaction Index
4 roles/5 locations in a span of 8 years
• Area Manager- Channel Sales- SUVs- 4 Years, 2 different Geographies
• Capability Building Lead in HR for Sales and Marketing Function- 1 year
• Regional Manager- Sales Head for small commercial vehicles for one of the largest states of India
• Executive Assistant to Business Head & Chief of Sales and Customer Care

Other Points
• Economic Times Young leader-2018 (46 Winners/ 27,000 Participants in a National Leadership hunt of 5 Months/4 rounds)
• Youngest Regional Manager in the organization (4 promotions in 7 years with consistent top appraisal ratings)
• Member of the prestigious Leadership Accelerator Program for Identified Hi-Pot candidates
• Secretary, Management Grid (5 member Student Management Council in MBA) organized various National Conferences (HR, Finance, and Marketing) round the year by inviting best speakers/researchers from the industry
• Lead Vocalist and founding member of college Rock Band and Acoustic Guitar player
• Co-Coordinator- Dramatics Club (Winners in Street play, Theatrical stage play for 2 Years in a row at various National fests


Post-MBA goals:
Plan A – Most of my professional experience has revolved around Sales and Marketing with a higher focus on Sales aspect in the Automotive Industry. I am really interested in working on influencing consumer behavior by doing Product Management preferably in the CPG Industry where I would also be interested in exploring Digital Marketing/Strategy going forward.
Plan B – Enter one of the leading Strategy Consulting firms as an Industry expert to solve complex problems.

Vichitra hi,
(Shimri here from ARINGO. LBS alumn and head the ARINGO strategy team...)
You are what I call in the professional jargon "an excellent candidate"
Your professional experience is amazing - one of the best I have recently seen.
Your 8 years are full of accomplishments, leadership and managerial experiences, ownerships of projects, promotions (4 titles, WOW!), working in 5 locations, you really have the full package. Economic Times Young leader- gives a few extra points too
Additionally, I really like the fact you work in a very "simple" industry (everyone understands what you do...) which also helps to create a coherent story.
your education experience sounds good too!

Regarding your post-MBA goals. I don't like the two options you mentioned. I won't go here into detail on what you should do (send me a private email to shimriw@ARINGO.com), but I think you should play on your strengths, both in the industry that you know so well and the jobs you will be aiming for post MBA. you have such an impressive and different profile than other candidates. continue being special and go for a different career path!

What next?
GMAT GMAT GMAT!!! no GMAT, no MBA of course.
In regards to timeline, as you know, IMD's course starts in January, so you will need to apply in September.
So, I suggest taking the GMAT. and then starting to work on your applications (in parallel to a second GMAT if needed).
Make sense? happy to discuss further and help you with your journey
GOOD LUCK!

Please evaluate my profile. Details as follows:

Nationality: Indian Female
Academics: Xth - 82% | XIIth - 75% | UG - 75%
Undergrad Information: B.A. (Hons.) Psychology - University of Delhi
GMAT: 710
Work experience and leadership: Total 05 years of relevant professional experience. Details as follows:
1. VP Sales for an Edtech Startup [~1.5 years]
2. Worked as a Consultant at a Management Firm [2years]
3. Worked as a Strategic Account Manager for Zomato; handled large enterprise clients [2 years]
Community and others:
1. Started my own venture into healthcare space during the pandemic to help individuals who do not have adequate access to healthcare facilities [been 5 months]
2. Mentor at Policy Think Tank (Government of India Initiative) - mentoring school students into product development and entrepreneurship
3. Squash player

Thanks in advance!

Hi ShaliniShalini
Shimri Winters here. head of the ARINGO strategy tram (and LBS alumnus...)
I really like your profile!
- academically - you studied a "less common" degree (less common = unique = differentiator = advantage!) Psychology is a great degree and good foundation for any business leader!
- professionally - you have made fantastic progress from managing big accounts (sounds already pretty senior to me!), to consulting (where most MBA aspirants want to be, post their MBA) to VP sales. WOW! EdTech is another buzz word on your CV..
- As a fellow squash player (you will be surprised how much I used this in my LBS application!) I love the fact you both have a hobby + volunteering activities in your community, this shows what type of a person you are
GMAT and chances: 710 is a good score, and although you come from a competitive background, your candidacy is so unique!
ARINGO specializes in working with candidates with low GMATs, and If you write great applications you have a great chance overall!

Happy to discuss further. I would love to understand more about your current employer (What does the company do exactly?), work out your "why MBA" and career goals, and of course help with the process if you wish! As always, I am on shimriw@ARINGO.com
GOOD LUCK!!!

Sure. I'll connect with you. Thank you for your reply

Hi i need profile evaluation, can you please help

Name: Sarthak Gupta

Age: 30, Male, Indian

GMAT score: Not yet attempted, targeting around 710
Graduation: Completed B.Tech (IT) in 2011, 67.0%
Post Graduation: PGPM in Finance- 2013, 7 CGPA
US-CPA certified (equivalent to India's CA)

Work Experience:
7 years of experience in the field of finance. In 7 years i have achieved 5 promotions.
I have 2 years of working experience with EY,
4 Years with Grant Thornton
and currently working with Cohnrezinick LLP as Manager

Below is a brief about my job role:

Preparing and analyzing financial models involving multiple entities, currencies and geographies for providing financial insights.
Performing Financial due diligence and identifying adjustments from statements such as trial balance, audit and internals that impact EBITDA and Working capital.
Interacting with target management after understanding and drafting management questions, trending financial accounts and building various reports such as: CIM, Financial key notes, Financial due diligence report, Valuation report

Skills and accomplishment:
Awarded with Young Tirk (demonstrated entrepreneurial quality) for exceptional client service and converting a client billable from non recurring to recurring basis
Best employee award for Q4 2018
Spot award for best trainer in Q3 2019
Head of South US market
Optimized the Feedback process, aligning with the firm’s growth strategy
Training, mentoring and coaching seniors, associates and analyst on best practices and team integration

Extra curricular:
Participated in inter school badminton champion ship
2 years consecutively inter college basket ball tournament winner
Member of the student council during Graduation times

Post MBA : Want to work in Private Equity, Venture capitalist or Investment banking.
Second option would be transition into the Management consulting role

Sarthak hi,
Shimri from ARINGO here (LBS alum)

Your background (2 x big 6 accounting firms + Cohnrezinick) is pretty standard but very solid with two tier1 brands and consistent fast track promotions.
Your education and extracurricular activities sound like a real differentiator. well done!

My main "worry" around your application is your GMAT and career goals.
GMAT - well the higher the better...
Career goals - you have to find something that will differentiate you from another 1000 other accountants who are applying to the same schools you are. the way to do this is with a strong application and tight career goals. PE or consulting sound a bit wide... you need to find something that connects directly with your specific past experiences.

Happy to discuss this further and even work together on your application, but I think, for now, you have to concentrate on the GMAT. the higher the better. even if you miss the R1s....

Hope this helps! I am always on shimriw@ARINGO.com for more info!

Hello @ARINGO/guys!,
I hope my message finds you in good health.

I am doing my research on LBS (Cambridge,Oxford and INSEAD too) and was hoping to get a profile eval for the programs

Background: Male, Indian, 27(at matriculation)
Undergrad : MIT Manipal( A top 15 University); Class of 2016 CG:7.06. Majored in Computer Science (Strong Advanced Maths Scores, Scored over an A in all the pertinent math courses)
GRE: 325(Q:165, V:160, AWA 4), Intend to retake and hopefully score higher
Work Experience:

3 years 8 months as of August 2020
1. Big Data Engineer at Tesco (Aug'16 - May'19)

A. Designed Pipelines on the company's big data infrastructure(Hadoop Platform) for the company's supply chain
B. Part of team that developed an analytics platform which unified over xxM customer accounts over diverse Tesco platforms to perform efficient forecasting and analysis for targeted promotions to strengthen customer loyalty(left before the results were out).
C. Worked with the company's Thailand business to ideate and led the development of solutions which went on to prevent the loss on XM unsold volumes of items amounting to XXX,XXX$ between 2018 -2019 and also by rating supplier performance for contract renewals
D. Worked with the company's Thailand and Central European business to developed taxonomy for over x million products for enhancing reporting across various levels(store, area, region etc).
E. Point of contact for Thailand's business users on the Engineering issues. Actively identified pain points and devised mechanisms which to address them
F. Tabled Proof Of Concepts' for supplanting the existing codestack with open source languages and frameworks with which upon adoption eventually supplanted 70% of the codebase and almost reduced run time by a third. Developed templates, conducted Knowledge transfer sessions and workshops to facilitate smoother migration for all team members.

2. Big Data Engineer at Groupon(Sep'19 - Present):

A. Part of a newly formed team to re-engineer the entire data infrastructure and migrate to the cloud
B. Designed mechanisms to improve efficiency of traffic attribution and thereby funding for marketing ( End results of this are awaited )
C. Improved efficiency and automated the generation of customer subscription metrics for NYSE reporting.

Target Industries
Product management in the big data space at organisations like Walmart, Tesco, Amazon. I intend to build upon my existing capacities as a data engineer and draw on my experiences of working at retail/e-commerce organisations to transition into a data centric product manager and leverage AI/ML to optimise supply chains and improve customer satisfaction. Need business "know-how" on a variety of subjects like supply chains and operations to enable this.

Extra Curriculars:
1. Elected member of the college core committee and headed a 25 member team for the infodesk and finance categories of the college for a year. Responsible for information dissemination on over 300 events to a 15000 strong student body and the distribution of participation passes to them. Played key roles in developing an online system to handle payments, cash prizes and registrations. This helped boost participation, revenue(over INR 600,000 was collected in participation revenue, a 15% increase from the last cycle) and efficiently streamlined crowds.
2. Work in the community with my parents and a few friends to arrange health camps, school and medical supplies for domestic helps, watchmen, drivers and municipality workers.
3. Play football in local teams and watch a lot of it
4. Organise/Attend pet dog meetups ( I love golden retrievers :p)

I would be grateful if you could also help me with the following queries,

1. Having worked as a data engineer, is my work experience too technical for top MBA programs?

2. How do the universities in question evaluate the male indian IT applicant? ( I dont see a lot of them on the class profile page at LBS)

3. While I have striven to understand the functioning of business and the impact of my work in the larger scheme of things and have collaborated effectively with stakeholders from 8 countries , I dont have the exposure of working across countries. Would this disadvantage me in a big way? ( I have lived across 7 cities in India if that's of any help)

4. Does applying with a GRE disadvantage me in any way? While Universities like Ross and ISB have expressed no preference for either when I had written to them, Universities like Fuqua have advised me to use the score converter to gauge ballpark GRE estimates for the program, whilst also stating that they have no preference between the tests. Now, I feel that the converter is inaccurate(For eg, a 170 on the GRE Quant corresponds to a nonexistent score,53, on the converted scale) and that it reduces the "net score" of an individual (For example, my 325 with a Q/V percentile split of 88%/86% on the GRE corresponds to 690 (Q/V 47/36, percentile split of 63%/81% according to Magoosh's scales(https://magoosh.com/gmat/score/gmat-score-calculator/)) which I feel is way off. Does this mean that the GRE scores are "standardised" to bring them in line with the GMAT during the admissions process? (I realise this is a very ad-com specific question, but I'd be grateful for your views on this)

My apologies for the inconvenience caused by inundating you with so many queries. I hope to get my test(s) behind me and start working on applications at the earliest.

Thank you in advance
Sincerely

Hello everyone, I'm looking to apply to the R1 2021 intake. Would love to get the community's thoughts on my profile and my chances. Thanks in advance!
I'm Abhijeet Singh.
Nationality / Age: Indian, 26
GMAT/GRE Score / GPA / TOEFL/ Work experience: yet to take (planning for the end of July)/ 4 out of 5
Educational Background: B.Tech in Metallurgy and Material Science Engineering from National Institute of Technology Durgapur, West Bengal, India, Currently ongoing: Executive MBA from Indian School of Business Hyderabad.
Post-MBA goals: work at international organizations in the upper echelon as an expert in the Supply chain and risk mitigation.
Schools you are applying to HBS, INSEAD, HEC, LBS, JUDGE.
(Optional) Professional, educational or personal milestones you have achieved:
Leade of Strategic Sourcing in India's largest steel manufacturing conglomerate, Promoted twice in a span of 4 and half years with the company sponsoring my executive MBA at ISB Hyderabad, Nominated as Future fit leader in the Steel group of India, Implemented 40+ Lean Six Sigma Black Belt project in the organization with a saving of more than INR 80+ Crores. Won the prestigious Deming Award for the organization in 2018 for showcasing the best in class Quality as the lead of Strategic Sourcing.

Hi GMAT Club!
I would really appreciate if you could help me understand if I stand a chance of entering LBS MBA

Profile
28 years old Indian
Xth: 93%, XIIth: 83%
B.Tech. from National Institute of Technology Allahabad (NIT Allahabad), GPA: 7.2/10 (2010-2014)
MBA from Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (GPA: 2.8/4.33) (2016-2018)
CFA Level 3 cleared


Work Experience
Analyst, HSBC Investment Banking, India (2018-Present)
Worked with Managing Directors, Directors based in UK in transaction origination and transaction execution. Performed market and sector research for clients and highlighted key activities and trends. Analyzed business models, developed detailed business plan and 3-statement financial models. Hands-on experience with Leveraged Buyout (LBO), Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) and merger model. Prepared pitch books, IMs, RFPs, financial models and did intrinsic and relative valuation.

Closed £8bn of transactions for various global clients. Received recognition multiple times by senior leadership

Worked in London for 3 months to support transactions at advanced stage, coordinated with clients and other banks to close transactions

Samsung Research Institute, India (2014-2016)
Interacted regularly with world’s leading telecom operators to identify key business requirements and coordinated with Product Engineering team to implement them in the solution stack. Provided uninterrupted Service Management to see that all the services are always functional. Closely worked with third party network vendors to ensure seamless delivery of our solution stack

Achievements - Business travel to Taipei to oversee commercialization of Samsung Galaxy S6 for Taiwanese operators

Awards
National finalist in HSBC's case competition
Authored ‘Why Putin should move on’ for the February issue of IIM Rohtak’s finance magazine ‘FI’
Avid quizzer and chess player

Extra-curricular
Avid traveler, having visited 8 countries.
Passionate about EDM and attended 15+ concerts all across the globe

Application
I will apply during September or October (R1 or R2)
Career goals: Corporate strategy (Tech-focused), Corporate M&A, PE/VC

Hi GMAT Club!
I would really appreciate if you could help me understand if I stand a chance of entering LBS MBA

Profile
28 years old Indian
Xth: 93%, XIIth: 83%
B.Tech. from National Institute of Technology Allahabad (NIT Allahabad), GPA: 7.2/10 (2010-2014)
MBA from Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (GPA: 2.8/4.33) (2016-2018)
CFA Level 3 cleared

Target schools: LBS, Oxford, Cambridge, INSEAD, HEC

Work Experience
Analyst, HSBC Investment Banking, India (2018-Present)
Worked with Managing Directors, Directors based in UK in transaction origination and transaction execution. Performed market and sector research for clients and highlighted key activities and trends. Analyzed business models, developed detailed business plan and 3-statement financial models. Hands-on experience with Leveraged Buyout (LBO), Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) and merger model. Prepared pitch books, IMs, RFPs, financial models and did intrinsic and relative valuation.

Closed £8bn of transactions for various global clients. Received recognition multiple times by senior leadership

Worked in London for 3 months to support transactions at advanced stage, coordinated with clients and other banks to close transactions

Samsung Research Institute, India (2014-2016)
Interacted regularly with world’s leading telecom operators to identify key business requirements and coordinated with Product Engineering team to implement them in the solution stack. Provided uninterrupted Service Management to see that all the services are always functional. Closely worked with third party network vendors to ensure seamless delivery of our solution stack

Achievements - Business travel to Taipei to oversee commercialization of Samsung Galaxy S6 for Taiwanese operators

MBA Info
Why I want an MBA:
My schooling and work experience are all geographically limited. The longest stint I had outside my country of birth is 3 months in London for HSBC. I am looking to develop 1. an international network; 2. move into PE,VC /corporate M&A;

Why I want one now:
Organic career growth prospects are limited on my current trajectory and I find it difficult to have international mobility

Awards
Top rated analyst (in the batch of 26 from best B-Schools of the country) at HSBC
National finalist in HSBC's case competition
Authored ‘Why Putin should move on’ for the February issue of IIM Rohtak’s finance magazine ‘FI’
Avid quizzer and chess player

Extra-curricular
Avid traveler, having visited 8 countries.
Passionate about EDM and attended 15+ concerts all across the globe

Application
I will apply during September or October (R1 or R2)
Career goals: Corporate strategy (Tech-focused), Corporate M&A, PE/VC

Hi elPatron434

Thank you for providing a detailed profile. You’ve got one amazing profile and I must advise you to apply for scholarship programs in your target schools. Now going step-by-step in evaluating your profile:

- Your stats are strong and a GRE of 325 is great for all your target schools (though if you want to get in through scholarships, you may want to retake and target a little higher score). About your doubt of applying with GRE, your target schools accept both the scores and so, you do not have to use a converter, and yes, some schools prefer GMAT for the candidates who do not have a quant background but this condition is not required anywhere in your case. So, you may apply with your GRE score with no worries.

- Your work experience is really excellent. I can clearly see elements of huge impact, leadership, and initiatives in your experience. Also, you have quite good international exposure as you have worked with stakeholders of 8 countries and if you are successful in telling stories of how it has broadened your perspective and shaped your personality, it does put you at a great spot.

- Now, about your extracurriculars, they really are great. You have exhibited leadership qualities in your college life too which definitely is a plus to your profile. What really caught my eye is that you organize dog meetups which seems very interesting.

Your post-MBA goals are ambitious and pretty in alignment with your prior career and that you want to leverage AI in your work seems innovative and interesting. You stand a great chance at LBS, Said, and Insead and I would advise you to apply at HSW trio and other M7 schools too. What’s going to matter most in your application is how you connect the experiential dots and build a great story. If you’d like we are happy to hop on a call sometime this week to discuss your chances further. Feel free to book my calendar as per your convenience.

Cheers!
Kashish Garg
Community Manager, MBA and Beyond

On behalf of
Shantanu Sharma,
Founder and Admissions Consultant, MBA and Beyond
Schedule a free session
Email: shantanu@mbaandbeyond.com
What s app: +65-97158525
Call: +49-15212121641

Hi Abhijeet,

what I understand is that you are currently enrolled at ISB. I didn't quite get which "executive MBA" program you are doing at ISB, Hyderabad. If you are referring to the PGP, then its an MBA equivalent itself. In that case why do you need another MBA degree immediately after completing one MBA? Moreover, the adcoms of all the programs you have mentioned in your post will also have this same reservation. Do explain if I have understood it wrong.