May 29: Live Profile Evaluation Chat with The Red Pen

Question

Live Profile Evaluation Chat with The Red Pen MBA admission consultants

Thursday, May 29, 2025, at 9:00 AM PST | 09:30 PM IST | 12:00 PM EST

Ready to start your MBA journey? Share your profile and get live insights from The Red Pen!
Pre-MBA Role/Industry, Years of Experience, GMAT/GRE Score, CGPA, ECs
Post-MBA Role/Industry

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Sajjad1994 · Answer

Hello Everyone! We have a live MBA chat session with the Red Pen today at 09:30 pm IST | 09:00 am PDT. Stay tuned

We will start the chat session in 5 minutes

Keep your profiles ready, we are going to start the session soon.

Thank you TheRedPen for joining, Let’s start the session

danzouchiha725 · Answer

32M | Indian | Engineer with MBA from tier 1 Indian Bschool. 6.5 years of workex (2.5 years pre MBA in a startup, and 4 years post MBA in big 4 in their management consultanting arm. Multiple awards in Big 4, 1 accelerated promotion. President of society in Extra curriculars + tons of involvement in student driven clubs. 
Post 2nd MBA - Consulting/Tech/Product.

-- What should be my target score? Open to schools inside/outside US and other geographies.

-- What should be the ideal score to get into INSEAD?

TheRedPen · Answer

Hey everyone, I’m Manan, MBA Admissions Consultant from The Red Pen
Looking forward to interacting with you all and helping you with your queries.

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Welcome Everyone! To the live chat

Profile for evaluation ............. Please have a look at my profile :
Demographics : Indian(Male)
Age at time of applying : 29
Undergrad : Electrical Engineering from NIT(Top 15 schools in India)
Undergrad CGPA - 8.5(Top 10 in class of 100)
GMAT : 720
Quant score - Q49
Verbal score - V39

Work experience :

Associate Consultant - Oracle Financial Services Limited

Worked here for 18 months after graduating. Major areas of responsibility were to translate the client requirements in terms of product features required to be built, be involved in the development of those features and deployment of the product.
Worked with international team members based out of Lebanon and belonging to all parts of the world - Lebanon, London, Norway and India.

Cuelearn Pvt Ltd - 43 months
Joined this edu-tech startup at an early stage as a Business Development executive and through the years grew in the organisation to be the City Head for Mumbai. The position involved handling the P&L responsibility, team building, finding new channels of buisness development.
Was leading a team of 12 and managing a network of 1000 teacher partners in the city.

Pristyn Care Pvt Ltd - 5 months
Joined as the Central Operations manager to start this department in the company and set processes for different functions.
Helped build a team and set up basic processes but due to Covid-19, our team was let go in April due to economic reasons.

Cuelearn Pvt Ltd- May 2020 to present
Post the layoffs, reached out to my previous employers to know if there was an open position for me. They welcomed me back and gave me an opportunity to work with them again.
Currently working on starting operations for the firm in US - math education programs for K-8 age group.

Extra curriculars:

Active Pokemon Go player - have been playing since launch in 2016. Have built an active community of 300 people in my city who have similar enthusiasm for the game. Have been helping in launching different engagement activities for the community related to the game. Recently started an inter city tournament that span across 6 cities.

Target schools - Wharton, Booth, Haas, Ross, Tuck and Insead.

Post MBA Goals -
Want to transition to a product management role preferably in the Big Tech companies like Google and Microsoft. In the long term I want to leverage my previous experience in helping bring new products to market.

TheRedPen · Answer

You have a strong profile and work experience. As an Indian applicant with an engineering and consulting background, you belong to an overrepresented candidate pool. I would encourage you to target a GMAT score of 695 or higher for top-tier programs. This should also be a competitive score for INSEAD.

Additionally, since this will be your second MBA, it is crucial to clearly articulate why you need another MBA and what you aim to gain, given that you already hold one.

Feel free to drop your contact details (email or mobile) in the chat. We’d be happy to discuss your profile in more detail and help you enhance your application.

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Please submit your profile to get it evaluated.

Another profile submitted ...... Background: Indian, 28yo Male Supply Chain Planner. Aiming for 2026 intake (Jan/Sept)

Stats:
Latest GMAT: 680 Q50 V32
GPA 3.4/4 (Merit)

University/Education:
BBM (Major: Operations) from Singapore Management University (affiliated with Wharton). Headed Singapore’s first ever Design Challenge. Chief researcher at Student Investment Club. Marketing & PR director of Social Enterprise body in Uni. Extensive experience in leadership positions. Six Sigma Green Belt Holder.

American High School Diploma from Monta Vista High School, Cupertino, CA (top 10% of the cohort)

Work Experience:
3 internships in ops and business performance roles in 2 banks and 1 MNC:
-Citibank(Operations Analyst),
-Siemens (Business Performance Analyst),
-UOB Student Consultant

1 start-up experience: created and led a social enterprise agri-tech start-up in Vietnam, winning UN MDG gold medals and multiple investments. Represented Singapore in the SAGE Startup competition in the US.

0.5 yr full time experience in VC/PE firm bringing European startups to Singapore, providing startup valuations, assisting in incubation

5.5 yrs experience in Apple Supply Chain. Promoted in 2015, 2016, 2018. Currently leading a team of 5 specialists to ensure delivery execution as per plan across all channels. Have had the experience of launching dozens of new products, ensuring launch system and process launch readiness. Won 2 major prizes in Apple for leading innovation and process improvements, managing and rolled out multiple semi-automated processes to streamline workload across various teams.

ECAs:
Regular volunteer at the local food bank, providing food to elderly and disabled on weekly basis. Lead member of global meditation group. Led and worked with local residential committee via local commits clubs to gather and send out messages of appreciation to 300+Service staff members. Avid traveller.

Goal: Looking to pivot from supply chain planning to supply chain/operations consulting, strategy consulting, project management or supply chain manager roles.
Target Schools: Cambridge, Oxford, Insead, HEC, IMD, MIT (MSc in SC), Mccombs, Duke

I would like to know what are my chances to get into these target schools? Also are there any other schools I should look at? Or focus on improving my GMAT?

@HansikaSachdeva I received your questions and request the Red Pen to answer them

Questions asked by @HansikaSachdeva

I graduated in 2023 with a B.Tech in Computer Science (CGPA 9.5) and spent a year as a consultant, leading data analytics projects for international clients. During that time, I also co-founded a social impact SaaS startup that helps corporates run scalable, outcome-driven CSR programs focused on skilling and employment for underserved youth.

I left my consulting role after a year to work full-time on the startup, where I’ve now been a co-founder for about a year. We’ve secured seed funding and are preparing for our next round by the end of this year. I’m also writing a research paper on how technology can transform CSR.

I realize that the years of experience I have is lower than average, so what can I do or show through my application to ensure that this doesn’t hold me back?

TheRedPen · Answer

You have a strong profile with solid academics and diverse work experience spanning consulting, business development, and operations leadership. Leading teams and managing P&L at Cuelearn, along with expanding US operations, demonstrate strong growth and entrepreneurial skills. However, your GMAT score of 720 is slightly on the lower side for the top-tier schools you are targeting, especially given the competitive pool of Indian tech candidates. I’d encourage you to retake the GMAT and aim for a score of 695+ or higher to strengthen your application and remain competitive.

Your post-MBA goal of transitioning to product management in Big Tech is credible, but be sure to clearly articulate how your technical background combined with business leadership experience uniquely positions you for this shift.

Sajjad1994 · Answer

If you’d like to dive deeper into your MBA journey, you can book a free call with The Red Pen for a personalized discussion. https://theredpen.in/book-an-appointmen ... _Club_2025

kulabo · Answer

Hi Manan, I would appreciate it if you could help review my profile

Background
Age: 27
Gender: Female
Nationality: Indian

Academics
Class X: 93.4% (Head girl in school, Captain of the Volleyball Team)
Class XII: 90.91% (Humanities, Top 10 in College, German: 100/100)
Bachelor of Arts: 9.17/10 GPA (Major: Economics, Minors: Psychology, German)
Fergusson College (one of Top 20 humanities colleges in India, Estb. 1885 – Heritage Tag by University Grants Commission)
Masters of Arts: 9.07/10 GPA (Major: Economics, Minors: Mathematics, Statistics, Econometrics)
University of Pune (Graduate Education was aided, Top-performer in Common Entrance Test, led multiple initiatives in my department)

Scholarships:

District Merit Scholarship (Pune)
DAAD HSK Scholarship (Uni Freiburg, Germany)
POSCO ASIA Fellowship (South Korea)
Masters Merit Scholarship (Uni Pune)

Work Experience:

Eco Start-up – 2 years part-time alongside Masters – Strategy & Ops (exposure to multiple business pillars, collaborated with Ads, Marketing, Graphics, Sales, Finance teams to scale business and implement small scale process improvements)

Deutsche Bank – 2 years – Corporate Analyst (Migrated project to India, Trained a team of 30+, Recognition Award from Leadership)

Amazon – 2 years – Consultant (Tier 1 Retail Business Consulting, Multiple Projects to drive growth & operational excellence, currently handling a portfolio of €XXM, Hiring for language resources)

All roles have been focused on impact & international stakeholder management (US/Europe), however I worked from Indian offices in T1 Indian cities (Mumbai, Bangalore in Pune)

Test Scores:
8.5/9 - IELTS
Targeting 715+ in GMAT FE

Volunteer Work/ Community engagement:
passionate about environment, orgs where I volunteered include:
PASCH
Green Steps
Eco Vision Foundation
Madat Trust

Extracurriculars:
Languages: German C2 qualified, multiple engagement certificates

Post-MBA:
Accelerated Leadership Program/Strategy Consulting/FMCG

Schools:
Yale SOM is my absolute dream school. I’m also considering the Wharton Lauder Program. I plan to apply in R2, because I feel I would be able to put my best foot forward in that round. Would like an honest feedback if my profile is competitive enough? And what other schools should I consider? What are the apparent weaknesses in my profile & how can i best hedge against it?

Sajjad1994 · Answer

kulabo , Please do not post your profile multiple times

TheRedPen · Answer

Your profile has a solid foundation—strong academics and diverse work experience, including 5+ years in Apple’s supply chain. You have a competitive profile for your target schools. The main gap is your GMAT score—while your profile is strong, improving your GMAT Focus score closer to 675+ would strengthen your chances at schools like Cambridge, Oxford, and IMD, where your diverse international experience would also be highly valued. For super-competitive programs like INSEAD and MIT, you should aim for a score of 695+ to remain competitive. Additionally, consider programs like Kelley (Indiana), which have strong supply chain reputations and slightly more accessible GMAT averages. Feel free to drop your contact details (email or mobile) in the chat. We’d be happy to discuss your profile in more detail and help you enhance your application. Impressive! You have a high-impact early-career profile with an excellent academic record, international consulting experience, and co-founder credentials in a funded social impact SaaS startup. While your experience is below the typical MBA average, schools also value maturity, leadership, and clarity of purpose. With 2 years of work experience, it would be more challenging to convince the AdCom that you can add enough value in the classroom with candidates having typically 4-5 years of experience. That said, you should still shoot your shot - focus your application on the tangible impact you’ve made, such as team leadership, funding milestones, and measurable social outcomes, while clearly articulating why an MBA is the right next step to scale your venture or pivot to broader impact roles. You could also consider waiting a year or two; additional experience will strengthen your candidacy and increase your competitiveness. If you’d like to dive deeper into your MBA journey, you can book a free call with The Red Pen for a personalized discussion. https://theredpen.in/book-an-appointmen ... _Club_2025

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Question ask by @napolean92728

How to build a profile for M-7, I have 5 years to apply to B-schools

Question asked by @sarthak19203

How can i improve my profile for an ISB admit? Target GMAT score for the same

Everyone! Complete script of this chat will be available on the following post: may-29-live-profile-evaluation-chat-with-the-red-pen-445604.html

If you’d like to dive deeper into your MBA journey, you can book a free call with The Red Pen for a personalized discussion.
https://theredpen.in/book-an-appointmen ... _Club_2025

Sajjad1994 · Answer

All right! We are closing this chat session. Thank you Manan and TheRedPen for your time and inputs. We greatly appreciate it.

TheRedPen · Answer

napolean92728 - This would required a longer discussion basis your profile and background. You can book a free call with The Red Pen for a personalized discussion. https://theredpen.in/book-an-appointmen ... _Club_2025

TheRedPen · Answer

sarthak19203 - A score of 675+ would be competitive for ISB.
We would need information about your profile to be able to provide you meaningful insights. You can book a free call with The Red Pen for a personalized discussion. https://theredpen.in/book-an-appointmen ... _Club_2025

TheRedPen · Answer

Thanks for sharing your profile! You bring a strong academic foundation with top-tier GPAs in both undergraduate and graduate economics programs, supported by prestigious scholarships. Your extracurriculars - leadership as head girl, sports captain, and active involvement in departmental initiatives make your profile well-rounded. You also have strong work experience with reputed brands like Deutsche Bank and Amazon, building a diverse portfolio across strategy, operations, and consulting, with clear progression and measurable impact.

A 715+ GMAT would be very competitive and would strengthen your candidacy for top programs. Yale and Wharton are great fits, and applying in Round 2 is perfectly fine, especially if it allows you to refine your application. In addition to your dream schools, consider Kellogg, Tuck, Fuqua, LBS, and INSEAD. Overall, you’re a strong candidate for top global MBA programs.

TheRedPen · Answer

Thanks everyone for joining. If you’d like to dive deeper into your MBA journey, you can book a free call with The Red Pen for a personalized discussion. https://theredpen.in/book-an-appointmen ... _Club_2025
Alternatively, feel free to reach out directly at team.mba@theredpen.com or +91-7780769732.

sarthak19203 · Answer

Scholastic + WorkEx
10th - 10CGPA (CBSE)
12th - 93% (CBSE)
College - 8.67 CGPA - IIIT Delhi, B.Tech in ECE with Minors in Economics
Deans award for academic Excellence (2021)
2.5 years of work-ex by R1 Applications as a product manager at Jio Platforms, have led 2 major projects at the work place yet,
Interned at IIM Bangalore as a summer research Intern working on COVID-19 death-poll related research (2021)
Interned as a Product Analyst at Panasonic India (2022)
Have been working on my own startup with a couple of friends in the Ed-Tech space for sometime on the side, presented in a couple of Ideathons.

Extra Curriculars / Leadership Experiences
Trinity Grade 5 Guitar
Trinity Grade 1 Vocals
Trinity Grade 1 Keyboard
IEEE IIIT Delhi- Mentor (2022-23), Chairperson (2020-2022), VIce Chairperson (2019-2020), held and organised various talks, sessions, interviews, podcasts, mentored junior students for the better part of 2 years with professional and personal agendas.
Student Mentor: (2022-23)
IEEE Delhi Section Congress - Social Media Head
Cultural Committee Member for 3 years
Online TechWeek convenor IIITD (2021)
Cultural Fest Head of Operations (2023)
Teaching Asistant for finance courses
Volunteered as a teacher and mentored for underprivileged students in STEM during COVID.
Student Mentor for 1st year students under the Student Mentorship Program at IIITD.

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