MBA Profile Evaluation

Question

Dear team,

it would be great if I could receive some advice/ an assessment of my upcoming B-School application:

Nationality: Western European/ US-American
Degree: Undergrad in Business (Top 5% at average/ good state university) and Exchange at Ivy in the US, Masters in Management (First/ Top 15-20% Oxbridge) incl. merit-based scholarships
GMAT: 690 (Q: 44 / V: 41 / IR: 8) - weak Quant; retake worth it if e.g., only 47 expected?
Work Experience: 2 Years MBB in Europe and further abroad, several internships in consulting and at Volkswagen
Extracurricular: Several activities before and during studies (e.g., Class President, Politics); currently minimal
Post-MBA goal: Consulting, PE

Schools: 
Harvard
Wharton
Chicago
MIT
Insead

It would be great to get some advice on chances at these schools and the necessity of a GMAT retake.

Thank you very much!

mbaMissionMichael · Answer

Hi Peter, and thank you for your post.
While the GMAT is only one component of your application, it is an important one especially for these very top schools.
I would highly recommend retaking the GMAT. If you were to score a 47 in Quant, that would push you above a 700 and get you much closer to these school's GMAT averages. You also have nothing to lose (except of course your time and effort) as the schools only look at your top score. Even scoring well above a 700 won't guarantee admission but it will increase your odds a bit.
You will also have to illustrate why it makes sense for you to go to business school now and not in a year or two, given that the average number of years of work experience is closer to 5. And if you do decide to wait to apply, you can use the next year to beef up your extracurricular activities and hopefully take on a leadership role in one.

If you would like to go more in depth on your profile and resume, feel free to sign up for a free consultation. Good luck!
https://www.mbamission.com/consult.php

JS6 · Answer

Would request you to evaluate my profile and suggest the college I should target with this aim and profile. Please suggest if I can go for executive MBA with current profile. If yes, then which college.

Target Courses:
 • MBA Full time
 • Master in Management Full Time

Writing GMAT on 29th Dec 2018
Expected score with current preparation : 600 - 650
Current Mock test score : 590 (Q-42/V-30)

Undergraduate college : Not a renowned one. 
Computer Science with 66% from VTU university. CGPA = 7.35
PG Diploma from CDAC ACTS, Pune in wireless and mobile computing.

Work Experience: 
Total 9 years of work experience as a software developer in networking domain. 
 • Aricent Technology - 3years
 • Cisco Systems - 2years
 • Juniper Networks - 4years

Awards at work :
 • Received "Departmental spotlight award" for solving the problem for one of the key customer of Juniper Networks.
 • Developed a feature which got 20million USD deal for the company.

Extra curricular activities : 
 • I am certified Level-1 Power Yoga Teacher. Have taken yoga classes at local yoga center. 
 • Took initiative to raise fund to get the toilets constructed for girls in a local school.

Extra activities I indulge in as hobby: 
 • Love outdoor sports. Play basketball, pool table, badminton etc.
 • Always appreciate any kind of artwork. I do sketch and oil paint.

International Exposure :
No international exposure but I have been to 38 cities in 14 states of India across it's length and breadth for education, work, leisure and adventures trip.

Post MBA Goals: 
 • To go in Product management or Marketing.

Aiming for : Top 25 MBA College. 
Preference : USA/Canada college.

Thanks for help in advance!

Laksh128 · Answer

Dear team,

Thanks in advance for reviwing my profile based on that I can apply for colleges after giving GMAT.

I am Laxmikant Tripathi from India.

Degree- Bachelor in commerce from HR college Mumbai ( CGPA 7.8 out of 10). Chartered accountant qualified in 2017.

Work expiernce - I have 1 and half year work ex in KNAV PA a cpa firm in audit. I also have 3 year work ex as articleship during chartered accountancy.( articleship required 35 hours week work in office after college hours)

Extracurricular -

1) I have conducted various college fest in college and I was part of various club in college which used to conduct different kind of college event.
2) Played for my office cricket since I have a great interest in cricket.

GMAT score - I gave one of the first mock today and scored 620. It was my first mock I started my studies 5 days back. I am confident with the score of 700+.

I want to do MBA in finance. I would like to know what are the college where I can apply and will the articleship experience gets counted towards work expiernce.

Posted from my mobile device

Zsarathy86 · Answer

Hi can someone evaluate my profile and suggest suitable college and courses. I am open for 2yr as well as 1yr MBA. Preferably US/Canada.

B.Tech IIT Bombay- 5.68/10

Totally 11 years experience in IIT JEE coaching

4 years was working for a top coaching class in Mumbai 
7 years running my own coaching class. Started with one subject maths. After 2 years expanded to all three subjects by recruiting best teachers for physics and chemistry. I handle all operations and marketing.

GMAT-690 (V33 Q50)

Post MBA want to do something entrepreneurial

Posted from my mobile device

NITUNKUMAR2018 · Answer

Age- 30 years

GMAT- 700 (Q49, V36, IR-6, AWA-6)

UG- B.E. in Instrumentation and Control from NSIT, Delhi

UG %age -79.7 (2nd ranker but no document for that)

12th-85.4%

10th-89.4%

Work Experience-8.5 years

Company- Indian Oil Corporation Limited

Department- Operations

Present designation- Incharge of a plant having annual turnover of Rs. 2400 crores and supplying petroleum products to 6 districts, heading a team of 18 employees, 50 contract labours, 300 Tanker crew.

Previous roles- worked in similar plants in different roles as supplies manager, safety officer, maintenance manager, second in command in 3 different plants including present one.

Professional achievements-

1. youngest plant incharge of IOCL at present.

2. developed a new supply model for a 500 crore customer to prevent him from switching on account of enroute pilferage from tankers leading to huge losses to customer

3. brought about market realignment to save 2.2 crore annually on logistics costs in the plant

4. designed the automation system for Rail wagons for which pilot project is being undertaken at my plant and post successful commissioning will be replicated on PAN India basis.

5. undertook capitalization projects worth Rs. 33 crores as maintenance manager in previous plant and Rs. 16 crore in the capacity of plant incharge presently.

6. All India winner of a series of online quizzes conducted by our operations department on various topics covering downstream oil operations.

7. My plant awarded British International Safety award for commitment to occupational health, safety and welbeing.

8. presented techincal paper to management proposing modification in core facilities in the plant to meet future challenges.

9. Developed e-learning modules for Operations department for effective training of employees, labour etc.

International experience- Nil

Extra curricular

1. Silver medalist at one National Level Painting competitions and have significant achievements in fine arts at various levels throughout school and college life.

2. President of college's annual cultural festival

3. Organised oil conservation rallies/signature campaigns

4. Provided borewell for local villagers near my plant.

Future goals
Plan A- Management Consulting
Plan B- Operations/downstream oil & gas

Background- Rose from a very low economic status by working for 8.5 years and considering an MBA now since I have stabilised my fiancial conditions.

Already applied-ISB

Seeking suggestions for alternate colleges to apply

Do I have any chances at top 15 colleges in US/Europe?

Please suggest where should I apply with the above profile and goals.

niclam2203 · Answer

Hi all,

I would appreciate any feedback you could provide on my profile for Wharton, LBS and INSEAD

- Age 22 at matriculation, Mauritian
- GMAT 740
- ACCA and CFA qualified. Completed ACCA at the age of 18 and CFA program at 21. However, no GPA given I did not attend any university. Wharton, LBS and INSEAD confirmed that my ACCA qualification will be equivalent to an undergrad degree.
- Spent 2 years and 4 months at Ernst and Young in the Corporate Finance Department with 2 promotions.
- Currently a Private Equity Analyst at the biggest bank in Mauritius - will have about 1 year of experience in PE at matriculation
- Post MBA goal is to work in PE
- Volunteer - Currently a volunteer at the round table association helping the homeless people and a mentor for the CFA research challenge to university student
- Member of the toastmasters club and regularly practice kickboxing
- Speak and write both French and English

Thanking you in advance for your feedback.

VAMSIGUPTA92 · Answer

I am naval architect (ship designer) and I have 5yrs of professional experience. I have handled 4 projects. Do I have a chance for getting in to IIM's and ISB. I want to do project managment course.
10-85%,12-85%,BTECH-8 CGPA.
PLS tell my chances of getting it.

Posted from my mobile device

ShreyaDG · Answer

Dear Team, can please help me with profile evaluation. I am looking for an admit in 2020-2021.
Kindly suggest which top colleges should I apply for and if I should ideally go for it.
AGE - 31 (18 March 1988)
BSc - Computer Science (Bethune College Kolkata) - 2009
MBA - IISWBM Kolkata (2011)
Marks- X - 91, Xii- 92 Graduation - 68, MBA - 72
GMAT 720
Current Salary - 20+ Lakhs
IELTS - 8
Total work-ex - 7 years (by June 2019)
Industry - FMCG, Company - Unilever
Current role - Market research and insights (2 years)
Worked in research agencies Nielsen and IMRB for 5 year

Kindly suggest if I should try to improve my GMAT score, also if it is a good decision to go for an international MBA at this age and the colleges I should focus on.

Posted from my mobile device

js4895 · Answer

Hey,

I am planning on applying for the MBA program starting Fall 2020. I would love to hear feedback on my profile. Don’t hold back!

Background:

I am 26-years-old, Indian male and spend most of my life in East Africa; ranging from Kenya to Tanzania and currently, I am residing in Ethiopia. Although I am born in India, I've lived there less than 3 years. Most of my teenage years I've been jumping around from Dubai, USA, Kenya, Tanzania and Ethiopia. Most of my high-schooling was done in Tanzania and Ethiopia.

Academic Qualifications:

1) Completed my BSc in Environmental Science at University of York, UK. GPA equivalent of 3.2
2) M.S, Columbia University, USA, GPA 3.7

GMAT: 730

Work Experience (earliest to latest):

- Environmental Affairs Intern at United Nations Environmental Program in Ethiopia
- Intern at government organization dealing with early weather warning and development services in Ethiopia
- Project management Intern at a marine conservation NGO in South Africa. Led several research studies and teams of 5-6.
- Senior Financial Analyst at an NGO in New York. Started off as an intern and was promoted to Financial Analyst and within 7 months received another promotion to Senior Financial Analyst. 
- Auditing Intern at one of the leading auditing firms in Ethiopia.
- Currently transitioning to an organization dealing with improving food security and climate change adaptation in low-income households.

Total WE: 36 months

Extra-curricular:

-Climbed the summit of Mt. Meru and Mt. Kilimanjaro (largest free-standing mountain in the world).
-Toastmasters member (helps individuals become competent public speakers)
- Volunteer at an orphanage in Ethiopia, assisting children with their homework, tutoring, and help the older students apply for scholarships for their further studies overseas. Additionally, I coach the junior football team at the school. 
- Completed a comprehensive study looking at the human impacts on Ethiopian Wolves (rarest canid wolf species in the world).
-Used to volunteer at Born Free (conservation management in Ethiopia)

Extras:

I speak English, Malayalam (native) and French (conversational)

Post MBA goals:

Return to Ethiopia and start a social enterprise that helps low-income households with food security by adopting sustainable agricultural practices.

Aiming for HBS, CBS, Stanford and open to other options that you think might fit my background.

mbaMissionMichael · Answer

To js4895,
Thanks for your post. You have a very interesting profile and a compelling background.
The application process is truly holistic, and committees will look at your stats (GPA and GMAT), work experience, and extracurriculars.

Your GMAT is strong, though compared to others in your demographic who are applying to the top MBA programs, it is a bit below the average. If you haven’t already, I suggest taking it up to 3-4 times. You have nothing to lose since schools will only look at your highest score. And even a slight increase can boost your profile. Plus it will help make up for your 3.2, which is good, yet also a bit below the average for the schools you listed.
It is hard to gauge your work experience without knowing your accomplishments and impact you have made there. It is nice to see you have already been promoted. However, the average years of work experience is closer to 5, so if you choose to apply with fewer years, make sure you demonstrate why now is the time. And because of your lighter experience, it’s even more important to show you have made an impact and demonstrated leadership there. Ideally this will be supported by a strong recommendation letters as well. It will also be important to explain why you want your MBA, and to also illustrate the skills you already have which are transferable. Be sure your story makes sense, and is realistic and specific. Also keep in mind that internships do not usually count towards official work experience. So you may want to consider waiting another year so that you will have closer to 5 years of work experience upon matriculation. This will also give you time to strengthen your overall profile.
Regarding extracurriculars, I am impressed, especially with your orphanage volunteering. In your application, make sure to really emphasize your leadership roles you have taken on. 
If you continue to strengthen your profile, you do have a chance at some of these schools, but they are extremely competitive, and each school simply does not have the room to admit all the world's qualified applicants. For that reason, I suggest apply to several schools, including reach, target and safety. Hopefully they will see that you have a compelling story and are someone who will add value to the classroom and community. 
If you would like to discuss your story or anything else in greater detail, please sign up for a free consultation. It is never too early to get started.
Good luck!

js4895 · Answer

Hi Michael,

Thank you for the detailed response. It has given me clarity on the areas to focus on moving forward. Much appreciated!

shubhajit · Answer

Hello,

I seek some advice regarding the suitability of my profile for the schools that I am targeting for fall 2020. Would be grateful if I could receive some feedback.

Background:

• Indian, male
• Engineering bachelors (electrical) - GPA 6.1/10 (equiv to 61%) at tier 1 university
• 5+ years' worth of work experience (be 6 by the time I apply) - Renewable energy - Consulting and operations
• GMAT 700

Target colleges:
• LSB
• INSEAD
• HEC
• Oxford Said
• ISB

Post MBA goals
Career acceleration in the same field

Short term:
Manager/Team lead at a Developing/Investing form that could leverage my knowledge engineering and operations to build a strong renewable energy portfolio
OR
Senior Consultant/team lead at a consulting firm that assists governments in emerging markets to set up appropriate policies to maximize benefit to their economies - technically as well as financially.

Long term - 
Senior executive at a firm that builds on a portfolio of energy projects through organic/inorganic growth to maximize its gains. Would also like to be involved in policy related advisory for emerging markets.

Work exp break down:-

3 years at a technical consulting firm (largest in India) - Energy industry. (2013-2016) - location India

• Worked on conventional power projects in Greece and Morocco - 1 year. Clients were foreign nationals. Had limited travel during this time. 
• Mostly focused on developing strong technical fundamentals
• Shifted to renewable energy industry (utility scale solar plants). Offered consultancy services to lenders, policy makers and developers. Drew on the rich technical learning that I garnered in the first year of my service.
• Travelled extensively all over India and witnessed the boom in the renewable energy space first hand.
• Promoted to the position of an Engineering Consultant – Design

2 years at the world's 2nd largest solar PV (photo voltaic) Engineering Procurement Construction (EPC) company

• Employed as senior design engineer. 
• Employed at double the pay.
• Shifted from consultancy to operations in the space of a couple of months
• Drew on the wealth of technical experience garnered in previous employment as technical consultant
• Started the energy storage department in the firm
• Picked up financial modelling and programming even though these were not a part of my job description. Employed this skill set to pivot discussions with management and clients and to always engage in a fact based argument.
• Led a team of 8 at the home office and a team of 24 at site, to successfully commission the largest solar PV plant (at that time) inside an Airport (beside the runway) at the Kolkata International Airport.
• Obtained recommendation from Client (central government of India)
• Manager (team lead) for 3 large scale solar PV projects that were completed - concept to commissioning - within a space of 2 years and were based out of India, Egypt and Argentina
• Employment included extensive travelling all over the country and to Egypt and Vietnam (for construction monitoring)

1 year at the world's largest energy consulting form (2018- present)

• Offered a role of a Consultant in Energy Storage and Renewable energy
• 4x the pay of previous firm
• Permanent employment offered at Dubai office. Currently hold a resident Visa.
• Centre of excellence for solar PV. I have been asked to disseminate my operations experience to the solar consulting team.
• Offer consultancy services to private equity forms, banks and developers investing in energy storage (primary role)
• Travel to Jordan, Egypt, Kenya and Saudi Arabia

Extra curriculars

2011- present
• Started a cooperative for sustainable tourism in the Himalayas. The geographic location is quite limited to few high - altitude locations in Jammu and Himachal Pradesh.
• It’s a low-key initiative that includes locals as well as travellers and I have never wanted any hype around it. There is no formal company registration. It is an initiative that has been popular only because of the heavy involvement of the local people. It's a cause I personally care about.

2013-2015
Volunteer at an NGO that works to offer education to the underprivileged - run by Nobel Laureate Kailash Satyarthi

2016-present
Active member of a vocational training institute where I disseminate my knowledge of operations to budding technicians

Kindly post your opinion whether my profile looks competitive enough to be considered by the aforementioned schools. I am a bit worried about my GMAT score. I only had 12 days to prepare for it and I have a feeling that I can probably do better. But to be very honest, I don't think i will have enough time to retake, thanks to commitments at work.

Thanks a lot!

SNG

taniab0406 · Answer

Hi please review my profile for MBA program:

Back ground: Indian, Female, will be 27 years old in June
Education: B.Tech in Electronics from West Bengal University of Technology in India
CGPA: 7.75/10
12th: 72%
10th: 87.125%
GMAT Score: 650, I will be taking GMAT again, targeting 700
Domain: Business Improvement—Operational excellence
Experience: 3 years 4months till now

Job description:
I am working with British Telecom. My designation is Operational Continuous Improvement Lead. I work with different team to cater Lean practice inside their BAU.

Leadership Experience: I have led AIS team and am currently leading IM team for their Bronze accreditation by BQF. AIS team consists of 14 members and IM team consists of 25 members.

Professional Achievements:

1. Best employee
2. Star award
3. Lean Six sigma Green belt certified
4. Lean Practitioner certified
5. Bronze accreditation by BQF for AIS team under my supervision

Extracurricular: 
1. State level Bronze medallist in Singing (Rabindra Sangeet)
2. Won some competitions during school and college in Recitation
3. (Not sure whether to mention as entrepreneurial experience) during my graduation I have cofounded a local organisation along with some of my friends. We provided tuition to the students who are not able to pay enough for their education, also introduce them with the part of extracurricular activities, which they find interesting.
4. During my 10th, we made an organisation called it ‘FRIENDS’. The purpose was to spread awareness against superstitions and prejudice.

International Exposure:
Professional: Not travelled in different countries. But I have worked and am working in Global projects which includes different teams across globe.

Post MBA goals:
Want to join strategy consulting firm

Target schools:
ISB, HEC Paris, INSEAD, IMD, Judge Business School

Kevin776 · Answer

taniab0406 
You have a good profile and following are my recommendations according to the GMAT score that you may get when you retake it:
650-670 : 1.) within reach : IESE, SDA Bocconi, ESADE, 2.) Stretch : IE business school and IMD
670-690 : 1.) within reach : IE business school and IMD , 2.) Stretch : HEC, ISB, Said business school
690-710 : 1.) within reach : HEC, ISB , 2.) Stretch : CJBS, INSEAD
>710 : within reach : CJBS, INSEAD 
All this is highly dependent on the drafted application though.

Kevin776 · Answer

Hello,
Your profile looks good but I think you should be targeting CJBS more than LBS and Oxford Said because you have a background in technology and CJBS is believed to accept people from the same background (read about its proximity to the silicon fen). From GMAT point of view you are fine (although 720 would have made things a lot easier for you). Nevertheless you have a promising profile and if you are able to craft your story right, I am sure you'll be able to target ISB, HEC and Oxford Said among the options you gave. INSEAD and LBS will be a bit stretch but definitely worth a try.

Kevin776 · Answer

I believe you have an extremely compelling profile but to be honest, for HBS and Stanford, you would need definitely need 740+ with the kind of profile you have! I know people (especially admission consultants) will tell you that 730 and 740 doesn't make much of a difference and you can overcome the gap with the well drafted application but believe me, the competition at HBS and Stanford is extremely stiff. CBS will be a good option but CBS is more inclined to admit students who demonstrate a business or finance as their post MBA goal (owing to its NYC location) so you may have to tweak your narrative while you draft your essays (Read about their benefit of being in NYC essay). For social entrepreneurs, Yale is considered as Mecca and I am sure you have comfortable case for it. I also think if you're inclined to pursue social entrepreneurship in Ethiopia, Oxford Said is a great option. (Their skoll centre of entrepreneurship is a great tool for people who want to work in Africa).

All the best!

Kevin776 · Answer

Dear Shreya,
31 is not at all a bad age to start thinking about an international MBA. Don't worry about it at all: You have a very interesting profile and you should probably look for a 1 year MBA in UK and the rest of the Europe. I wouldn't recommend you a US MBA because of its duration. Following are my recommendations for your profile at 720 score:
1. Cambridge Judge business school (reach)
2. Oxford Said (reach)
3. INSEAD (target)
4. HEC (Safety)
5. LBS (target)

if you still want to pursue an MBA in the US, following are my recommendation:
1. Cornell Johnson (reach)
2. USC Marshall (reach)
3. CMU Tepper (safety)
4. Yale (Target)

However, the perfect fir for you is Cambridge Judge business school with an average experience of over 6 years in its cohort.

All the best.

Kevin776 · Answer

Firstly, congratulations on your achievements. To be honest, you have a good GMAT score but you lack the professional experience that the schools you mentioned look for. The best advice for you would be to gain a couple of years experience and concentrate more on the community work aspect. You will then be a perfect fit for Wharton and Stanford.
You can however try for a slim chance at INSEAD now.

All the best.

Kevin776 · Answer

That's an impressive profile! You can also try Cambridge Judge business school. It's a mature MBA school and you will find similar profiles in their cohort.

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