Team Stratus Admissions Counseling - Profile evaluation help

Hello Team Stratus Admissions Counseling,
Hi @somnath1234, thanks for reaching out for advice- happy to review your profile and will do so below. Thanks
Kindly review my profile and share your valuable inputs.

Profile: I completed my graduation in Fashion designing from one of the top 3 colleges in Asia in 2014 with a CGPA of 7.43. I have been working with the biggest apparel organization in India for past 4 years. Have a healthy work experience across 2 different roles. This is great to see- it is definitely something different and should at least break through on the variety- to give you a good review. I am completely banking on my profile and a consultant's help to take me through

Extra-curricular: I am a national level athlete and I am regularly involved in different sports.
Have also won national level quiz competitions. Have been involved with couple of NGOs during my college days. Athlete in what sport? Not that it matters too much- but give specifics in your application so that adcom better understands you! Didn't want to put too much info during profile evaluation. Will definitely take care of this during applications.

GMAT (Oct’2017) : 700 (Q-50, V-34, IR-8, AWA-5). This GMAT is on the low side if you are coming from India.
If you can- retake and aim for 720-730+. Not before Spring. So technically R2 of US B schools is out.

Areas of interest : 1) General Management, 2) Marketing

I need your help in deciding which colleges I should apply.

Should I target US B schools for either R2 this year or R1 next year ? Employment after completing MBA is an important criterion to decide which schools to apply. From few current students I have heard really negative reviews regarding job scenario for international MBA students in US. The situation is not bright in even top 15 colleges. Under the current geo-political situation, will it be a viable option to try for any US school? I would say R1 next year if you go US- and try to get the GMAT score up over the spring. We could coach you in spring also on how to build the strongest profile possible as you prep for R1 next year. To learn more about that- set up a free consult at this link: https://stratusadmissionscounseling.com ... b-visitor/ This sounds great.

With my profile, should I apply in NUS and INSEAD? What are the job scenarios post MBA in Singapore? If you want to work post MBA in Singapore- then this could be a great option. NUS is definitely not as fancy an option as Kellogg/Fuqua but has lot of potential in current time. Also, can you suggest how much time will it take to work on application for NUS, individually and with a consultant. [color=#0000ff]The questions for NUS are pretty straightforward- there is the first one asking . Please answer ONE of the following short essay prompts. (300 words)

a. I am passionate about…
b. My greatest challenge has been…
c. My biggest failure was ….

and then they ask the more about career goals here:
Briefly describe your immediate post-MBA career goal including your industry, function and country of choice and how have your prior experiences motivated and prepared you to pursue these goals? (300 words)
And finally they ask : If there is anything else you would like to share with the Admissions Committee that was not covered in your application, please include here. (300 words)
While looking simple- certainly what you choose to write about means understanding your greatest strengths in this process but with the guidance of a good counselor to help you focus- you could work with them for a few hours and have some good insight. The INSEAD application asks for a bit more introspection so it might be closer to 3-5 hours there although consultants can work with you however you choose. Ideally you have a conversation with the consultant up front and discuss some of the options you are considering and get some feedback on which options seem to offer the best presentation of you.
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Also, I will be looking for a scholarship. Earlier I was targeting top 15 US B schools. Though my profile is extremely unique, my GMAT score is on a lower side. Being from India would go against me. Are there any colleges in top 15 where I can expect admission with scholarship? Not with a 700 GMAT. Thanks again for such a fair feedback. Will be great.

I am okay to give GMAT again and if required then wait for one year before applying.

My first shortlist of colleges is below. Should I apply to any of these colleges in R2?
1. Kellogg,
2. Ross,
3. Fuqua,
4. NUS, and
5. ISB
You could try NUS and ISB now and see if you are successful in R2 as is on current GMAT. But if you want Kellogg,
or Ross or Fuqua- I suggest you work in spring on GMAT and then seek us out to start early with counseling so we can help you develop the strongest profile possible so that when R1 applications come out in summer of 2018 you are ready to apply! I will get in touch on a call to discuss further.
Kindly review my case. Also please let me know if you need any other input to review my candidature. Thanks!