INSEAD Profile Evaluation - Tools for B-School Profile Evaluation

Bonjour DanielDC. I never say this ever... you'll usually find me dissuading people from applying to elite MBA programs, but in this case I strongly urge you to apply to HBS GSB and MIT.

you have a very unique profile and the fact that you work in a client facing role within a scientific discipline shows that you're versatile with a great capacity for further leadership. You would offer a unique vantage point to the classroom. You have a habit of leadership inside and outside of the classroom. Plus you have all the international stuff on top of that.

I agree that you should discuss some hobbies pour paraître polyvalent quoi but your profile rocks the s*** out of life and even though INSEAD is a great school, I don't really think that they are equipped to help you get what you want in this circumstance.

The fact is that you have a job most people would desire and hope to get 5 years out of their MBA. Is the school really going to be able to add a lot of value?

Even if you're not planning to work in the US I think it would be still valuable for you to get a top MBA here.

Get total clarity on what it is that you want to make manifest by way of an MBA because you would be giving up quite a bit to do it. This is a pivotal move.

I think if I were you I would apply to top schools in the US first and then apply to January term if none of those work out.

International Global leader is totally the thing they're going toward HBS these days and especially in scientific disciplines, so you have a very strong shot, unless there's some major weaknesses I'm not seeing right now (do you have a criminal record? are you missing your two front teeth? LOL)

Of course this is predicated upon you getting a terrific GMAT score in the 750 area. But if you were to get a score as well as 730 I think you should still apply to those programs, because *en plus!* in the US you would be underrepresented w/ citizenship French or Portuguese.

My French client from last season is at Wharton right now with a 650 GMAT and 2 yrs of WE, also admitted to INSEAD where I'm pretty sure he was not underrepresented however I think your citizenship will help cushion the blow in the event that your GMAT is 750.

I'm excited to see how things unfold for you.

https://mbaprepcoach.com

Dear Alex,
Dear Farrell,

Thank you both for your input on my profile.

I want to stick to INSEAD, although, it may not be the BEST of the BEST top business schools in the world, it's the one which fit the best to my personal career plan. I like very much their diversity policy. (Anyway, it has been classified 1st MBA by FT in 2015, 2016 and 2nd in 2017).

But thank you Farrell for your feedback. I was not even thinking that my profile would fit to HBS, so glad to hear it. Working in the US is not a matter for me, in the biotech/pharma field, I know it's the most important market. So, I am ready to end up there at some point.

I am currently working to take the GMAT, according to you, how important the exam is, based on my profile?

Thank you

Daniel

Hi Alex,

Many thanks for your feedback, greatly appreciated!

Even though you have a strong profile I would still strive to get a 700, they are extremely concerned about people succeeding in the classes because it goes at such an accelerated pace. Getting a decent quant score on the GMAT is the simplest way to go about proving that.

https://mbaprepcoach.com

Dear Farrell,

Thank you for your quick feedback. I got your advice and will work my best to overpass this 700 threshold on the GMAT.

Best regards,

Daniel

Hi DanielDC,

I'm glad to know INSEAD is your first choice.

I agree with Farrell and I would recommend you to achieve a +700 score. However, more than the overall score, INSEAD focuses on the individual scores in the Quant, Verbal and IR sections. INSEAD recommends to achieve at least 70-75 percentile in the Quant and Verbal sections, and at least a score of 6 in the IR section. Please, keep this in mind when studying for the GMAT.

I hope this helps.

Good luck!
Alex

Hi All,

Motivated by the previous post of Daniel, I would like to get some feedback about my profile (Sorry Daniel for borrowing the big lines of your message). I’m targeting R1 September 2018 application.

Background: 31 year old French male
Education: Master in Medical Engineering/Regulatory Affair from French Public Engineer school in Besancon and Bachelor in Biochemistry from Bordeaux II University
GMAT Score: 660/IR:6/AWA:4.5
Industry: Medical Device industry for 3.5 years in Cambodia as a tender consultant for laboratory and hospital projects. 3 years in South Korea for a famous French pharmaceutical nonprofit as a Research engineer in the Drug Discovery field.
Experience: 6.5 years now and 7.5 at the intake since I will only stop my work to integrate the MBA course

Job description:

Current role in Korea:

I am the right hand of the technology director and the person in charge of all the equipment of our drug screening institute
In the last year I drafted and submitted 2 of my own industry oriented provisional patents (US/EU) that can lead to 2 different biotech start up
In the last 6 months I cofounded with another coworker a smartphone based diagnostic platform startup (Targeting a common but neglected disease) which was selected for incubation and seed funding by Seoul city (out of 250 startup) and is on the good way to be selected for South Korea international incubation program (The selection result will be integrated to my application before submission)

Previous Role in Cambodia:

Several Successful tender for the biggest Healthcare NGO and foundation.
Developed the first aid market from scratch (AED, training manikin…)
Implemented the first Medical Device Regulatory affair system in the country in collaboration with the ministry of health.

International exposure:

Spent my last year of engineering in Cardiff
Moved to Cambodia 2 weeks after my graduation and moved to Korea 3 years ago.
A lot of travelling and collaboration with Asia and Africa.

Professional Achievements:

Korea: biotech patenting process, Startup Creation, Maintenance service management, Research and Development
Cambodia: Market growth, international tender, Hospital and laboratory turnkey project management, Medical device Regulatory Affair Management


Post MBA goals:

I plan to use my diagnostic startup as the guideline of my MBA course. Applying what I will learn in Insead to make it grow into a successful Social enterprise.
More generally my goal is to help scientist to give life to their start up project. If I learned something in the last 3 year, it is that most of the academic scientist make rarely good first time entrepreneur and most of the time are not really willing to team with purely business people for enterprise creation. So I hope Insead will on the long term help me to land a job as an Entrepreneur in Residence for Medical/Biotech VC fund.

Current Extracurricular:

6 years as a volunteer’s firefighter
6 Years as a lifeguard/First aid post head
Teach 3d printing to Korean middle school students after working time
Member of “Enable the future” for prosthesis printing

Languages proficiency (following Insead language policy):

Fluent in French, English
Intermediate in Spanish
Strong notions of Korean (will be increase to Intermediate before the beginning of the MBA program)

Why Insead?

Because as a French that did all his career in Asia I see myself in this school.
Plus the Healthcare Management Initiative is the perfect incubator environment for my start up.
Finally a lot of my friend and people I like to work with did this program (and keep telling me that it’s Insead or nothing)

If some of the reviewer can help me to reinforce or structure my profile and/or want more information I will be more than happy to have a private conversation with them.

Best,

Adrien

Hi Adrien,

Great profile overall, with some commendable international work experience. The GMAT ofcourse is the blip here - people apply and get in with a 660 GMAT score, but its always going to be a doubt in your mind if you apply with this score, until every stage of the application is cleared (or missed). So I'd recommend a retake- it will also help you emerge as a stronger applicant.

The one aspect that struck out in your profile description, that I would point out to is your current role- of a 'Research engineer in the Drug Discovery field'. Scientists land up working in isolation, leading to lack of leadership experience. That is most likely not your case given that you are also launching products in liaison with others. However, your application must highlight your leadership skills - how you are able to collaborate with, influence and lead others. What you mentioned below reflects what I have mentioned- you will definitely be tested on your ability and openness in working with others.

"If I learned something in the last 3 year, it is that most of the academic scientist make rarely good first time entrepreneur and most of the time are not really willing to team with purely business people for enterprise creation".

Dear advisers,
Please help to evaluate my profile. Writing GMAT in August 2018.

[a]Test Scores
GMAT- will be giving on August targeting 690+ at least(moderate guess)

[b]Academics :
85% in 10th CBSE (2003)
71% in 12th CBSE (2005)
72% B.tech (IT) SRM University (2009)
65% PGDM (Marketing and Ops) SDMIMD (2012)

[c]Work experience: - 70 months till date

i)SAP MM Consultant:Tata Consultancy Services, Bangalore (Aug 2012 to March 2016 )
Worked on implementation and support of the SAP MM environment of a top Global automotive components manufacturer. Implemented multiple roll outs, worked on issues related to Inventory Management, API, Procurement, IDOCs etc. Implemented Process improvements for the client resulting in huge dollar savings(details available).

ii)SAP MM Lead Consultant and Test Manager: Tata Consultancy Services, Troy, Michigan (March 2016 - Present)
Involved in the Upgrade of client’s SAP environment from 4.6c to ECC 6.0.
Onsite Lead/SPOC for all SAP MM/PP engagements for the client.
Managing the test environment in HP ALM 12.53 and requirements tracking/transfer from SAP Solution Manager 7.2.
Proposing new ideas/initiatives to client and interacting daily with them at onsite.

Awarded Star of the quarter for generating revenues worth $200k in 3 months from Operation Excellence initiative(Process Sale).

[d] Extra-Curricular
Lead Singer:Solo and Band performances for multiple cultural initiatives at Guwahati/Chennai/Mysore/Bangalore/Detroit. You tube videos available.

[e]Why MBA?
Want to get more into Strategy/Consulting roles and not the routine IT job.


Sent from my iPhone using GMAT Club Forum mobile app

Hi kundalmahanta,

thank you for sharing your profile.

I think you have a shot at INSEAD, however, as you know, you come from an over-represented background (India + IT) and the Indian applicant pool is extremely competitive. Therefore I would recommend you the following:

(1) GMAT: a 690 score will put you in disadvantage. Try to hit at least +730.

(2) Work experience at Tata: try to stay away as much as you can from the technical side of your role, and on your application, highlight the impact of your role on the business. Try to also show leadership examples at work.

(3) Extra-curriculars: try to think about 2 or 3 additional extra-curricular / extra-professional activities you are engaged in that are somewhat unique or uncommon. This is very important as there is an essay only for extra-professional activities. This is your chance to set you apart from the rest of applicants.

(4) Career goals: try to be more specific as to your career goals both immediate post-MBA and long-term.

I have helped many candidates with similar profiles to yours get accepted to INSEAD. For a more detailed discussion about your profile and candidacy, feel free to PM me or reach out to me directly at alex@arleeconsulting.com. It would be great if you could share your CV as well.

Good luck!
Alex

Hello kundalmahanta

INSEAD will evaluate your candidature holistically based on the following factors-

1. Academic Potential- With your past scores (which are average) you should be aiming for 720+ to give AdCom confidence that you will be a good addition and will be able to handle the academic rigor of the program. Also Indians in general are expected to score high. In case you actually get 690-700, then you may have to compensate it by showing a spike in some other area of your profile.
2. Work Ex- You have mentioned your roles and responsibilities. However, INSEAD is more interested to know about your Career Progress and Achievements. What impact have you had on the business? Tell such stories in your written application.
3. Diversity- Indian. IT. Male. Yeah, I know. Try to show your extracurricular (singing is good- what impact have you had or what indirect transferable skills have you gained?) or other factors to show you will be a good addition to the class and your peers will benefit from your presence.
4. Clarity of Goals- This is more important than all of the points above. You want to get into Strategy Consulting fine, but how will an MBA help. What skills/experience do you have that when added with an MBA will help you make such transition? Use your essays to bring this out.

All the best.
Varun
+919137133507

Hi kundalmahanta,

I agree with prior responders, for example that a higher GMAT would be ideal if feasible, and that it will be critical to showcase examples of leadership and your people/'softer' skills and EC's in your application and essays. Additionally I'd highlight what it was like to work overseas and what cross-cultural skills you've gained doing so, as that is something INSEAD also seeks.

Check out our INSEAD essay guidance here:
https://www.mbamission.com/blog/2017/08 ... 2017-2018/

, and our school guide here:
https://shop.mbamission.com/products/mb ... ders-guide

If interested in a free consultation at any point, please register at www.mbamission.com/consult, and I'd be happy to help, as I regularly help applicants with INSEAD apps.

Good luck to you!

Hi, please evaluate my profile.

Background and nationality: Female, 25, India
Undergrad Information: Most prestigious law school in India, top 15% of the class (GPA of 5.9/7)
GMAT: 730
Work experience and leadership: Work ex- MBB for 2 years, 1 year at a fintech startup focusing on financial inclusion. Work at MBB involved strategy for MNCs, implemention of large scale transformations, government report released by the Prime Minister. Manager of strategic partnerships at fintech, onboarded 10k+ new customers by identifying relevant partners.
Community and others: Strongly involved in social work in college- legal aid, head of an student-run NGO where I managed a large team of 40+. Also conceptualised and authored a report on the University (led team of 4), which was widely covered by media. Currently continue mentoring underprivileged students whom I had mentored as part of NGO in college.
Post MBA goals: Work closely with social entrepreneurs in scaling up and in working towards the "double bottomline" succesfully, either as part of an incubator/accelerator or through VC/impact investing. Also open to development finance (DIBs, SIBs). Long term goal is to start my own enterprise, preferably in financial inclusion.
Anything else? Am currently learning to surf, passionate about writing (strong track record of publications, blogs, media articles)

Hi Seoulitefr,

Thanks for sharing your details.

Definitely, a great profile to be proceeding with especially because INSEAD places immense emphasis on international exposure and leadership potential. Of course, all of this information will need to be presented in an appropriate manner in your essays

The concern area, though, is the GMAT and while you have a differentiated profile and stand a chance even with a 660, a retake is highly recommended. This is only because a higher score will boost your chances manifold

All the best!

Hi [b]kundalmahanta

Thanks for writing in

Your profile will be evaluated holistically and here are a few things you may take care of:

GMAT: Considering you come from an over-represented Indian-Male-IT pool, you must target a score upwards of 720 in order to differentiate your profile from others.

Professional Experience: While you have shared your role and achievements, it is important to showcase you have garnered through your engagements particularly managerial and problem-solving skills. Your professional experience needs to be highlighted in a way that the career progression becomes evident.

Career Goals: This is arguably the most important portion of your essays and we will need to be a lot more specific with regard to the same than we are being right now. Moreover, there has to be a categorization between short-term goals and long-term aspirations and it would be wonderful to see you add some sort of a vision as well. Of course, how the MBA will contribute to these goals should be appropriately portrayed

Extra-Curricular- This could be a weak link in your profile. Request you to think further along this line.

Hope this helped.

Happy to answer any follow-up questions.

All the best!

Hello All

It would be really great if the community could help me evaluate my profile for Insead , planning to join Insead in 2019.

As, I have time, was wondering, if i need to give GMAT again!

Education Details

X - 88 %
XII - 87%
UG - Dual Degree from IIT CGPA - 8.34

GMAT - 700

Professional Experience
Quantitative Strategist, Goldman Sachs - 2016 -Present
Front office strategist, working closely with Sales and Trading to build data driven tools to improve efficiency Trading Desk of Goldman Sachs.

Achievements/Positions of Responsibility
1) Core-Member , Bangalore Climbing initiatives - Encouraging more people to take up climbing as a sport and working towards making Bangalore, the climbing capital of India
2) Head of Analytics Club for IIT
3) Top 7 teams in DBS-NUS social entrepreneurship challenge among 150+ teams from ASIA
4) Top 10 team in the INDIAAFRICA business venture competition among 100+ teams from India and Africa
5) VP Membership for IIT Toastmasters club, aslo winner of AREA level Humorous speech competition

Hello bhaumik93

I would highly recommend retaking the GMAT and targeting a 730+
The over-represented Indian pool is expected to score high. With your past academic scores and IIT background, I assume you can get a high GMAT.
However, as you must know, GMAT (even if it is high) is going to be just a part of your overall application.
Your work ex looks on the lower end (unless I'm missing something) with just 2 years as of now. To compensate for that highlight your career progress and achievements. Since you have not mentioned that, it is difficult to give a detailed feedback.
Also missing are your post MBA goals and the reason to do an MBA.
INSEAD will look at your profile holistically combining Acads+Work Ex+Post MBA goals+Diversity. Without deeper understanding of these, it is virtually impossible to review your profile.
In addition to re=taking the GMAT spend time on building your written application.
Let me know if you wish to discuss this further.

Best
Varun Sharma
+919137133507
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