Rotman Profile Evaluation - Tools for B-School Profile Evaluation

Hi Guys

Would really appreciate it if someone could review my overall profile and let me know how to strengthen my application. Looking to apply to Rotman and Schulich for the 2019 intake.

My profile is as follows:

1. Indian with 4 years of experience and currently working as the Marketing Manager in the Middle East’s leading fitness distribution company. Joined as an executive and got promoted in 9 months and handled the marketing operations entirely on my own with minimal supervision. Prior to the fitness industry, I worked in finance and advertising. However, with fitness as a passion, growing in this industry is my long term goal.
My work experience is almost entirely focused on digital marketing where I handled social media accounts, SEO, e-commerce and all other online activities of the company.
2. Did my undergrad in communication studies from Bangalore – GPA 3
3. GMAT – Will be attempting this in 2 weeks time. (wish me luck! )
4. International experience – 3 out of 4 years worked in Dubai and interacted with people from all over the world
5. Post MBA goals - Currently a CrossFit Level 1 trainer, I plan to take my love for fitness and marketing and fuse it together to make the world a healthier place .
6. X- Factor – Avid racer – participated in multiple races and obstacle races, Spartan warrior courses and crossfit fanatic

Please let me know if this is good enough for getting in to schools like Rotman and Schulich. Only looking to apply to these two at the moment.

Thank you in advance!
Negin

Hello Negin916

Your work ex looks good. The international stint will help further. If you can get a 700+ GMAT you have a decent chance. In your essays Focus on 6 admission factors mentioned here.
At the same time, not sure how your career goals tie in with an MBA and Rotman/Schulich in general. You may want to build a stronger narrative there.

Best
Varun Sharma
+919137133507
MBAkarma.com
GMAT Score Predictor
info@mbakarma.com

Hi,

To begin with, I have 4+ years of work experience. I don't believe that 10th/12th grades matter. My college GPA was 7.something in Mechanical Engineering(One of the top 50 colleges in India)

Work Experience: 1 year at Amazon, developed an algorithm to reduce their bad debt accrued via a-z claims. Worked with US & CA teams to accomplish the goal. Naturally, used to have long nights + extremely slow movement on actionable (obvious, since its a big org); so ended up switching.

Joined this startup (now valued at around $250 million) in 2015. Currently, I head growth marketing for it. Usually revolves around program & product management. To give a brief on what I've achieved here:
- Handled digital marketing; monthly budget of approximately $0.6 million (INR 40 Million); reduced the customer acquisition costs via all these channels by approximately 80% (no joke!) subsequently ended up getting a million installs
- Started customer referral program & customer loyalty program (end-to-end ownership of the program & the related product on digital assets)
- Current topline contribution: $2.8 Million/month
- Was a part of the team that introduced brand extensions. One (out of the seven that we launched) of the proposed brand extensions now contributes to $1 Million/month, all within 1.5 years. The remainder have also always shown a cumulative monthly growth rate of 5%, which is okay since the base is low (this number used to be zero in 2016)
- Launched a new app within the ecosystem (singular ownership), failed - reiterated the concept & frameworks in the existing app - anyone falling under that program has a retention of 85% within the next 30 days

There's a lot of firefighting and finer stuff that I can write about but I would most probably be mentioning this in my essays/CV. Now here's the problem....I got 690 (Q48, V37, IR8, AWA6) on my GMAT last year. I gave it again & faced a huge shock. My score was lower, with a noticeable deterioration in Verbal as opposed to my previous score & my mocks. I believe that this is an aberration & I should attempt GMAT again. However, I get really drained out with work & I would probably not study if this should see me through.

PS: I applied to 3 colleges last cycle with this score & I got waitlisted in all of them. At that point of time, I had not highlighted brand extension + new app/program.

If it makes any sense, I picked up a couple of hobbies in my free time in the past 1 year:
1) Playing footbal/soccer (this is out of love for the game)
2) Hiking/trekking. Have covered 7-8 forts/peaks in the past couple of months (I will be honest, I did it for the first couple of times to mention it in my application and the rest of the times because I started enjoying it)

I want to do an MBA to make a switch to VC. I have decent know how on how to scale a modern/tech business up. This knowledge combined with some on Finance + Strategy should make my switch to VC fairly achievable. I am not sure if Rotman would fit my long term goals. If it does, Should I give GMAT another shot? Or should I build on this story and apply in Round 1?

Any help would be appreciated. I would not mind getting enrolled with a good consultant with the application process if our thoughts are aligned.

Hello mgcon

The contours of your profile look decent- Work Ex, Extracurricular, Achievements all make for a well rounded profile. Yu can read here on what to highlight in your written application.
GMAT is not stellar but should not be a deal breaker at the likes of Rotman.
Applying in the last round last year might have a been a huge gamble. Also, did you apply to Rotman as well?
Coming to your career goals- not sure how realistic is that (will need to find out a bit more) from a B School's perspective and you might have to explain them in more detail if your plans are organic and you will not be an employment risk. A weak narrative around this might also have been a reason for rejection last time.
For Rotman, I'd say spend time building a strong application. No need for a GMAT retake (if you had not applied last year already in that case will need to look at your application too)
But a retake might be warranted based on what other schools you are targeting.
Should you have further questions, let me know.

Best
Varun Sharma
+919137133507
Free Profile Review
MBAkarma.com
GMAT Score Predictor
info@mbakarma.com

Hi there!
It would be really helpful if you can evaluate my profile. Thanks in advance.

Age/ Gender/ Nationality: 26/ Male/ Indian

Education: BE Mech with a cgpa of 7.7/10 (non-IIT NIT). recently completed a 30 hr certificate course in finance.

Work Experience: 4.5 years as a mechanical engineer in a private engineering services company. was involved in R&d under a retired IIT prof. Lead a team of 4 individuals, all of them elder to me.

Extra curriculars: Was active in plays during college. Also some sporadic volunteer activities that involved creating environmental awareness to kids in schools hrough plays, organising cultural events for kids from orphanages throughout the city etc. Captain of a local futsal team.

GMAT: 720

Post MBA: Corporate Finance

Short term goal is I would like to get a job as financial analyst, preferably in the valuation depts. Continuing and growing up the corporate ladder would be my long term goal.

hello MikeHelios

While your 'stats' are good for Rotman, not sure how the career goals narrative ties in with your past.
It is a radical shift, you should showcase what transferable skills you have, how and why are you planning to make this shift and more importantly, what gaps do you wish Rotman to fill.

Best
Varun Sharma
+919137133507
MBAkarma.com
GMAT Score Predictor
info@mbakarma.com

Hi folks ... Would really appreciate if someone would comment on my profile for the MBA program at Rotman.

Education : BE electronics 8.7/10 gpa
Professional certifications : CFA charter

GMAT/GRE : haven't given yet

Work experience : 7.2 years
High frequency trader for a prop trading firm . Traded Major Commodities energy products .I have managed teams of 10- 20 traders under me during that time .

Post MBA .. want to shift into investment management for that looking for an MBA .

Extracurricular :yoga/meditation teacher ..lots of volunteer work ...

Administrative position in a non profit school

I want to ask for GMAT waiver for Rotman . Will it be a negative in any way if I apply without GMAT just on the basis of my charter ... I not very optimistic for GMAT...

Thanks in advance..

Posted from my mobile device

Hi Experts,

It would be great if you could evaluate my profile for admission to Rotman (or Ivey).

Nationality: Indian
Gender: Male
GMAT: 740

Education:
Undergrad: Electronics engineering from a well-known but Non IIT College. CGPA(3.82/4)
Post Grad: PGDM in Marketing and Communications with Digital Marketing Specialization from MICA, Ahmedabad (one of the Premium Marketing Schools in India) CGPA (3.7/4)

Work Experience: Around 5+ years

Pre-Masters Work Ex:
6 Months with India's top Automotive company Tata Motors Limited as Assistant Manager (Maintenance):Lead a team of 4 technicians in Tata Nano Retro-fitment drive to upgrade 2000 cars in record time.

14 months with a Fortune 500 MNC Bombardier Transportation as Application Engineer. Worked on product Firmware Application development, automation and testing for Delhi metro and Manhiem based German train projects. Interacted and dealt with cross-country and cross-functional stake holders with a lot of International exposure.

1 year in Business development for an Educational Start-up: Lead end to end customer acquisition initiatives for the company - right from events, liaison to institutional tie-ups and brand marketing.

Post Masters Work-ex:

1 year as Marketing Manager for an FMCG Start-up belonging to Dishman group of companies: Post my PGDM, I was inclined to a start-up role which would provide me with cross-functional role exposure with steep learning curve. As a Marketing Manager with the FMCG Start up, I led a team of 4 people and coordinated cross-functional team within the organization. Played a pivotal role in on-boarding the brand with major e-commerce portals and putting in place the digital marketing strategy for the start-up. Guided the brand’s e-commerce sales from scratch to Rs 0.6 million in year 1. Was promoted from Assistant Manager to Manager in 10 months.

2.5 years with Amazon India as Marketing Manager: Currently leading Category Marketing for 4 categories with business of Rs 40 crore per annum. Driving key projects pertaining to new customer acquisition and repeat purchases.
My experience has been good mix of technical aspects of digital analytics as well as strategic aspects of online and offline marketing projects relating to customer acquisition and cost optimization.

International Exposure: No International work travel per se but have worked with Germany based and US based teams to deliver on multiple projects while working at Bombardier and Amazon. At a personal level have traveled to Europe.

Extra-Curricular:
1. Half marathon Runner and fitness blogger.
2. I've won many school level and University level Debate competitions.
3. I have been part of multiple student organizations at both undergrad and Post grad level including Entrepreneurship cell.
4. I've won university and District level science/GK quiz competitions.

Community Service:
1. Co-founder of an NGO working for rural and tribal employment.
2. Have been a regular part of company based CSR initiatives including community teaching, cleanliness drives and hygiene awareness campaigns

Post MBA Goals:
I want to leverage my Marketing and Digital Analytics to work in a Strategy consulting role or a Product Management role of a big company to get exposure and eventually start my own venture.

Thanks:)

Hello VuWonder

Your profile looks good for Rotman.
1. The 740 is much above the average score the school. What other schools are you applying to?
2. A minor challenge is to showcase the need of an MBA since you already have a PGDM. Make sure your essays reflect that.
3. A bigger challenge is communicating your career goals. In this post you have talked abut 2 career goals which are mostly disconnected. You will need to tell a more specific story that ties in with your past/transferable skills, long term future goals as well the the Rotman MBA.
Needless to say talk more about your career progress & achievements at work and contribution in extracurricular rather than a laundry list. The schools are more interested in your story.
If you can address the above challenges, you have a pretty decent shot at Rotman.

Best
Varun Sharma
+919137133507
MBAkarma.com
GMAT Score Predictor
info@mbakarma.com

Hello Folks,

I am sharing my profile details here and would love to get your feedback. I am planning to apply to Rotman for the 2019 Batch.

Background & Nationality
I am 25 years Indian Male with 3+ years of experience. I have a background in Technology and Entrepreneurship.

Undergrad Information
BE - Computer Science, Thapar University (CGPA 6.47/10) graduated in 2015

GMAT
Overall 720 (Q 50 V 38)

Work Experience & Leadership
I've been working on my own venture for the past 1.5 years as a Frontend Engineer and a Product Lead. I've led the launch of 2 digital products (CVNova, Preadr.com) and our startup made it to the 2nd round at Economic Times - Power of Ideas '18. Previously, I've worked with TCS where I was a part of the end-point security team for an American Client. I was responsible for managing over 4000 systems in the Asia-Pacific region. I've also worked with a startup in the Health Care Sector as an operations associate where I helped set up the Supply Chain for Medicine Delivery and led customer acquisition campaigns for their medicine reminder service.

Community & Others
I volunteered for a Village Audit Program at a village in Madhya Pradesh where we collected data related to income and expenses of the villagers in order to establish the effectiveness of various government subsidies. I've previously co-founded a Travel company and have organised Waste Cleaning Treks in Himachal Pradesh.

Post MBA Goals
I am primarily interested in pursuing a career in Product Mangement at a startup or a technology company. However, I am open to exploring other career opportunities.

Anything else
I wish to attend an MBA program because I want to fill knowledge gaps and improve my business acumen. I am especially interested in courses related to entrepreneurship along with a general management curriculum. I am looking for suggestions on what other roles can I pursue post-MBA from Rotman apart from Product Management.

Hi Varun,

Thanks for a prompt response. Apart from Rotman, I also considering applying to Ivey, INSEAD, LBS, IMD, Columbia, Tuck and Fuqua. I am still exploring what other B-schools could be a right fit.

I am just concerned whether my career path looks too fragmented for top 3 and top 10 US bschools.

As for post mba career Goal, I am more inclined to towards consulting. Product Management is just something of a back-up that I might like to explore should things not go as per plan.

Hello akshay1301

Overall fighting chance at Rotman.
A minor gripe with your past GPA, but your GMAT should be able to compensate it at Rotman.
You have the goods, now you need to deliver them via your essays.
You can read here and here on what to focus on in your written application.

Best
Varun Sharma
+919137133507
MBAkarma.com
GMAT Score Predictor
info@mbakarma.com

Hi Varun,

Thanks for a prompt response. Apart from Rotman, I also considering applying to Ivey, INSEAD, LBS, IMD, Columbia, Tuck and Fuqua. I am still exploring what other B-schools could be a right fit.

I am just concerned whether my career path looks too fragmented for top 3 and top 10 US bschools.

As for post mba career Goal, I am more inclined to towards consulting. Product Management is just something of a back-up that I might like to explore should things not go as per plan.

Hi Varun,

Based on my below mentioned profile, can you please suggest which Canadian institutes should I target -

GMAT Score - 710
B Tech - 3.75/5.00
PG in Industrial Management - 8.2/10.00 ( Most recognised Indian B-school for Supply Chain & Operations )
Work Ex - 7.5 Years ( Dubai & Bahrain ) with leading FMCG & Food Product MNCs ( Fortune 100 )
Area of Specialisation - Supply Chain Management
Nationality - Indian but Canadian PR Holder

Post MBA Goals - To work in a managerial and strategic supply chain roles.

Hello dipankard2

Your 'stats', that is GMAT, international work ex, GPA all seem pretty solid for most Canadian schools.
The PR may help too.
Challenge is to tie in a narrative that shows why you need an MBA (with a post grad under your belt already) and seems you are in the career path that you are targeting.
If you can present your case well, you have a fighting chance.

Best
Varun Sharma
+919137133507
MBAkarma.com
GMAT Score Predictor
info@mbakarma.com

Hello,
It would be really helpful if you can evaluate my profile. Thanks in advance.

Age/ Gender/ Nationality: 25/ Male/ Indian

Education: BE Automobile with a cgpa of 7.9/10 (top 50 colleges in India). Also, have additional certificates for online courses in Business Analytics provided by Wharton

Work Experience: 3 years at a market research firm. Worked with international clients throughout my tenure . Worked on projects for fortune 500 companies across many industries (awarded outstanding client service awards by the company from many clients)

Extra curriculars: Majorly into sports. Represented my school at soccer and volleyball tournaments. Vice-captain of the college basketball team, represented the college across many tournaments and placed top in a few. Took part in many events such as chassis Fabrication and robo-wars organized by SAE International, and events organized by NCC.

GMAT: 700 (Q48 V38) - I believe i can get a 720-730 if i give the exam again, however will miss the round 1 deadlines (please advice along this as well)

Post MBA: Business Strategy and Innovation using Business Aanlytics

Short term goal is to procure a job as a strategy/ marketing manager, or be a member of the strategy team, to help firms advance their business using these strategies and business analytics

Hi,

Request somebody well versed with Rotman admission process to evaluate my profile. Still quite new to Rotman process so not sure if I am a right fit for this school. I will share a brief about my profile. Please let me know if any other detail required.

GMAT - 700 (Q50, V34, AWA-5, IR-8). Work ex – 52 months as on date. Will have 57.5 months of work –ex as on 31st March, 2019.


Grad & Work Ex:
I have done my graduation in Fashion Technology from National Institute of Fashion Technology. My college is regarded as the best fashion college in the country and is among the top 3 colleges in Asia. Right now I am working with the biggest apparel organization in the country. I have reached middle management role in a very short duration. Currently I head pan India operations of my brand.

Profile:
Qualitatively I have a strong profile. I have worked hard to build my profile over the last few years. I am national level athlete and a national level quiz medalist. I have led teams during my college days and have also worked for couple of spiritual and non-for-profit organizations in the past.


Reasons for MBA:
Though I have got good success in the initial years of my career, a graduate degree won't be sufficient to take me to senior level roles in future. There are certain areas in the field of strategy and finance where I feel I am still not equipped enough to handle things completely on my own. An MBA at this stage will also help in making my profile much stronger. A master’s degree will make me financially more stable.


Post MBA plans:
Post MBA I want to work in roles of Brand Management with specialization in the fields of Strategy and Marketing. I am open to industries outside the fashion industry though I wouldn't mind coming back to this industry.

Dilemma:

Under the given geopolitical situation, will it be advisable for Indian candidates to apply to Canadian schools?

I'm targeting colleges within top 30.

I am not in a position where I can spend more than 100K CAD. So scholarship will be a deal breaker for me to join any college. Is getting a scholarship a possibility with this profile?

Hope I have given all the required information to suggest the best course of action. Let me know if any other detail from my side is required. Will be obliged if you can suggest the way forward. Thanks.