INSEAD Profile Evaluation - Tools for B-School Profile Evaluation

Hello gilahrii

Nice username. Your profile looks impressive on Academics and International Exposure. Score, along with 6 years of work experience, with 3 promotions would definitely help you. Start working on application, especially on story telling part.

You have worked a lot on your profile, keep up the good work. Don"t leave any stone unturned, job is still not finished. All the best.

Cheers!
Shantanu Sharma
MBA Admission Consultant
INSEAD Class of December 2017
MBA and Beyond Consulting
Schedule a 45 min Session here.

Hello All,

My profile is below. I would like to know what chances I have of admission to INSEAD and how to improve my application.

Background - American female, 25, 2.5 years of work experience in Assurance at a Big4, CPA designation
Education - Purdue University - Accounting, minor in Int'l Business, 3.58/4 GPA
Languages - English-native, French-business, Spanish-basic
Int'l Experience - French language immersion program in high school in France for 6.5 weeks with a host family, Business/Econ study abroad program in Taipei for 9 days, and Global Leadership/Sustainability study abroad program in Costa Rica for 2 weeks
Work Experience:
- Two promotions
- Biotech industry audit experience
- Lead multiple staff on multiple engagement teams
Extracurricular Experience:
- Part of LGBTQ+ professional network, where I have personally put together two events for over 150 people, in addition to other, smaller events
- Part of professional women's network, where I have volunteered multiple times with local charity for women
- Mentor in organization that helps youth in under-served areas of the community get into college
- Selected by Boston office leadership to be a mentor in a Scholar program where I mentor minority graduate students working toward a career in our company.
- I also dance and paint in my spare time (generally not simultaneously )
GMAT - 700, Q 44 (49%), V 41 (94%), IR 3 (21), AWA 5 (I will be retaking to even out the scores and improve IR)
Post MBA Goal - Work in consulting for Corporate Responsibility strategy implementation

Advice would be appreciated, thanks in advance!

Let's think about this in terms of their criteria. academics, leadership, contribution, and international orientation. As for the academics your grades are good, your GPA is about the same as their class profile. This is important because it's a very condensed program and they need to know that you are going to be stay on track

however your Quant is definitely in need of work. It really needs to be at least 70% preferably 75%. And that's kind of strict criteria so I would not apply unless you had at least 70%. Hopefully you have good grades in math oriented classes with your accounting major.

In terms of leadership, I think I need more information. It says that you have led staff on multiple occasions, but in addition to leading staff what kind of positive impact have you made on the organization? What type of initiatives have you led, and what have the results been? I am very concerned about 2.5 years of work experience, they do accept two years of work experience but rarely (20% of class) because generally the candidate has not yet established enough impact at that stage. So that would be very very important for you to focus on. Getting the results of everything you've done and making sure that's in your CV and your letters. And job essays. Really developing a profile showing that you have leadership teamwork and problem-solving abilities.

When it comes to contribution, I think this is definitely your trump card. You have a lot more than many candidates in this area, and good on you. They will be able to perceive you as an active Alum and an active student who is going to enhance the experience of others. Of course the diversity factor(s) does not hurt.

In terms of international orientation, the study abroad definitely is helpful. I am wondering or hoping that you've also traveled extensively, which is the norm for insead applicants. Your profile is a bit light in this area as compared to other candidates but for your age it's actually medium okay. However I am concerned about the fact that there's really no International career goal here to what I'm discerning and that's important. They want to know that you're somebody who needs to attend a UN Style program.

Hope that helps lterhun



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Hi,
I am looking to apply for Jan 2021 INSEAD intake. Do I stand a chance?

Background: 32 yo, Indian Female
GMAT 690: Q50, V33, IR3, AWA (not out yet - took the exam few days back) - I am rethinking a retake to even out IR and Verbal score)
GPA: 8.6/10 (I have a Undergrad and Masters Degree in Engineering) - Fairly consistent GPAs throughout

Education: Masters in Computer Sciences

Work Experience: Total 8+ years in 2 global semiconductor companies
Working in niche low-level Firmware development

Have traveled to US and Taiwan for work -- though short-term

Post MBA Goal - Consulting , STEM MBA, General Management

Extra-curricular:
* Heavily involved in Corporate Social Responsibilities (Won CSR top award for charity of support at my previous company)
* Teaching Math & Computer Sciences to kids in spare time
* Associated with few start-ups as a freelancer (as an android developer few years back)
* Trekking, Music

Hello CrescentMoon

Your GMAT score is below INSEAD average and you are falling 20-30 points short of average Indian GMAT score at INSEAD. Having said that, I have seen people making through with 680 GMAT score, around 10 years of work exp. It is really very difficult to comment based on the information you have provided but I believe you need to up your verbal score to improve chances. For IR, one of my clients got through INSEAD process for 21J batch (R2) with IR 3.

Cheers!
Shantanu Sharma
MBA Admission Consultant
INSEAD Class of December 2017 (17D)
MBA and Beyond Consulting
Schedule a 45 min Session here.

2 of our successful applicants in 2020 Sep intake did not have experience working outside of their country. Breaking the myth.

Thank you so much, that is very helpful!

Hi everybody! Super grateful to everyone who takes the time to read and respond to everything on GMATClub. If you have the time, I'd appreciate your thoughts on my profile:

Background:
Dental Surgeon, Indian, Male, 29 years old.

Professional Experience:
1. 6 years of clinical experience in one of the country's premier dental offices, which specializes in the re-treatment of complex, failed cases.
2. 4 years of experience teaching evolving clinical protocols at an academy in India (Continuing Dental/Medical Education) to practitioners from across South Asia and the Middle East.
3. Co-founded an oral healthcare Edtech start-up with my mentor (once my Vice Dean at college), now in its fourth year, which has grown to become India's 2nd largest dental organization, with a strong social impact aspect. Developed 300+ hours of educational content, visitors from a 100+ countries etc. Co-ordinated legal, tech, financial services for the start-up as well.
4. Co-founded a non-profit organization which helps educate underserved demographics about oral cancers and preventive oral healthcare.
5. Currently also a strategic advisor to one of the world's largest dental congresses, which is being held in India for the first time this year.
6. Lead a team of 10+ at each of the clinical practice, and the start-up.

Extra-curricular activities:
1. Wrote and published a fiction book a few years ago, when I was 25.
2. Following that, was invited as a contributing writer to an online publication; wrote a series of articles about social issues.
3. Played football (soccer) for my high school team.
4. At a younger age: debate team member, theatre productions.

Other volunteer work:
1. Volunteered at a not-for-profit dental clinic at the outset of my clinical career, full time, for 8 months.

GMAT score:
1. 740 (Q49, V41, IR7)

MBA plan:
1. INSEAD 21D, hopefully.
2. Understand the problems of the allied aspects of the healthcare sector via consulting and then a long term focus on medtech, implementation of healthcare systems.

Concerns:
1. Certainly have an international outlook, which is one of the reasons for an MBA, but being a dental practitioner, I have limited work experience internationally (licensing constraints won't let me roam the globe yanking out teeth unfortunately :p). Having said that, the aforementioned start-up has teaching faculty, users and business partners from across the world. I have also taught dentists from 8 countries and treated patients from over a dozen countries.
2. I know a lot of travel would be helpful, but I grew up in a single parent household with tremendous financial constraints following my parents' divorce (my mum and I were actually homeless for a while). I didn't really have a chance to travel much until I was earning for myself, following which I have been to the UAE, Indonesia and Singapore in recent years. (some solo travel, some workshops)

Also, really hoping for a scholarship (who isn't, I know, I know)

Any opinions and questions that come to your mind would be helpful.

Thank you for your time, and good luck to everybody else applying!

Just want you to know I'm replying here because this made me laugh out loud, (licensing constraints won't let me roam the globe yanking out teeth unfortunately :p).

So we know that we have at least the personality factor half figured out here.

Academics. your GMAT score is a good zone, the verbal is decent and the quant is on track. So I'm happy with that..I will say that most Indians who get into INSEAD these days have 750+ GMATs but you have a very different offering here.

with a solid application that shows FIT I think this will get the job done.

I kind of wish I knew where you went to school and what your grades were, I hope there are no skeletons in that closet.

Leadership. It seems to be really well-established, I'm actually kind of surprised that somebody in a primarily non-business job has done such a good job with this. I can see you as being a passionate contributor to your small group and overall class.

You've convinced me, I do see you as an entrepreneur beyond dentistry given the things you've listed.

Contribution. I think it dovetails a lot with leadership, some real strengths here. Again I could see you as someone who would be active at the school and outside of the school and also your social orientation and your goals really make you look like someone who is going to make the school proud.

I think as an author it might be interesting for others at INSEAD to have some insight into that part of your world as well, shows you as a bit well-rounded and that is terrific.

It looks like most of your outside interest are dentist related...shows passion but single mindedness..I'm glad you have one interest that is outside of that world. You will want to demonstrate well-roundedness in this process to separate yourself.

I'm hoping that you have some really great recommendations based on all of the contribution and leadership you have engaged in.

International orientation. I feel like I really need to understand why you need to go to a UN-style program to carry out your goals. Honestly biggest problem. You just want to really show your passion for internationalism and really share in that philosophy. show that that's a value of yours. There's not a lot of data points so you would need to really get that across.

Again, internationalism as a shared goal, shared value and the need for an international MBA program how that's going to help with your goals and one step further, feed into your legacy.

The honest truth is I'm really not sure that this is the best school for you and so you would need to do your research on that, show them it is and why..this is not really their wheelhouse? Use the optional essay to really articulate the fit Factor if you decide to apply.

I would honestly focus on Duke early acceptance right now and line things up for that because they have actual offerings and resources (research triangle, HC focus) that speak to this. I helped a periodontist get in there.

Because the program is so accelerated at INSEAD, I don't always think it's the best for those who have no academic business background, especially with entrepreneurial goals.

You might also think about early acceptance Round or R1 for other schools that have strength and health care, unfortunately the GMAT scores for those schools are very high, but I think that with your sense of humor, unique profile, and social goals you might be able to convert if the apps are really effing good.

And if you have a chance to top off your GMAT 20 points that would be terrific but I don't know if it would be a deal-breaker. I'm thinking Kellogg because there would be a good fit with a socially motivated health thing. MIT medtech. Wharton maybe. If you're open to a dual degree program that really might be the best strategy, that will take you out of the hyper-competitive Indian applicant pool.

https://www.metromba.com/2018/11/best-h ... ment-mbas/

Also to keep in mind that INSEAD is not really known for scholarships, they do less of it than US schools. Not discouraging you just letting you know that you might need to do some independent work finding $

Hope this helps! doctoramitm
Cheers
Farrell



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_________________

Hello doctoramitm

You have a lot of content which can be used in the application, along with a strong GMAT score and good profile.

To address your concern- international outlook-it is a myth that INSEAD looks for candidates working outside of their country. What INSEAD is really looking for is your ability to contribute, speaking your mind, in a culturally diverse setting. One batch has students from 90+ countries. Your study group would have people from different countries and different work backgrounds. INSEAD deliberately sets up a group in a way where you will have arguments with group members and speaking from experience that is when you learn the most. It is amazing to see how same set of facts can have different conclusions. Assumptions in our minds are driven by our surroundings, where culture plays a huge role. Having said that, every year there are admits who have not worked outside of their own country, for example - 2 of our successful applicants in 2020 Sep intake did not have experience working outside of their country, but have experienced culturally diverse environment.

Hope this addresses your problem.

Cheers!
Shantanu Sharma
MBA Admission Consultant
INSEAD Class of December 2017
MBA and Beyond Consulting
Schedule a 45 min Session here.

Hi everyone!
First of all I’d like to thank everyone for taking the time to read through and respond to my profile.
I’m planning to apply for the Jan-2021 intake, and appreciate your insights for my profile.

Background:
Nationality: Indian, Male, 25 years old
GMAT: 730 (Q50, V38, IR7, AWA5.5)
TOEFL: 114 (R30, L30, S28, W26)

Education:
B.E in Computer Science from BITS Pilani (non IIT - top university in India), GPA: 9.55/10 (Top-5 of my batch of 650+)

Professional Experience:
1. By the time of Joining i.e Jan2021, I will have 41 months of experience in a US based cloud company (Nutanix).
2. Moved into a new role of Product Management - which contributes to half of my total experience.
3. Technology consulting for IRENA on the side for about 8 months now (will be close to 15 months by the time of joining) - on sustainable energy technologies

International Exposure:
1. Worked for Empa (Swiss Lab) - on a 3 month internship with 3 professors. [REMOTE]
2. Travelled to Bay Area (my company HQ) for projects.
3. Handle customer requests and discussions in the EMEA/Americas/India regions. [REMOTE]
4. Have been working for IRENA (international renewable energy agency) - collaborating with researchers, technologists, etc. from over 10 nationalities [REMOTE]

Achievements:
1. One of the few employees to get a quick promotion in 1 year.
2. youngest PM in the entire company of 5000+ people.
3. Undergraduate merit scholar (for all semesters of study).

Co-Curriculars:
1. Started an NGO chapter in Bangalore - formed and led a team of 5 - deals with financial education for the underprivilideged (> 1.5 year)
- conducted camps, collaborated with other NGOs to increase our reach to over 1000+ people, 1 case study of helping a group of people
2. Volunteered for another NPO remotely - creating a platform called “sing for needs” - product owner leading a team of 8 to deliver the solution (~ 1 year)
3. Worked as a mentor to a undergraduate startup (~ 1 year)
- helped scale their business to 50+ clients in 6 months (from 10)
- helped the team to get incubated at Atal Incubation Centre

Post MBA goals:
Goal-1: I would like to work in technology in a general management or a product management role for a tech company like Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Tesla, Apple, etc.
Goal-2 (Backup): I want to try management consulting for a while before moving to tech (hence the Jan intake, so as to secure a summer internship).

Questions:
My work experience is on the lower side, is that going to be a big concern for me?
Is my GMAT score enough to get into INSEAD? Since Indians generally tend to have higher scores?
I have experience interacting with international nationalities, but not travelled to those places. Will that be a big issue?

Hello CrescentMoon,

Thanks for your query.

While the 8+ years of stable work experience along with the international exposure sound good, your GMAT score is on the lower side and it would be great if you could take another shot to improve the same.

Beyond that, a lot depends on how you put forth your strengths in the application essays. As information pertaining to your professional career is not enough, we are unable to provide you with more clarity.

Thanks.
_________________

I was wondering if you could please provide a bit of guidance on the 70th-75th percentile recommendation for quant and verbal at INSEAD? I understand it's just guidance and not a strictly enforced rule, but I don't really understand how often in reality they look at people with lower grades, especially where for quant the percentile differences between 48/49/50/51 are so big.

I sat GMAT for the first time today, and after waking up sick and feeling awful I only scored a 750 (Q48, V44, IR8). I was consistently getting a 780 in practice exams and was aiming for at least a Q49 to hit that 74th percentile, although I have gotten a Q50 in multiple practice exams. I am going to try and sit the exam again to boost my score but how critical do you think doing that would be?

I haven't put together the rest of my profile yet however some basics (I am planning on applying for the September 2022 intake but want to get my GMAT sorted whilst I am on a break from work):
* I am Australian
* I have an undergrad degree in Commerce (Finance) from one of Australia's top schools, including distinctions and/or high distinctions in finance/accounting/economics/statistics subjects
* I speak French at the B2/C1 level and will be using that as my entry language
* I have extensive travel experience, including to obscure/rarely visited countries (North Korea, Abkhazia, Moldova)
* I have worked as a derivatives trader for 2 years at a major international bank, constantly working and communicating with people in 6+ countries daily
* I am now starting as an Associate at an MBB firm and am looking to transfer to London and work through Europe for that firm in the future
* I have global (and local) volunteer experience, with a focus on animal welfare which is my passion

Hi stephaniej,

I wouldn't worry much about your Q48, especially with an overall score of 750 (congratulations, by the way).

As you said, the 70th-75th percentile is not a requirement but a recommendation. With your 750 and a strong application, a Q48 shouldn't be an issue.

I once worked with a client with an undergraduate degree in Mathematics with a ~50th percentile in Quant, and he was accepted with a lower overall score than yours. So don't worry.

I hope this helps.

Thank you very much.

Warm regards
Alex
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Hi everyone!
Thanks for reading this! I’m planning to apply for the September-2021 intake, and I would appreciate your insights for my profile.

Background:
Nationality: African (Beninese), Male, 30 years old
GMAT: not taken yet - expected score 720 (Based on my mock tests)
TOEFL: 115

Education:
Master degree in finance from top 10 business school in France - I am afraid my GPA was low though - Total average mean was 12/20

Professional Experience:
Currently my 4th year working for as an auditor for a BIG 4 - By the time i join i will be manager

International Exposure:
1. I am part of a talent program in my company - as such starting September 2019 they sent me in a 19 month assignment in NewYork - So I am currently working in NYC (My home office is Paris)

2. I lived and travelled in lot of places - I was born and grew up in Benin (small country close to Nigeria for those who never heard of it) - I moved to France when i was 10 - got an bachelor degree then did gap year in New Zealand, came back to France to get my master degree and i had to do a semester abroad to the my degree so i went 6 months in China

Achievements:
1. Got in this talent program
2. Got the best rate you can get 3 years in a row - So i was amount the best of my prom every year

Extra:
Currently creating a business in Benin with the help of one of my friend. Nothing big but we are trying to create a sustainable farm.

Post MBA goals:
Goal-1: Making partner at my actual firm within 3/4 years
Alternative: If i can't negociate such deal with my current company make a carrier switch into consulting

Questions:
Is the fact that i a working in a Big 4 as an auditor a problem? I heard this population is over represented as such it is tougher to get in?
What do you ting of my overall profile? I am specially worried of my low business school GPA

Hi ADJE,

thank you for sharing your profile.

Overall, you have a very strong profile for INSEAD, especially if you do score 720 at GMAT.

To address your questions/concerns, I wouldn't worry much about your background as an auditor in a Big 4 or your GPA. Your career progression, extensive international experience, GMAT score (assuming 720, or somewhere around the 700-710 neighborhood) and experience creating a sustainable farm will help you prove that you meet all four INSEAD admissions criteria (i.e. Leadership Potential, International Motivation, Academic Capacity and Ability to Contribute).

I would recommend you to have that discussion with your company before submitting your application in order to put some more clarity on your goals.

I hope this helps.

Thank you very much.

Warm regards
Alex
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Hi Experts!

I'd be grateful if you provided your views on my candidacy for INSEAD.

Background:
Nationality : Indian (male)
Career : Investment Banking + Private Equity
Qualification : Chartered Accountant
Age : 30
GMAT : 680
TOEFL : Not required as I have undertaken my undergraduate studies in English

Education:
Qualified Chartered Accountant from ICAI (considered to be a tough exam with passing % around 7-10%)
Bachelors of Commerce (3 year course) from R A Podar College (Mumbai University) passed with Distinction in all 3 years


Work Experience: Total 7+ years
Job 1 - Mid Market Investment Bank
Worked for 3 years in a small team of 3 people in the Industrial and Infrastructure segment. Closed 2 transactions aggregating to USD 50+ million (1st transaction was a cross border M&A with an Italian company while 2nd transaction was a structured finance transaction from one of the leading global PE fund). No international travel, but lots of interactions across Europe / Asia during the various M&A transactions that I worked on. Was very difficult to crack into the IB segment not being a MBA grad and started working as an intern eventually rising to the position of an Associate.

Job 2 - Private Equity Fund
Mid market PE fund with an AUM of ~USD 350 million. Worked on a couple of rounds of follow on investment along with bolt on acquisitions for the existing portfolio companies. Was deeply involved in day to day management of the portfolio companies as the fund philosophy was similar to that of a buy out fund. Helped turnaround 2 of the companies under my active management through various cost optimisation and revenue focused initiatives. Helped exit 4 of the portfolio companies returning ~2x the original investment.

Extra curriculars - An adrenaline junkie, have traveled widely searching for various extreme sport activities including sky diving, rafting, bungee jumping, cliff jumping, scuba diving, etc. Also interested in poker and football (soccer) and traveled quite a bit following the club I support (Liverpool FC). Used to play Basketball and Football in high school and represented the school at a district level. Also involved in quizzing and took represented high school in a televised quiz competition.

Post MBA Goal - Continue working in Private Equity which is my passion. Want to actively work in funds that are focused on creating a social as well as environment impact on the society. In the long term, I would want to start a PE fund of my own based on the above principles.

I thank you for the taking the time to go through my profile above, any thoughts / views you may have are much appreciated.

Best Regards,
Ankit

Hi AnkitLFC

First of all, I absolutely love your post-MBA goal. And I believe INSEAD as a school is accurately aligned with it.
You get an opportunity to immerse yourself in Impact Investment Deep Dive during the program , where the MBA students get to evaluate social businesses all around the globe, in partnership with PE firms and Cartier. It is a great platform for you to learn and network with PE firms working in the same direction.
You can also take a look at the various programs/events happening at INSEAD: https://www.insead.edu/centres/global-p ... initiative

Overall, your profile looks great in terms of perceptive insights, ability to contribute, leadership skills and multi-cultural adaptability. And your motivation to work towards social good is definitely going to catch good attention from the admissions committee.
For GMAT, here's what the current stats for the class of 2020 look like: https://www.insead.edu/master-programmes/mba , the middle 80% GMAT range is 670-750.

What’s going to matter most in your application is how you connect the experiential dots and build a great story.

Wish you all the luck with your application.

Cheers!
Shantanu Sharma, INSEAD, MBA, '17D
INSEAD Admissions Consultant, MBA and Beyond
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Hi ADJE

Wow! Really impressed by the 'Sustainable Farm' initiative that you you are doing as a side hustle. That's one thing that you can definitely use for making your application stand out in the consulting pool. (That answers your 1st question about the big 4 over represented application)

Your overall profile looks quite promising with respect to your ability to contribute, international experience, motivation, and a possibly good GMAT score.
Your concern for low GPA is genuine, but it shouldn't be anything to worry much about, if you can steer your application in a direction that justifies/overshadows yoru low scores with other great stuff that you have done on your profile.

Hope my answer helps your clear your doubts. Wish you all the luck and good energy for GMAT!

Cheers!
Shantanu Sharma, INSEAD MBA '17D
Shantanu Sharma,
INSEAD Admissions Consultant, MBA and Beyond
Schedule a free session
Check out our reviews
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