LBS Profile Evaluation - Tools for B-School Profile Evaluation

Hello Acington,
You have a great academic profile and WE with some big brands. Focus on the impact and demonstrated leadership potential from your WE.
I am missing details of your EC ad Volunteering activities here.
Your GMAT score is a little below average for your schools of choice. If you can, retake the exam to add 20 points more to your score though your profile has other things that make you stand out. For example, your GPA score is above average, which should help you offset your GMAT score.
Your international experience will be valuable at INSEAD.
Don’t be divided in terms of your post-MBA goals. Also, digital banking is too broad a field. AdComs love clarity of thought and you should be more specific in terms of what you want to do.

Hi All,

I wanted some honest opinions on my current profile for applying to LBS for the 2021 intake.

Background: 27, Male, Indian citizen

Education: Bachelor of Science in Physics (Honours degree) with a score of 70.42%.

Extra-curricular activities: Nothing major, but
1. was part of film society in college (we organized movie screenings and discussion around movie budget and makings)
2. campus ambassador for a physics fest in my college
3. Volunteered in a NGO for 3 years and taught kids
4. Keep participating in chess competitions as well, never won any (but I have a decent rating)

Work experience:
1. Worked at ZS for >3 years with fortune 500 clients in pharma domain. Managed projects and teams as well. Worked on exciting strategy related project as well.

2. Worked at the Economist group for 3 years and managed a few global products for them and worked on exciting public policy and healthcare engagements.

GRE: 325 (156 V + 169 Q)

Target schools: LBS, HEC, Cambridge, ISB, Rotterdam

Honest opinions and suggestions appreciated

Sahilkm hi,
Shimri Winters here. I head the strategy team at ARINGO (and a London Business School alumnus)

You have a very interesting profile! From what I can see:

Academics – Physics is good. 70% sounds high (What was your position in terms of % in the class?

GRE – well, you are very analytical… the verbal is a bit low, but the total score is nice!

School wish list – I like your list very much! Very realistic with LBS being on the stretch side, and Rotterdam being on the safer side, and some great schools like Judge, ISB and HEC in the middle. GOOD LIST!

Extracurricular activities – Both nice hobbies (film is always good for a hobby ? ) and very happy to see you have some volunteering experiences too?

Work Experience –, I love the fact you worked for known tier 1 brands! ZS is a great brand, and hopefully, you got to work with some known Pharmas like Pfizer, Roche or GSK. If you can show international experience and some managerial experience, that would be wonderful!)
The Economist Group – and more international experience, great!

The bottom line is you are a very solid candidate. Nice academics, strong work experience, and nice extra-curricular activities. I really like the fact you have a direct line between your education and work experiences. And I would continue to show enthusiasm around working in healthcare (in my career goals, and why MBA essays)

Happy to help further with a detailed review and perhaps work together on some amazing apps if you send me your CV and any other info to Shimriw@ARINGO.com

GOOD LUCK!

Hello GMAT Club Community,

Wanted some advice on my profile and my admit chances for LBS:

27 year old (while matriculating) Indian Male (NON-ENGINEER).

GMAT: 710 (Q47, V41, IR4)

Education:
10th: 90%
12th: 86.5% (Humanities)

Undergrad GPA: 3.3
Bachelor's in Media & Communication from Symbiosis Intl. University (#1 Ranked program in the country)
Specialization: Advertising.

Work Ex: 4 years, 8 months at the time of joining.
Year 0-2: Worked as a copywriter & creative strategist at a digital advertising firm in Mumbai
Highlights -
- Successfully launched the first advertising campaign for the official Swedish Tourism board in India.
- Successfully set up and launched a leading health insurance brand in India online.
- Won the coveted Abby Awards for Creativity & Innovation (Indian equivalent of Cannes) twice.
- Won multiple clients through pitches, contributing significantly to company revenue.

Year 2-3
- Pivoted from a creative to an analytical role, starting as a Business Analyst at a leading ad-tech & performance marketing firm in India (Merkle Sokrati)
- Got promoted in 7 months, handled spends worth $200k a month, across verticals such as E-commerce, OTT, FinTech & BFSI.
- Mentored 3-4 different people with successful results.
- Won multiple clients through pitches, contributing significantly to company revenue.

Year 3 - present
- Shifted to a Growth & Marketing (Designation: Performance Marketing Manager) role at one of India's fastest-growing FinTech startups (valued at $300 million in less than 2 years), funded by Sequoia.
- The company provides financial management softwares to SMBs across India completely free of cost.


Extra-Curricular & Community
- 2 2-month Internships at NGOs (Teach for India & Door Step School)
- Sports Captain in school & college, representing both at school & district levels.

Post-MBA Goals:
Strategy Consulting.
Throughout my varied roles so far, I have served clients across levels in different capacities, with highly successful results (can get stellar recommendations from them)
With my experience as a creative strategist + analyst, I bring a balanced combination of creativity & analytics, and I feel i would be well-suited to a consulting role.

I have 12 months before submitting my application. Would love to hear about my chances of getting an admit (I am open to applying in Early action), or how I could bolster my application (particularly the quant aspect) in this period.

Would an HBS CORe course help here?

chirag95 hi,
Shimri here (head of the ARINGO strategy team and London Business School alumnus)
From what you described you have a great profile.
- GMAT is mediocre (sorry) but still within the reasonable range
- Great undergrad - good GPA
- Good work experience with 3 interesting roles. very happy to hear you also have experience working with international teams
- Extra-curricular activities - always good and shows you a. care about the community and b.l an interesting person (not just academic and professional)
- School wish list - not sure which schools you are aiming for. LBS is a valid option and within reach (with a stellar application!!!)!

As you are only submitting your application next year, I would less worry now on what you write in each essay (i.e. career goals) and more on how you strengthen your profile (get a promotion, work on important projects etc.)
Glad to speak to you in ~9 months towards the R1 deadlines (as always I am on shimriw@ARINGO.com)
GOOD LUCK!

Hello,

I wanted to share my profile and get a realistic review.

Background: Male: 31 years old, Indian residing in Poland

Education: Btech in Electronics and Telecommunication from the University of Pune (not so renowned college) with distinction (>67%) through-out.

Work experience: 9+ years in the Automotive industry (worked with 3 multi-national companies) testing various products related to Safety, and quality. Have worked in 3 continents India (the majority of the time), US (1.5 yrs), and Bulgaria, EU (~1.5 months). I led a team of close to 10 engineers and helped set up a team in the US during my time.
Quit my job last year and relocated to Poland with my wife who has been working here for the past 3 years. This relocation gave me time for some self-reflection and eventually I decided to start my own start-up which is pretty much on the same lines as my career i.e. providing test solutions and services to automotive industries. Have been working on this for close to 7 months now and very recently founded the company with few other co-founders.

Extracurricular activities:- Jack of all trades, master of none. I have been heavily involved in various sports such as Football, Cricket, Table Tennis, Snooker, Volleyball, Basketball in college as well as in my whole career. Have captained and represented teams in various events that have taken place.

GMAT: 720 (Q50, V38, IR2, AWA 5) -> I received IR 8 in my last 2 attempts. So planning to leverage that in the additional component of the essay (Would that be a good plan? Would college consider it?)

Schools: LBS, INSEAD, Judge, HEC, Said, IESE --> in that order

Goal of MBA:
Plan A- To get a good grasp on Entrepreneurship and go on and become a serial entrepreneur.
Plan B- To get a good consulting job for an Automotive client

LORs:-
Have a primary LOR from my manager during my time in the US.
Looking to get one more LOR from my very recent manager.

Let me know if any other information is needed.

Hi shameekv1989

Thanks for sharing your profile and MBA aspirations
My name is Shimri Winters, I head the strategy here at ARINGO (and a London Business School alumnus and was part of the LBS interviewing committee for 8 years)

You have a very interesting profile! From what I can see:

Academics – great undergraduate and GPA. a distinction is always good!

Work Experience –so, this is your biggest differentiator and advantage. The car industry is great. Everyone knows the companies and “gets it”! working in three continents, and now, founding your own company – amazing!
Team management is very important and you have that too. GOOD!

GMAT - Well, 720 is a good score –above average for all the European schools and around the average for an Indian male engineer (sorry! Competitive background…) IR 2 -> is an issue. But it is what it is, and scoring 8 in the past helps. We can discuss further should you address this or not in your optional essay… but it is not a clear cut!

LORs – yes, one from each manager sounds good!

Extracurricular activities – I love your hobbies what about volunteering?

Your career goals – can discuss further but starting your own automotive startup sounds the right direction

All in all, sounds like you have a solid profile! And you should get into at least one or more of your school wish list if you write some stellar applications… Happy to answer any questions you may have and perhaps work together on some amazing apps if you send me your CV and any other info to Shimriw@ARINGO.com

GOOD LUCK!

Hi Sahilkm

Your academic and general work experience look good but I am curious to know about your international work experience. Have you lived and worked abroad?.. have you managed or worked with international teams?

The 4 European schools on your list are very internationally oriented..they not only get a high percentage of students from different countries but also specifically seek international experience in their students.. for example LBS specifically asks about your significant international experience in the application. So that's my main concern.

If you've obtained global experience, you're competitive for these schools and your admission chances will depend on the strength of your essays, career goals and letters of recommendation.


I've helped several Indian students gain admission to your target schools and would be happy to help you if you are looking for guidance.
I'm at mail@vibranture.com


Good luck!


PS: I too have a background in science and corporate experience with healthcare companies in India, Europe and the US.




Posted from my mobile device

Hi,

Would really appreciate a profile evaluation folks.

Male - Pakistan, 29. Will be 30 by the time I start the program next Fall.

BBA, 3rd Ranked B-School in the country GPA 3.3/4
MBA, From a Top 2 business school in the country, GPA 3.06/4
GMAT - 750
CFA Level 1 and 2 passed.
I am hoping my GMAT and CFA Level 1 and 2 can compensate for the lower GPA?
Extra Curr: Have been President of various societies in university, and involved in a lot of charity work as well. Also have been the founding member of official supporters club of an England based football team in Pakistan. Years of handwork and pure dedication have gone into it, and the community is still running strong.

WE: 5 years by Fall 21 (All in Pakistan)

16 months with a Digital Media Start Up. Started off as a Marketing Analyst, and got a promotion within 6 months.
Associate Markets & Deals, 9 months with a Fortune 500
Financial Sales Analyst, US based Forbes Cloud 100 company. 7 months.
15 months at a gaming start up. Here I was responsible for scaling the product and the entire strategy formulation.
Currently working as an Account Manager for a US based Insurance Company in their Pakistan office. Just started 2 months ago.

My biggest concern is the hopping I did in my 2nd and 3rd job (9+7 months) and if it would come back to haunt me? I blame my ambitious self for it, since I really felt I couldn't grow in those roles, and switched jobs frequently. I would also be willing to wait another year and start in Fall 2022 instead if my job consistency would be a problem for the adcoms.

Reasons for doing a 2nd MBA are simple. The Pakistan MBA experience happened when I was too young. Most of what I learned in class was pure theory that I couldn't connect with, as there was no work experience to set the context. Students, especially in Pakistan jump on the MBA bandwagon right after completing their undergraduate degree, and I did the same. It is also very common for universities to select students for their MBA program with no prior work experience.

Secondly, and most importantly, while I have worked in international firms in Pakistan, my aspirations are no longer limited to Pakistan only. The 2-year Pakistan MBA degree hasn't helped in taking the leap into the international arena. Hence, an MBA from a top global B-school would be passport to a truly global career.

Post MBA goal is to get into Tech or Management Consulting ideally in London or Dubai.

Will really appreciate honest feedback. Thanks in advance!

nust2017 hi,
Shimri from ARINGO here (and LBS alumnus)
Thanks for sharing your profile
I love it!
Academics seem wonderful! I am not concerned at all by your GPA. and your high GMAT and CFA definitely remove any doubts anyone might have!
Professional experience - all great! 5 years of very relevant experiences, and again, I am not too worried about the first two "hopping" around jobs as you were looking to progress.
Extra-Curricular activities - GREAT!

What am I worried about?
1. You literally just started a new job, and I would ask myself, how come you already (yes, next September, but it is very soon), want to leave them for an MBA
2. Your previous MBA - this is a huge disadvantage, and although, you explain quite clearly, why you want to do a full-time international MBA, still, the schools do not like previous MBAs...

Despite the "worries" I am very optimistic that with good apps, you will get into some of the top schools (With LBS being the top on your list I assume!)

Happy to help further with a detailed review and perhaps work together on some amazing apps if you send me your CV and any other info to Shimriw@ARINGO.com
GOOD LUCK!

Aringo MBA Admissions:

Hi Shimri,

Thank you so much for a detailed response, and for giving an honest opinion about my profile. I really appreciate it. Would you also be kind enough to elaborate on why you think the 9 months and 7 months work stints will not be a problem specifically? It's great to hear that it won't be a huge red flag, I was actually stressing about it

Also, in regards to leaving my current position for an MBA when I just started 2 months ago, as I explained before, I want to move into an international arena and in a more international role, and hence forth that is why I am looking to pursue a top MBA program at this stage. However, if it's going to be a red flag I can hold on to my MBA aspirations for another year, and spend 2 years in my current role before starting school.

Also, while I feel a Pakistan MBA would keep me at a disadvantage, I think I would be able to elaborate more on my reasons of pursuing a local MBA at the time, and as to why I did it! I can only hope that the other facets of my profile can cater for it! Also, LBS is certainly in my top 5 schools mainly because I want to end up working in London or Dubai. I'll definitely be reaching out for more advice to you!

Just btw, do you think aiming for a top 15 US B-school is realistic with my profile, or should I be looking at schools in the top 20-40 range?

Cheers!

nust2017 hi,
Shimri from ARINGO here
The bottom line is - it is all how you present it...
The schools will open your CV, essays, online application, and your recommendations and try to figure out your story.
There are many ways to explain a job move ("I was fired" vs. "I looked for opportunities to grow, and decided to do this in another firm" vs. "I was headhunted for a fantastic position which in fact was a huge promotion"... )
so like I said it is all how you present it

YES, I think you have a great chance in the top 15 US business schools, as well as at all top European schools
GOOD LUCK!

Hi,

Profile：
- 31yo Asia Woman
- Double bachelors of Mathematics and Economics: 88/100
- Master of Science in Investment Management: 3.8/4
- Certified FRM
- GMAT: 700 (Q51 V31)

Work experience and leadership:
Total 9y exp
in Mainland China
• (Fresh Graduate) 2.7y in a Forbes Top 100 TMT company in house Credit Quantitative Analyst; One promotion.
Relocate to Hong Kong:
• 3.7y in one of the world leading Credit Rating agency’s Analytics Advisory Team; Frequent travel for onsite delivery of customized Credit risk advisory services in SEA and Greater China, Client are all leading Financial Institutions in Asia; Got promoted after 1.5y to Assistant Director and Acted as Project Manager for multiple projects in SEA and China. Got “Merit” for performance when left.
• 1.3y in a US leading software company, served as the Risk Product Manager (presales consultant) leading the Greater China Risk business, brought the risk business from 0 to over 2mioUSD annual subscriptions, got the Asia 1st and worldwide 2nd new deal with a big Asian Insurer.
Move to FI (still in Hong Kong):
• (current employer) 2y in a HK life insurer under a Forbes top 500 insurance group with title VP; Build up from scratch and lead the Credit Analysis and analytics team under Investment Function, directly report to Head of Investment. Look after portfolios mainly covers USD bonds, US Private Credit, US securitization and Structured products; One promotion.


Post MBA goals:
- ST goal: Leverage on the mixed backgrounds of quant and knowledge in insurance investments, as well as the communications in the real money investor universe, move to Fund Investor relations and Fund raising, or capital introduction, solution team in a ibank;
- LT goal: leadership role in a FI.

Anything else?
- Would like to seek advise whether 1y or 2y MBA program is a better catch, if the ST goals is to have several years of working exposure in a different location?
- Any recommendation on programmes favouring more experienced candidate?


APPRECIATE REPLIES AND SUGGESTIONS!

Hi
Requesting profile evaluation for myself.

Background:
IT Engineer Male Indian
Age - 29 (Soon to be 30)

Education
10th grade : 86.53%
12th grade: 83.00%
Engineering GPA - 4.0 (As per GMAC website)
GMAT: 740 (Quant - V51 , Verbal- V38 , IR - 8)

Work Experience:
7.5 years in IT MNC. Worked as a software quality engineer/scrum master for US based telecom clients.
3 years experience working in US at client location with daily interaction and client handling role.
Experience with managing and leading teams for both offshore and onshore.
Received multiple recognitions during my career for showing good work ethics and leadership qualities from employer as well as clients.
Completed IT certifications provided by PMI for project management and scrum.

Extra- Curricular Activities:
Currently part of JOSH team at my employer which is responsible for organizing fun/social activities at org level.
Volunteered for an NGO in college and currently at work (don't have certificate to justify this)
Organized and participated different events at college.
Vice-President of my school.
Have achievements in terms of participation of Cricket, football during my schooling and now work days. Now I play for my company's corporate team.

LOR's -
Can provide letter of recommendation from my current and previous program managers.
Also checking with my previous US client for the same.

Post MBA goals

Goal is to get into Consulting.
Short Term: Strategy/Management Consulting
Long Term: Take up a general management role(maybe a role in strategy and planning team) for an established firm

Thanks in advance

Posted from my mobile device

Hello Hlx311,
Your 9 years of WE will be more acceptable to UK MBA schools and INSEAD if you want to go for a 2-year program, and also your GMAT score compares to the average GMAT in these schools. LBS will be a good choice for you. Looking at your profile though, I would suggest you go for a 1-year program. Though your experience is on the higher side for INSEAD, if you make a good case for yourself, your profile can be competitive.
You have rich and varied experience and I will assume that you have great leadership experience too in these roles. I am missing your EC and Volunteering details though.
Hope this helps.

Hello anurag18,
Saw your profile at a couple of places so would respond collectively here.
You have good number of years of experience and a GMAT score, but your profile belongs to an over-represented pool. You will have to distinguish yourself through your essays and put a compelling case for your MBA goals. Though you have written about your work description, I would want to understand more about your achievements and leadership and impact at work.
You talk about your NGO experience, but haven’t provided any details. What cause do you espouse and how long does this commitment take from you in terms of weekly hours? What is the kind of impact you have created here? Does it leverage any of the skillset you learnt at your work?
A wholesome evaluation requires these details.
For ISB, your GMAT score will prove to be an advantage and your background would not be over-represented. You definitely have better chances there, but again it will depend on how you strategically put your case forward through your application and essays.

YES!!! top 15 is definitely doable!!!
Talk soon!
Shimri