Rotman Profile Evaluation - Tools for B-School Profile Evaluation

8y3m work ex as a professional prop trader of commodity futures on exchanges such as CME, ICE US, ICE Europe and LME. Products traded - Brent crude, WTI, cotton, cocoa, coffee, RBOB, and base metals such as copper, nickel and aluminium. Rare opportunity in India

Undergrad in Finance from BITS Pilani, dual degree in Physics with a GPA of 7.81 out of 10. Last 2 years GPA of 8.13.
6 month internship with JP Morgan Chase, Bangalore as part of undergrad requirement at BITS Pilani

GMAT - 710 (91) - Q49 (74), V38 (85), IR 7 (81)

Reason for MBA - career change from trading to investment management. Zero experience of leadership and working with teams. No other master's program helps with addition of skills that I need to grow and find a job
Another reason is to move to a new location for global exposure and opportunities, not possible to do with current set of skills and no network

CFA Level 1 completed

Rotman and Canada because of location and friendly work permit laws, respectively

Volunteer work with BITS Pilani chapter of NSS (community work opportunity for college students, by Central Government of India). Taught primary Mathematics classes to underprivileged kids for 6 months



I want to know if round 3 is a problem? Does the profile suit Rotman? Easy/tough?

Posted from my mobile device

Businessconquerer

What do you think about an international applying in Round 3 to Canadian schools?

Hi szubham,

Round 3 is a tricky part for Indian applicants to apply,especially for Rotman.I believe to be able to stand a chance in this round,the GMAT needs to be 720+.

Now, evaluating your profile, your acads look great with a good GMAT score. Also, your undergrad institution will add considerable value to your profile. For your work-ex and overall profile, I am missing impact. I need to hear your story extensively in order to understand your USB that can help you project your story competitively.

I understand your post-MBA goals and need to do an MBA and Rotman can be a good choice for you. But again, you need to be very strong in terms of social impact to stand out and compete in Round 3. Also, you need to extend your options to some other locations and schools as well for safety.

If it comforts you, we have helped a candidate getting into LBS with 690 GMAT and I believe if you have the will and the story (well-weaved), you may have a shot at the program. If you want a better opinion over this, we would love to connect with you and hear your story. Feel free to book a free session with us as per your convenience.

Cheers!
Shantanu Sharma, Linkedin
Founder and Admissions Consultant, MBA and Beyond
Testimonials
Email: shantanu@mbaandbeyond.com
What s app: +65-97158525

Nikhil
Given the play on words, I'll assume the guy is an Indian commerce male.

For R3, Seats are less.
Also, with surge in current Applications, we've already got multiple admits who would join Rotman.

The major issue is - 8yrs of work ex.
As Danielle said in the Spotlight, more experienced people have trouble with finding internships & jobs. I think for him, EU/UK might be a better fit.

And with no leadership/ team experience, it's even more difficult to convince them.

But I am one of the few people who thinks that Leadership is governed by your influence and your drive not your badge. If you can think of times where you've demonstrated extraordinary persuasion and motivation, I'm sure you'll do great on your essays. That said, if you're still going to produce an application, do so in EA round in August. And as soon as you have an admit, you can leave your job, the offer doesn't bind you to stay.

Reason I'm saying this is because we got people with 10 y work ex but there are only 4 people with that much ex.
Also, show the feasibility of your goals.

Posted from my mobile device

Background and nationality : Civil Engineering ( Amrita University), Indian

Undergrad Information: 6.43 CGPA

GMAT: 660

Work experience and leadership: Started my own startup on fintech during my college final year, Worked at Urbandart as Growth specialist for 1.5 yr ( Clients : Google, Amazon, Dunzo, Swiggy, Zomato, Cred etc,,), currently into family business ( Gas agency handling a team of 30 members, builder )

As on Jan 2020: 3.5 yrs experience

Post MBA goals: Want to work abroad in an investment banking firm

Anything else: Actively trading from past 1 year and very much interested in Finance

Would like to know my chances into Rotman and areas to be improved as I will be applying for next year?

Could someone please evaluate my profile?

male, Indian,Software engineer, 23 years old,

Undergraduate: Bachelor of Engineering from Walchand institute of technology, solapur University
4-year full time oncampus course.

GMAT: 670 expected – writing this November;

Work experience: 2 years post-graduation
I’ll have 4 years continuous, post-university experience by Sept 2019.

I’m currently with the royal ventures,event management firm.
I have organised a private event for Ex State Cabinet Minister and Worked with State IT cell head.also working with a national ngo from last one year.




Likely recommendations from: Principal of Walchand institute of technology and Head Of Department Information technology,WIT Solapur

Extra-Curricular: Well-rounded set of extra curriculars including volunteering for a ngo.
Won bronze medal in state level kickboxing and 4rth in state kickboxing the very next heart.
Bronze medal in district level Fencing and 4rth in Division level Fencing.

Goal: To work consulting firm or Some Bank
Weakness in Profile: GMAT, GPA?

Key points: I am not sure if I am too late for a scholarship and if I would be eligible for one… I am also targeting Rotman for the Forte foundation

Profile in numbers-

9.2/68.4/7.6
2 years workex in event management firm

Any insights would be greatly appreciated!

Posted from my mobile device

Hi akhil1895,

Thank you for sharing the details of your profile with us.
Your profile sounds good on the surface and I am assuming that your entrepreneurial journey will put you in a great spot to come up with interesting stories.

However, in order for me to do justice to your profile evaluation, I'd like to understand the following from you:

1. How many years did you run your startup?
2. Biggest achievement
3. Biggest challenge you faced
4. How big did the startup grow and why did you decide to shut it down
5. Your extracurriculars

As for your GMAT score, a lot will depend on the stories you can frame for the application. We have converted a 660 to Rotman in the last cycle and we have even converted a 670 to Rotman, who bagged a 30k scholarship too. So, yes- To genuinely tell you whether the score is good to go with, I would be really keen on understanding the aforementioned from you.

If you are hesitant on posting the answer here or you would like to get in further detail, feel free to book a free session with us as per your convenience.


Cheers!
Shantanu Sharma, Linkedin
Founder and Admissions Consultant, MBA and Beyond
Testimonials
Email: shantanu@mbaandbeyond.com
What s app: +65-97158525

Hi Durgesh1911,

Thanks for sharing your profile.
First of all, let me say that I am an absolute fan of applicants who start working on their profile early and don't just rush 30 days before the deadline. As you are thinking ahead of time, it puts you in a great spot to start working on the gaps in your profile. We have just converted a 670 to Rotman with scholarship, and she worked with us for good 8 months

I can see that you have a good profile. I would recommend that you go through Rotman's values and try to map out your journey, with respect to your pre-MBA job, NGO experience, ECs with the values of Rotrman.

Try to dig out the most amazing Unique selling point about you (which doesn't necessarily have to be from your professional life), which is going to make up your spike factor. Keep working with the NGO you are working with and try taking up responsibilities that showcase you are aware of the world around you and are willing to make it a better place. Always, keep in mind that anything you are investing your time in should make up a great story for why do you need an MBA from Rotman. It could be the gaps or the missing links that you have identified, which only the MBA from Rotman will help you fill.

So, I would say, it's an overall good profile (provided you also score a 670 or 670+ on GMAT). Just keep working towards connecting the dots to build a great story.

For eg. Try to answer 'why having worked in event management are you suddenly driven towards consulting or bank, soon after your MBA? How does it align with your long term goal? Why are you working with an NGO, what is the cause that you care about the most and how do your efforts (that you are putting in right now) bring you closer to your goals?

Just keep at it and you will get there! All the best!

Hope you find this answer useful.

Cheers!
Shantanu Sharma, Linkedin
Founder and Admissions Consultant, MBA and Beyond
Testimonials
Email: shantanu@mbaandbeyond.com
What s app: +65-97158525

Hi singh36x,

Nice profile there! Rotman highly values 'Diversity, Excellence and Integrity’ and also looks for the same values in your applicants. Your professional profile brings all of these values and your personal life examples must also highlight the same.

On the work front, you have undertaken interesting projects which exhibits your capability of working on different projects and making them successful. Explain how you analyze the problems in your projects and how you get back to the drawing board and fix the wrongs. While doing this, exhibit your management skills and craft the stories in a way that not only highlights the above values but also brings in account your USP!

For you acads, I’d suggest you push for a 700. The average experience required in Rotman is 5 years, but with that score and your work experience, I see a good chance for you to make it to Rotman. It would also be useful to just introspect and come up with the gaps in your profile that you think an MBA with Rotman will help you fill. Once you sort all these points out, what is going to matter the most is how you connect the experiential dots and build a well-weaved story to stand out from the other applicants in the pool.

Also, your ECs are pretty cool and will definitely help you add an interesting perspective to your overall profile.

Overall, if you have your GMAT sorted, you stand a good chance at Rotman (which is also a good fit for you). If you’d like I am happy to hop on a call with you sometime this week to help you understand how you can polish up your profile and what factors will enhance your chances for Rotman. Feel free to book a free session with us as per your convenience.

Cheers!
Shantanu Sharma, Linkedin
Founder and Admissions Consultant, MBA and Beyond
Testimonials
Email: shantanu@mbaandbeyond.com
What s app: +65-97158525

Hey DanAustin,

Starting with your academics, graduating with a percentage of 72% is fairly decent which is further complemented with your GMAT score of 680. While your GMAT score vouches for your academic prowess, it also opens doors for you to target most of the top business schools, especially Rotman.

Moving on, extracurricular participation plays an important role in strengthening your applications as B-schools are on the hunt for all-rounder profiles. Running through your extra-curricular activities, I’d say you have varied endeavors on this end, which portrays your proactive attitude. However, do focus on highlighting the international projects you worked on as it would help portray the broadened perspective you possess alongside the ability of adapting a flexible approach, traits held in high regard by every b-school. Furthermore, you can also take up some courses or certifications related to your field of interest to highlight how you’re constantly on the path of upskilling yourself.

Now coming on to your work experience, there aren’t a lot of details here. But in the lieu of crafting a strong application, you must focus on the quality of your work experience. You have mentioned that you worked for a big-4 firm for a while that certainly plays a part in bolstering your profile, as you’d be facing competition from applicants from equally big brands. Since you are targeting an MBA, a program designed for managers, talking about the roles and positions you undertook, the teams and projects you led and the impact you created in those positions would help you establish yourself as a strong candidate.

Given your school choice, Rotman falls under the dream category, which means that you have around 40-50% chances of acceptance in this school. In such a scenario, I’d advise you to hedge your bets wisely and target a good mix of 4-5 schools.

Here are few school suggestions that you can look for in Canada:

Ivey, Ryerson, McGill, Queen’s, HEC Montreal, Schulich, UBC

Lastly, it is important to be mindful of the fact that you’d be competing with equally competitive profiles, which is why I’d suggest you lay emphasis on your admission application as a strong application holds 30% of weightage in the entire admission process and is also the way through which you can highlight your strengths and give apt justifications for your weaknesses to smooth over any flaws in your profile. Moreover, a strong application sets you apart from the rest of the competition and hence it is imperative that you use this tool in your arsenal to the best of your advantage.

That said, since major chances of winning an admit depends on the quality of your application, you can check out our, end to end consulting process - The All-in-One Solution, to gain insights into how we can assist you in creating an application that could boost your chances of acceptance by a minimum of 3x!

Link of All-in-One solution:

https://www.mim-essay.com/mim-all-in-one

Hope this helped!

Hello,
Thanks in advance for your reply.

Request you to please evaluate my profile and guide me if i have chances of securing a seat for Rotman or any other top institutes in Canada.
Please find my details below :

Nationality - Indian
Present Age - 27

Education:
MA Economics (Mumbai University) - Currently pursuing. Most probably will clear with a first class distinction.
BBA (Finance) - 8.92 CGPA - Secured the highest CGPA in my college. Although, my university does not come under the top 50 universities in India, i managed to upgrade from a normal ranked college to the best college in my university post the first year of under graduation.
Further, received 2 academic awards.
Class 12 : 63.5% (Science) - Passed with First Class Distinction - Maharashtra State Board University
Class 10 : 8.6 CGPA


Work Experience:
1) Currently working with one of the leading Bulge Bracket firms in their investment banking division as a Research Analyst since 2 years.
2) Worked with Ernst & Young India as a Business Consulting Analyst in the Banking and Capital Markets Vertical for 1.5 years. Was a client facing role. Experienced in Risk Consulting, Internal Audit, IFC, Gap Analysis and KYC Compliance.


Internships :
1) Did 2 internships with Ernst and Young in my first year of college.
2) Did a one year internship (after class 12) in the field of Equity Research at a small Financial Advisory Firm, which later managed more than 160 million rupees.

GMAT Score - 700

ECA :
1) CFA Level 3 candidate. Cleared both the levels of CFA level 2 in my first attempt.
2) Elected as the Class Representative of my class in College.
3) Founder and President of the Finance Club of my college.

Certificates:
1) Data Analytics
2) Advanced Excel

Skills :
1) MS - Office
2) Python
3) R
4) Financial Modelling

Hi AVY123,

Your profile looks quite competitive! Rotman has distilled their shared beliefs down to four fundamental principles (mentioned below) and they are looking for the same values and shared beliefs in their applicants:

1. Diversity
2. Excellence
3. Integrity
4 Respect

I can see a great mix of 1&2 in you. Your acads and a solid GMAT score provide strong evidence of your academic potential and your exposure in EY will make you a good candidate in the field of finance and Rotman can be a great pick if you want to step up the ladder in the same field.

You do provide diversity, diversity in terms of background. But this is not enough. It's important for you to bring diversity in terms of perspective, thought-process and potential contribution to the Rotman community. To analyze this, I need to dig out the impact in your story. Also, the fact that you made sure to make lemonade out of lemons (Bear me for bringing a cliche one ) in your college exhibits your diligence.

Overall, I see a solid profile and you have a pretty good shot at the program. But I need to know more about your impact and goals in order to find your USPs. Also, which intake and round are you eyeing? If you’d like, I am happy to hop on a call with you sometimes this week to discuss your chances and help you make Rotman understand better. Feel free to book a free session with us as per your convenience.

Cheers!
Shantanu Sharma, Linkedin
Founder and Admissions Consultant, MBA and Beyond
Testimonials
Email: shantanu@mbaandbeyond.com
What s app: +65-97158525

Hey singh36x!

I would like to start off by saying that you have a pretty decent profile.

Commencing your profile evaluation with your academic background, I would like to say that you have a pretty interesting background. Having a background in hotel management and the hospitality industry can serve as the differentiating factor and allow you to contribute to the diversity of the cohort. Moreover, having the brand name of IHM, ranking 3rd in India, is an added advantage as schools like Rotman tend to favor applicants from the top schools of each country.

Since you are retaking your GMAT in February, I would suggest you push yourself a little bit and score at least 680+ in your next attempt to be eligible for Rotman’s MBA program.

Moving on to your work experience, you have 2.5+ years of work experience and have worked with some of the top brands in your industry which definitely sets you at par with your competition. However, you should be mindful of the fact that you’d be facing tough competition from candidates with similar or stronger profiles, hence it becomes imperative that you distinguish yourself from the rest by talking about the kind of projects you have undertaken, the impact you created, and your career progression with major learning takeaways.

Further, on the note of extracurriculars, you must be cognizant of the fact that schools seek applicants having a holistic profile. Hence, accounting for the same, it is great to see that you have taken several initiatives and ventures during the course of your life. Gaining certification from WSET adds the angle of international exposure to your profile, a trait well-revered by Rotman. Various competitions and debates won display your competitive spirit, while your involvement with non-profits and NGOs goes on to highlight your socially empathetic nature and your active community involvement. All in all, I would say that you have a pretty well-developed profile.

Coming on to your query regarding the gap in your profile, you can rest assured that having a 3-month gap in your profile due to health concerns won’t really have any negative impact on your application as long as you provide apt reasoning for the same in your application.

Given your school choice, I would say that Rotman as a school falls under the dream category which means that it only has an acceptance rate of 8-12%, which makes your chances of acceptance into the program anywhere around 40-50%. However, while applying to B-schools it is never a good strategy to only apply to one school and instead, you should apply to a good mix of 7-8 schools from dream, competitive, and safe category to make sure you increase your chances of earning an admit exponentially. Some other schools you can target based on your profile as Ivey, Queen’s, Schulich, UoT, HEC Montreal, UBC Sauder, etc.

Another aspect that you should be acquainted with while applying to B-schools is the importance of a strong application. Since you wish to apply to a highly competitive school such as Rotman, you’d be facing competition from a highly saturated and holistically developed competitor pool. Hence, a strong application comprising of your essays, LORs, and Resume - would not only allow you to highlight your strengths and overshadow your weaknesses but would also distinguish you from other applicants.

Therefore, in lieu of that, I would recommend you to check out our flagship ALL-IN-ONE service, which has allowed us to help 3500+ applicants to get into their dream schools. As you are still in the early process of your application, it would provide you with end-to-end consulting and unlimited edits on your application documents. Not only that, you’d be connected with B-school alumni who’d be helping you directly with your application process, right from the brainstorming session to submitting the application to the school.

Link for the ALL-IN-ONE Solutions:

https://www.mim-essay.com/mim-all-in-one

Hope this helped!

Name/username: Jevano
Age : 27
Country/Location : Jamaica
Under-Graduate School : University of the West Indies, Mona
Under-Graduate GPA: 3.6
GMAT/GRE Test scores: 620
Total Work Experience : 4.5
Pre-MBA Industry : Investment Banking & Investment Management
Target industry post-MBA: Investment Management
Brief about Work Experience : Worked at an elite local investment bank for 3 years got two promotions in that time was eventually made a manager with a team of 4. I was also hired into the management trainee track right out of undergrade (it usually requires a graduate degree).
Move on to investment management at one of the largest banks in the Caribbean, I am a portfolio strategist with AUM of USD1B+
What is your relation to the Recommenders?(Manager. client etc): My boss from my investment banking job and my debate coach (wrote about debating as my spike factor)
Volunteering/Extra-curriculars: Debating (Coach & Mentor for high school and university), occasional radio host
International Experience : None overseas, but with my current job I manage regional portfolios based in Barbados and Cayman
The motivation for MBA and why Now brief? : I intend to transition to investment management in Canada so an MBA is the best way to do it. I am at the point in my career where I know what I want to do and where I want to be and an MBA is how I get there
Short-Term Goal : Research Analyst Buyside equity
Long-Term Goal : Start my own firm
Link to your interview debrief: didn’t post one see questions asked below
(You can add your interview experience HERE and paste the link above )
Did you use the help of an MBA Consultant? : Yea, Esmeralda SHE IS EXCELLENT!!!!!
Any comments, feelings, advice to share?: I thought MBA programs only played lip service about holistic applications so given my gmat I wasn’t expecting to get very far in the process, but here I am, so APPLY!!!!

The questions that were asked are below and are in no particular order:
1. Why Rotman
2. Three things that I want from the program
3. One extracurricular/project I have done and why
4. What I do for fun
5. Short term career goal
6. Time I failed at my job and what did I learn
7. Time I was innovative at my Job
8. Highlights of my resume
9. What other schools have you applied to

Hi szubham,

From the first look itself your profile presents your endeavours in a way which validates your candidature for an MBA program in the top B-schools worldwide. Your undergraduate GPA of 7.18 in finance background proves your strong abilities in the finance field as well as a good brand name in the form of BITS Pilani under your profile, further boosts your chances of acceptance. Adding to that, your GMAT score of 710 is very impressive, which again vouches for your academic prowess.

Coming to your work experience, you are working for more than 8 years as a professional prop trader for commodity futures which is a rare and unique professional background. This aspect of your profile makes you stand out from the average applicant pool from India, thus acting as a differentiating factor in your profile. Having said that, I would suggest that you highlight any managerial role or project that you undertook since you are applying for an MBA program which is designed specifically for professionals in the management domain.

Talking about your extracurriculars, you have been part of NSS which is a national level social service organization along with playing the role of a teacher to underprivileged children. All these activities showcase how you are a socially responsible individual and how you are taking initiatives to contribute towards society. However,as it has been more than 8 years since you graduated, it is very important that you showcase how you have been consistent throughout these years. Here, you can highlight your certifications, your volunteering works and your participation in the CSR wing of your company. This way you will be able to showcase how you went above and beyond in your endeavours and how you are always on the lookout to upskills yourself.

Speaking of your target school that is Rotman, you have a 60% chance of getting accepted. This is where your application would play a huge role to increase your chances of acceptance by highlighting your profile USP’s and overshadow any particular weaknesses in your profile.

Additionally, since Rotman does fall under the deam category, it is best that you hedge your bets wisely by targeting a good mix of 6-8 schools such as Ivey, Schulich, Queens, UBC and Reyson.

All things considered, since your application plays a major role in your chances of acceptance (30%), you can check out our All-in-one service which has helped 3500+ applicants secure admits from the top schools. With a 92% success rate, the All in One service is a comprehensive consulting process aimed at providing personalised application suggestions, unlimited editing service, and expert consultants who would constantly be there to help you throughout your application journey.

Below is the link to our All in One service:

https://www.mim-essay.com/mim-all-in-one

Hope this helped!

Hey akhil1895,

You seem ambitious about pursuing a career in the field of Finance, which is further complemented by the leadership roles you undertook in both your academic and professional experience.

To begin with, your undergraduate GPA of 6.43 is a bit on the lower end, although it should not worry you, as what matters most in a MBA program is how you utilized your time in college or your professional career, thus showcasing a well-groomed profile is what you should be focusing on.

Coming to GMAT, an overall score of 660 is slightly on the lower end. In order to target a school like Rotman, an average score of 690 is what would be required and therefore I would advise you to go for a retake.

As for your work experience, since an MBA is a manager's degree and requires significant work experience, your 3.5+ years of work experience would put you at par with other applicants. Moreover, your initiative of establishing your own fintech start-up during your UG showcases your leadership skills and ability to take on initiatives. Therefore, make sure you elaborate on your entrepreneurial endeavours, what you did in these roles, how you handled problems, etc.

All things considered, you lack big brands in your profile which is a minor drawback as you would be competing against applicants with work experience from the big four firms. In order to overshadow this, you can shine light on the e-commerce giants (like Google, Amazon, Dunzo, etc.) you catered to and how you augmented their business growth.

Coming to your extracurriculars, since you haven’t provided any information regarding your extracurriculars, I would like to tell you that your extracurricular activities and your other endeavors matter as well because AdComs are looking for applicants with holistically developed profiles. Thus, it is essential to shed light on the endeavors you’ve taken up at the clubs, associations, and events you managed or participated in.

Also showcasing any volunteering or CSR activities that you participated in would strengthen your application as it would bring to light the socially responsible aspect of your personality, a trait held in high regard by any and every b-school. Moreover, given your inclination towards settling into the investment banking sector, I would recommend you to take up a few certifications relevant to the field to clearly define your drive towards building a career in the same.

Coming to your chance of acceptance in Rotman, it stands at around 50%. That said, when applying abroad, in order to hedge your bets wisely, it is always better to target 6-8 schools. Some other schools that you can be targeting are - HEC Montreal, Ivy, Queen, Schulich, and UBC as well.

On this note, while you have a competitive profile, to increase your chances of getting admitted to these schools you would need to ensure that you have a very strong application (consisting of - Essays, LORs, and Resume)that highlights your strengths and overshadows your weaknesses in order to differentiate your profile. You need to showcase your journey, what makes you different from your peers, and how you are a great value addition to the school.

Therefore, in lieu of that, I would recommend you to check out our flagship ALL-IN-ONE service, which has helped 3500+ applicants to get into their dream schools. This service will also provide you with end-to-end consulting and unlimited edits on your application documents. Not only that, you’d be connected with B-school alumni who’d be helping you directly with your application process, right from shortlisting the right schools to submitting the application to the school.

Link to our all-in-one solution -

https://www.mim-essay.com/mim-all-in-one

Hope this helped!

Hi, I am planning to apply in R3 for Rotman and UBC, Please let me know of my chances

Indian Male
XIIth : 86.2%
Xth : 8.8 CGPA
Mathematics Hon. from Delhi University
Did Actuarial Science along with graduation and have three actuarial papers to my credit.

Work ex: 2 years of experience working for a US based Consulting MNC as Actuarial Analyst
ECA : Participated in National level table tennis championship once in school and state level rank holder twice.
did some volunteer work like helping in blind school and teaching underprivileged kids.

GMAT : 750