LBS Profile Evaluation - Tools for B-School Profile Evaluation

Thanks for the profile evaluation Shantanu.

I am currently revising my college CV by adding new info as well as removing some less important items. I have gone through your website and found the appointment system. Will get back to you once I have finalized the CV and created a more concrete idea of why MBA/post-MBA goals etc before I get in touch with you.

Thanks
Sanchit

Hello Sanchitdd,

In terms of the GMAT, Personal MBA Coach's clients who have gotten into London Business School had an average score very similar to yours (707). However, as an Indian male engineer coming from an over-represented background, differentiating yourself with a strong test score is crucial.

How many times have you taken the exam thus far? You may benefit from aiming 20 to 30 points above the average here.

The rest of your profile looks interesting, and your startup experience is definitely noteworthy. The key will be to not only prove why you want an MBA but why you are particularly interested in LBS. Be sure to research everything that the school's MBA program has to offer and think about what you plan to take part in on campus. Is there a class you want to take? A club you hope to join? Program-specific knowledge is important in all MBA applications.

Additionally, considering your background, your applications should successfully differentiate you from the pack. Business schools look for well-rounded classes so your application must tell a solid story about how you will add unique value on campus.

Personal MBA Coach regularly helps candidates stand out via our comprehensive services. Take a look at our offerings and feel free to reach out to scott@personalmbacoach.com to learn how we can help you put together strong applications for LBS and your other target b-schools.

Best,
Personal MBA Coach

Hi Personal MBA Coach

Thanks for reviewing my profile.

I have given the GMAT twice, 710 being the score both times(only the split varied).
Personally I don't think I have the motivation to retake the GMAT exam.
I know my GMAT score is Average for a candidate coming from the over represented background, but I feel that the only chance I have at top MBA schools(outside USA) such as LBS with this GMAT score is by having a good overall package in terms of essays/interview.

Currently I am thinking over a few things and will contact you soon when I feel I am ready to discuss things in a more detailed fashion with a admissions consultant.

Thanks
Sanchit

Sorry for the long post! I am interested in knowing my eligibility. Targeting to join September 2022.
1. Background and nationality: 23 year Indian female
2. Pre-undergrad Information: Top 5% throughout school, 95% in 10th, 91.2% in 12th. Various accolades throughout school career (International and national abacus
champion, Diploma in Fine Arts, National Cadet Corps, etc.)
3. Undergrad Information: Majors in Economics from University of Mumbai- 9.13 GPA. Top 5% in the batch throughout college.
4. GMAT: Targeting 740 (680 in first official mock)
5. Work experience and leadership: - 2 years work experience (will have 3 by the time I join) in Ernst & Young LLP in government consulting.
- Received 4 awards in the short tenure of 2 years
- Worked back closely with diverse stakeholders like philanthropies (Gates Foundation), Central Ministry State Government, Local
Government, vulnerable groups like women Self Help Groups, sanitation workers, etc. Assisted in conducting various capacity building trainings and supported in livelihood intervention to these vulnerable groups
- Leading a team of 8 in Knowledge Management; supporting in capacity building of the entire team; independently published thought leaderships in the sector
- Worked extensively on Business Development and Strategy:
- Other experiences include vendor management of subcontractors worth 1 Crore, extensive stakeholder and project management
- Will be able to get good recommendations
6. Community and others: - Strong volunteering experience with Teach for India, and other educational NGOs, Social Media for change fellowship- worked back
closely on integrated rural development and solar project; crowd-sourcing of INR 50,000 after severe cyclone in home state through the NGO
- International and abacus Champion; Diploma in Fine Arts
- Other interests include mindfulness and yoga; swimming; scuba-diving; reading fantasy fiction
7. Post MBA goals: Consulting- ready to explore Strategy and Impact consulting. Want to ultimately settle in India (mostly)

Hi Sanchit,

Of course! You are certainly correct that the overall package is very important.

Looking forward to hearing from you once you are ready to look into the consulting process.

Best,
Personal MBA Coach

About Personal MBA Coach:

Founded by a Wharton MBA and MIT Sloan graduate who sits on the Association of International Graduate Admissions Consultants Board of Directors, Personal MBA Coach has been guiding clients for 14 years and is consistently ranked #1 or #2, currently holding the #1 ranking in the US on Poets&Quants.

We help clients with all aspects of the MBA application process including early planning, GMAT/GRE/EA tutoring, application strategy, school selection, essay editing and mock interviews. Our team includes a former M7 admissions director and former M7 admissions interviewers.

Last year, our clients earned more than $6M in scholarships!

Hi Everyone ,

Shaunak Here...Same old same old...question...
Its time for my MBA profile evaluation-
Nationality - Indian
Work Exp - 42 months (29months international in Africa and Saudi arabia) as a Procurement Engineer
GMAT - 770 , IELTS - 7.5
Under Grad - 6.93/10 (Topper had I guess - 8.5) nagpur uni (year 2016)
10th - 91 % ; 12th - 68%
Extra Curricular - volunteer exp full time - 7 months
LORs - 2 (one from HOD/GM and other one from ex colleague)
Skill sets aquired - SAP MM , soon Will enrole for six sigma
Currently working on SAP integration projects
-
So what are my chances for Good MBA colleges(top 20)
Yale , MIT , Duke , HEC , Insead , cornell , Hass, Columbia? Etc...)
Do suggest some other options as well


Point to consider -
Work exp is into oil and gas and EPC sector , not typical indian IT guy
And LORs from ex boss is very good as I helped and saved (sort of) his life when he had an heart attack, full disclosure - he is all right now☺☺

Regards
Shaunak
Do suggest and comment ...☺

Posted from my mobile device

Hi shaunak075

Thanks for sharing your profile and MBA aspirations
My name is Shimri Winters, I am a London Business School graduate (and used to interview for the school for 7 years) and I head the strategy team here at ARINGO

You have a very interesting profile and obviously great GMAT!

In terms of your profile, I think it is wonderful! From what I can see:

Work Experience – I really like your work experience! Your Africa and Middle East experience, in the Oil and Gas industry, will help to differentiate you. six sigma is nice to have! Any promotions? Ay direct team management?

Academics – seem great!

GMAT– GREAT!

School wish list – SO, LBS, INSEAD, HEC and any other EU school are within your reach. Same goes for Duke, Cornell, Yale, Ross, Mccombs, Tuck, Darden etc. M7 schools? tougher, but perhaps worth a shot (I need to know you better to assess your chances)

Extracurricular activities – Happy to hear about the volunteering. I hope you have some good hobbies too

LORs – excited about the story of your manager needing you to step up and replace him!

So, you have a good profile, lots of international experience, strong LORs, good academics, and nice extracurricular actives.
Add this to a fantastic GMAT -> you are a solid candidate for any school!

“All you are missing” now are some kick-ass stellar applications. ?I would love to discuss further and perhaps work together, so if interested, please send me your CV and any other info to Shimriw@ARINGO.com and we can take it from there!

GOOD LUCK!

Hey, There!
Background and nationality
My name is Vinay and I'm from Bangalore, India. I would be applying for my MBA in a month or so and request some input on my selection of universities. I've added the details of my profile as briefly as I could. My shortlist of colleges is given at the bottom of the comment. I'm also wondering if I should apply to universities outside of the US and love some advice from you.

GRE
- 330 (V-157; Q-170; AWA- 3)


Undergraduate

Completed my Bachelors of Business Administration from Alliance University, Bangalore in Finance with an aggregate of 81.5% ( First Class with Distinction )


Work Experience
4of Years work-ex, with the deep domain of equity research and valuation
Equity Research Analyst at Sarthak Returns ( June 5th, 2017 – Date ) – Sarthak Returns is a Stock Market Advisory Company based in Bangalore. Responsibilities here include
- Technical Analysis, Fundamental Analysis, Equity Research, Proprietary trading, Handling clients accounts, Blog writing.Was Handling a team of 3 people directly reporting


Certifications

NSE Academy's Certified Investment Analyst Champion (NCIAC) & NCMP Level 3
NISM-Series-VIII: Equity Derivatives Certification Examination
NISM-Series-X-A: Investment Adviser (Level 1) Certification Examination
NISM-Series-X-B: Investment Adviser (Level 2) Certification Examination
NISM Series-XV: Research Analyst Certification Examination


Extra-Curricular Activities:

• Volunteer with Youth for Seva ( July 1st, 2016 – September 30th, 2016 ), a Non-Non-Governmental Organisation. The work involved teaching Spoken English and Basic Computer Skills to Primary and Middle School children. This continues till date in a Part-time effect, with overall service time over **Five Hundred Hours**.
• Organised “Mock Stock”, a stock market simulator, in an inter-college event.
•Co-Founded a start-up in the college days - Started with the platform-based company for travel (Air and Bus) with Hotel booking. It was improved based on blind spots, Started renting out textbooks. That rented out students' old books and paid them a share of the earnings, thereby enabling students to make money off books they do not need.
•Co-Founded a niche-based stock research firm meanwhile I was working as an equity research analyst.
• Have pursued Young Leadership program from Indian Institute of Management Bangalore, the program was for the one-year duration with blend learning from both online and offline.


Post MBA goals
Short Term
Work for Investment Banking field

Long Term
Start an Asset Management Company

Please evaluate my profile so I know if I should try for LBS, I'd love to hear your thoughts about my profile?

Hi Vinay

Thanks for sharing your profile and MBA aspirations
My name is Shimri Winters, a London Business School alumnus and I head of the strategy team here at ARINGO

I like your profile a lot! From what I can see. All this is great:

Academics – 81% sounds great. I am wondering what your % is in your class, but sounds like you are high up there

GRE- 330 is above ALL the schools’ averages. And your quant score is great (170/170)

Work Experience – so, Equity Research Analyst sounds great!

Extracurricular activities – sounds great! both your volunteering activities and your start up experiences

career goals– Investment banking makes total sense, and opening your own fund in the long run, sounds great!

But, for a deeper analysis, I will need more clarifications on the following:

Have you had any promotions in 4 years?

Do you manage any people?

Have you worked with clients directly?

Have you worked with international teams or clients?

school wish list? LBS and other European schools or US schools?

Other relevant personal info (hobbies, family business etc.)?

All in all, sounds like you have a solid profile!!! and a good chance to get into a top school if you write stellar applications!
I just need to know the above missing details to understand your profile a bit more 😊.
Also, you mentioned you will be applying to schools in one month, which sounds a bit strange, as most of the R1 deadlines have not been published yet, but will most certainly be around mid-September.

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!

Hi everyone!

What do you think of my chances based on the profile below?

Regards,

David

My Profile:
Target Schools:
-HBS, LBS, MIT, Wharton, Yale, INSEAD, HEC Paris, Stanford

Nationality:
Czech Republic

Education:
-BA (Hons) in Business Management from a non-prestigious university in the United Kingdom
-Exchange semester in Germany
-Mentee in the University’s Mentoring Programme
-Vice-Chancellor Scholarship Award

Grade:
4.0 GPA (1st Class)

GMAT:
720

Current Role:
S&OP Manager Amazon (2 years)
-Managing Sales and Operations planning for three countries

Work Experience:
-Business Analyst Intern at a boutique Management Consulting firm in Luxembourg (return offer received)
-Supply Chain Management Intern at Amazon in EMEA (return offer accepted)
-Management Intern at Enterprise Holdings in Scotland (return offer received)

Extracurriculars:
-Pro-Bono Management Consultant working on projects for social enterprises, non profits and start-ups within NA and EMEA regions
-Winter Internship Experience in Consulting - project based
-Volunteer English Teacher in Germany and Czech Republic
-IBM Data Science professional certificate
-Numerous certificates in data analytics from Coursera, Udemy, EDx, etc.
-Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Certificate
-Former member of the Czech Republic National Boxing Team
-Toastmasters Member

Skills:
-MySQL, Python, VBA, Excel, Tableau

Languages:
-Czech
-German
-English
-Slovak

Others:
-First generation degree holder
-28 years old
-white male

Post MBA Goal:
-return to Amazon as a Senior Programme Manager in Supply Chain Management -> grow to a director/VP level
-long-term: work in Ops/Supply Chain Management division in a consulting firm

Posted from my mobile device

Hi David26,

For starters, it is great to see that you are targeting a large selection of schools. As competition increases and acceptance rates fall, this will be a great way to maximize your chances of admission.

Your academics look strong, as does your work experience. Having a couple of years at a place like Amazon will go a long way to make you competitive in this process, as will your management experience. However, a lot will still come down to articulating your personal story. This is a key component of Personal MBA Coach's services, and often the area in which our clients need the most help.

When thinking about your MBA goals, you will want to go beyond simply stating what role you want to obtain and share your unique vision for improving the company.

Personal MBA Coach has worked with a lot of applicants from Amazon and other leading tech companies and would be happy to help set you up for success. Feel free to review our comprehensive services and send a note to scott@personalmbacoach.com to further discuss your candidacy.

Best,
Personal MBA Coach

Greetings everyone!

Please let me know if I really have a chance at any of the top colleges. I'll post my profile below.

Regards
Vishnu Shaji

Nationality: Indian
Age: 23
Male

Consistently over 80% throughout highschool
Undergrad: Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering with 8.12/10(Should convert to 4.0)
I graduated in 2020 from a very average college under a fairly recognizable national university.
Gmat: 660 (It's kinda low, I really messed up and might retake)

Worked as an Intern at Entrepreneurship Development Institute, the first student to be selected for the same.
Worked as an Entrepreneurship guide/mentor, helping people develop startups, and organized similar workshops.
Currently working in amateur esports, leading a team that frequently organizes competitions in India, South East Asia, South Africa, and Australia. Planning to expand to Europe in a few months. As of now, the team I head has worked with over 10000 participants.
Was developing a tourism-based startup that gained a lot of momentum and potential investors, but had to delay it due to the pandemic.

I've won various national-level prizes for Oratorical events and debates.
Student body representative at school and college.
Participated actively in sports, but no real notable achievements.
Won prizes at entrepreneurial events involving pitching, marketing, and brand building

I haven't really narrowed down the colleges I am hoping to join, but LBS and HEC are some I'd love to join.
I think I can get fairly good LoRs and Client testimonials from people at respectable positions, but my GMAT score worries me a lot.
Kindly let me know what the best course of action might be.

Hi Vishnu,

I am a little unclear about the program you wish to apply to. You dont seem to have any full-time work experience. In that case, are you considering the MiM programs?
If you are vying the MiM programs, I'd say your profile is good, but you should bring up your GMAT score to 700+.

If you are considering the MBA programs, then you should still get your GMAT score up to 700+. The MBA programs have preference for applicants who have 4-5 years of work experience. In that case, I will suggest you wait and first gain some full time work experience.
Regarding LORs- you will need them from people you have directly worked with, not hot shots who you may not have worked with directly.

For further profile evaluation- i'd need to know which programs are you targeting exactly.

Hey, thanks for the reply
I am planning to apply for MiM and not MBA. I actually had an event I was organizing the night before GMAT so I was exhausted attempting the exam. I am not sure how much better it can get, but I think it can get better if I try again.
And regarding the LoRs, I intend to get them only from people who I've worked with or for.
I felt like the GMAT score was not good enough, but thanks for confirming it.

Greetings everyone,
Hope you're doing well. I am considering applying for Round 1 at LBS for the 2022 intake.

My Profile:
Male, 25, Indian
BFIA (Undergraduate in Management - Finance as major) from College of Business Studies, Delhi University (Few alumni at top B-schools, score - 75%)
CFA Charterholder
12th - 95%, 10th - 9.4/10

GMAT: 730 (V39, Q50)

Work Experience:
Total 4 years of work experience across Private Equity, Investment Banking and Consulting (5 years by the time I join)
1 year as Senior Investment Analyst at a London HQed Private Equity firm (good brand in Europe) in a Middle Office role (based in Delhi). Leading a team of 2 junior analysts)
2 years as Senior Investment Banking Analyst at an Indian Boutique Investment Bank (Promoted to Senior IB analyst after 1 year)
1 year as an Analyst at a Boutique Management Consulting Firm (6 months of International Exposure in the Middle East)

Extra-Curriculars
Had a bootstrapped startup in college (1.5 years) which I built into a team of 10 people. Won 2 national-level awards/recognitions and got admitted into an accelerator program. But it was pre-revenue and we couldn't scale it enough to boast much.

Goal:
Continue in Private Equity. I should be able to get promoted to an Investment Associate role post-MBA from LBS.

Recommenders:
1st - Partner/Managing Director of the Private Equity firm that I'm currently working at (MBA: Kellogg, Insead) and 2nd - Investment Manager (with whom I've worked much more closely)

What are my chances of getting through LBS?

Hello p196,

Thank you for sharing. There are several strong elements to your profile and it is great to see that you have started thinking about your goals, particularly because LBS's first essay will likely be a career goals essay once again.

Have you started to prepare your recommenders? Personal MBA Coach recommends doing so this month if you are applying for round 1 deadlines. This way, you will have time to adequately prep them to ensure your LORs shine.

As for gaps in your candidacy, do you have any extracurricular activities that you are still involved in today? While there are countless ways that you can (and should) display leadership throughout your profile, extracurricular activities are one great opportunity to do so.

If you craft a compelling personal story and build a strong overall application for LBS, you should have a solid chance. Personal MBA Coach can help here via our comprehensive support. Of course, as acceptance rates fall and competition increases, targeting a broad range of schools will also maximize your chances of success.

Personal MBA Coach works with many Indian applicants and folks from PE, investment banking and consulting backgrounds. Feel free to send a note to scott@personalmbacoach.com to learn how we can help you put together strong applications for LBS and your other target programs!

Best,
Personal MBA Coach

Hi p196,

Thank you for sharing your profile. Starting with stats, you have a good GMAT score, so this part is pretty sorted. On the work front, you have a wide range of experience. Your USP is your international experience, which LBS emphasizes strongly. You have clearly demonstrated career progression and leadership expertise in team management. The best part of your experience is that you have worked in various industries and must have worked on a variety of projects, which will add diversity to your work profile. In terms of recommenders, I will suggest someone who will completely tell you about the qualities you possess and the type of person you are at work because the goal is to gain a second person's opinion about you. So, make an informed decision.

Your ECs are fine. You can build an interesting story on startup. In your applications, try to incorporate a nice mix of work and your own beliefs and interests. Your post-MBA goals sound sensible, but they require some polishing. While preparing your application, keep in mind how LBS's international scope, deep academic rigor, program structure, and access to a global network align with your goals and aspirations.

So, overall, it looks good, but the most important part of an application is building your unique story and how you communicate your experiences. If it helps you, we recently helped an Indian candidate with 690 GMAT, shortlisted at LBS (Have a look at application journey) So, why can't you make it? If you’d like, we are happy to hop on a call with you sometime this week to discuss your profile in length and further chances to LBS. Feel free to book a free session with us as per your convenience.

How to work on international experience, resume and LOR

Cheers!
Shantanu Sharma
Founder and Admissions Consultant, MBA and Beyond
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Email: shantanu@mbaandbeyond.com
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