LBS Profile Evaluation - Tools for B-School Profile Evaluation

amitheone2022 hi,
Shimri Winters here LBS alumnus and head of the ARINGO strategy team.
I will try to make this simple: you have a great profile! (I have a feeling you know this already...).
Good GPA, great GMAT, great international work experience, CFA is always an advantage. and you even have some cool extracurricular activities.
I am not sure what kind of profile analysis you want, but in a nutshell, you are a great candidate
Your career goals make sense, just keep them don't he same geography as the school you are applying for (mention US banks if applying to US shcools)

Regarding schools - to be honest you can apply and get accepted into any school in the world.
From your question, I can see you don't know the schools so well. (for example, LSE doesn't offer MBAs, and LBS is ranked higher than Oxbridge )
you can see here the rankings of the top US, UK and European schools: https://aringo.com/top-mba-program-rankings/

But all this doesn't matter in the next 6 months.

What should you do now?
1. Stay employed
2. Aim for a promotion
3. If you can improve the GMAT - go for it
4. School research - build your network

and
5. Talk to me in ~ May when we open the R1 process . I am always on shimriw@ARINGO.com
GOOD LUCK

Hi amitheone2022,

Your GMAT score is excellent. No need to retake it! You are already in top 1% with a score of 750!
Where I think you will need to spend some time is:
(1) Choose the schools you want to apply to wisely. For finance, LBS (UK), INSEAD (EU), Wharton (US), and Chicago Booth (US) are really good options. You would be a good candidate for all these schools.
(2) Start working on your apps early! Most students wait for too long and their essays don't do justice to their profile. While your GMAT is great, your essays will need to impress the admissions committee as well. Also application/essays need to be tailored to each school you want to apply to.
(3) Think about where you want to work...in US or EU/Middle east/Asia. This will have an impact on schools you apply to.
(4) Lastly, apply early - round 1. Your best chances of getting accepted and also best chance of getting any scholarships.

For more info, or free CV review, feel free to email me.
Mazzarini.careerconsultants@gmail.com

Visit my website for more information on my background:
www.mbcareerconsultants.com

Thanks,
Ale

Posted from my mobile device

Dear Community, would you be kind enough to give your inputs on my profile for LBS. Thank you.

Name: Ellen Adams

Male, Non IT, Indian, 33 years

PGDM Shipping Management (Part time) - NMIMS, Mumbai - 70%
B.Sc. Nautical Science - T.S. Chanakya (Top of the league college for maritime studies, Intake by JEE - 79.7%). passed out in 2010 (In top five of Batch)
12th - CBSE 87.4% (Topper of Batch)
10th - CBSE 84.4% (Topper of Batch)
GMAT - 680 (Tyring to improve to 700)
Also Plan to a SCM certification before admission cycle. CII SCM Pro.

Work Exp -
2010 - Dec 2014 --> Worked on board Ships for 4 Years for a Japanese shipping MNC. Multicultural environment, worked with people from 4 nationalities. Work area was in operations.
Jan 2015 - Jul 2017 --> Worked on shore Danish shipping MNC Maersk, also a fortune 500 company. Worked in Operations, especifically maritime security operations. (Anti-pirate/Antihijacking Operations)
Aug 2017 - Dec 2019 --> Took career break to prepare for Civil services, couldnt make it.
Jan 2020 - Dec 2021 --> Worked on shore for a small time shipping company based in Delhi. Resigned over issues unethical issues which my conscience did not allow to do.
Dec 2021 - Sept 2022 --> Worked for a family setup of small manufacturing unit.
Now --> Working on board ships

Short term goal post MBA - To get in an operations heavy company like Amazon
Long term Goal - To work my way up to COO level in a good company.

Extracurricular Activities - Part of NCC group and also worked with an NGO that works for elderly. (Nirashrit Bhavans)

Hobbies - Have an active blog where I write poems and short stories. Some of the poem have also been published in a maritime magazine.

I am looking for a one year or max 16 Month programme, with good perceived value in India.

Ellen hi,
Shimri from ARINGO here. I head the ARINGO strategy team and I am an LBS alumnus

You have an interesting profile and career (although I need to know more about what it is you actually did in each role. Were you promoted? Were you managing people directly etc.)
I know that ships-operations doesn't sound very MBA like but security is something interesting, and you can leverage this experience (See below).

Your main strengths are the international flavor you bring working for Japanese and Danish companies with international teams.
The less strong parts I can see are the lack of a business-oriented role at least in some of your career, a 2-year gap between 2017-2019, your GMAT score (below school average) - all of these taking into account that you come from an overrepresented background.

The career goals you mentioned seem totally wrong. I would find new ones that connect what you did in the past with an MBA (For example, as an expert on security for big ships, you could shift into security consulting for maritime energy facilities or Infrastructure giants - just an idea! but you can see how this connects your past and a business education)
What to do now?
1. You will probably need a higher GMAT than 680 for places like LBS
2. Think more about your career goals
3. Write stellar applications
4. Apply to some backup programs as well

Always happy to help further, and I also answered your PM question! good luck

Hi Ellen,
This is Shikha - I'm an INSEAD Alum and founder of MB Career Consultants. I also currently work for Amazon, so thought I could weigh in your profile for business school and beyond.

First of all, if you are looking for 1 year programs, I recommend looking at Oxford, Cornell, Cambridge as some potential schools for you. With your GMAT these would be well within reach and are well reputed worldwide. LBS/INSEAD can be contenders, but you would need a GMAT score of 730+.

I think you have a very interesting profile (shipping and nautical sciences background is rare) and you have some interesting stories (failure with civil services, poetry etc). Just make sure your essays show strong leadership and reflection from failures.

In terms of post MBA goals, you don't have to be so prescriptive to say Amazon, but you can say "work in Supply Chain for a corporate".

We are happy to have a call with you if you are interested in further help with your application.

Best,
Shikha
www.mbcareerconsultants.com

Posted from my mobile device

Hey OGM,

Let me start by saying that you have a strong profile, as there’s a rock-solid GPA of 8.8 and the strong brand name of IE University (Spain) in your profile. The major focus will be on your work experience. Since you have had a family business, that can give you flexibility in mentioning various roles and responsibilities. You can demonstrate your leadership and the business impact you have made.You can showcase how you plan to take it forward post-MBA. All you need to do is focus more on quantifying other business impacts other than $1.5 million in revenue.

In fact, you must state what projects you worked on. The transition you mentioned here needs to be explained and justified, as well as how that has actually impacted the organisation where you started working. You can talk about monthly or yearly revenue generation. Your businesses make your profile stand out and give the impression to the schools that you have business sense. A family business will undoubtedly be the highlight of your profile, and it must be portrayed correctly.

Apart from that, your volunteer work is pretty good, and the schools highly appreciate your willingness to contribute back to society. But you must quantify your volunteer experience as well.

One thing that is missing from your profile will be courses and certifications. If you've taken any special courses in the finance department or anything related to it, then mention that as well. You can also showcase that you are aiming for a CFA Level 1 in a few months. That will have a bigger impact in terms of the financial profile.

See, all the top business schools in Europe require a 700 or higher GMAT, so try aiming for that, and I would recommend you look at schools like:

1. LBS
2. Oxford
3. HEC Paris
4. INSEAD

If you need more help, we'd be happy to setup a call and give more pointers on how to improve your profile and the right schools you should target.
You can setup a call via this link:
https://bit.ly/3DSH5km

Hey Akash2502,

Let me start by saying that your percentage in bachelor’s is good considering the fact that you were managing CA along with it. Anything around 70% enables you to target all the good schools in the world, even those in the UK and Canada. In fact, you have a good GMAT score of 710, which makes your profile stand out.

Your work experience of 5 years is excellent and adds brownie points to your profile, but it needs more quantification, like how many people you are leading in your current profile. In fact, you must quantify the percentage by which you increased the bank's revenue, the number of people you led in various projects, the total number of projects you worked on, and whether or not there was any international client interaction. In your work experience with the CA firm, you can mention the article ship and try quantifying the auditing part and how exactly you saved time doing that.

HEC Paris is highly inclined towards a brand name in graduation, organisations so it will be a little difficult to crack, but apart from that, you surely have a solid profile for schools like:

1. LBS
2. Oxford
3. ESCP
4. INSEAD
5. Imperial
6. ESSEC

If you need more help, we'd be happy to setup a call and give more pointers on how to improve your profile and the right schools you should target.
You can setup a call via this link:
https://bit.ly/3DSH5km

Hey amitheone2022,

Your GPA is a bit on the lower side but again you have a good brand name in your undergrad, which is definitely a strong point in your profile. However, your work experience is the main highlight of your profile and it's important to showcase it effectively.

In your profile, you mentioned your work experience in French investment banking and equity derivative sales. To make your profile stand out, it's crucial to quantify your achievements. Mention specific deals you worked on, the sales figures, and the international clients you served. This information will help show the impact you've made in your work and will impress the admission committee. If you have taken on any leadership roles or mentored employees, be sure to mention that as well. Also, don't forget to highlight any awards you've received during your time with the company.

In terms of extracurricular activities, it's great that you've been involved in mentorship roles and play badminton at a semi-competitive level. But to make your profile even stronger, it would be good to showcase your volunteer work, CSR activities, or anything else that you've been involved in over the past few years. Obtaining certifications in your field, like FRM and CFA Level 2, demonstrate your commitment and knowledge in finance, which is a plus.

Your GMAT score of 750 is definitely a strong point and it will work well for most of the schools you're targeting like LBS, LSE, Imperial, and Oxford. But remember that LSE does not have an MBA, rather it has a Global Master’s in Management program. However, if you are targeting 2024, then you could consider retaking it to improve your chances of getting into top schools like MIT, Wharton, Harvard, and Stanford. Keep in mind that these schools look for exceptional profiles and unless you have something unique to offer like running a successful start-up or leading a large NGO, it may be difficult to get in.

To maximise your chances of getting accepted, aim to target six to eight schools in total, including schools like Chicago Booth, Duke, NYU Stern, and Tuck.

If you need more help, we'd be happy to set up a call and give more pointers on how to improve your profile and the right schools you should target.
You can setup a call via this link:
https://bit.ly/3DSH5km

Would love some evaluation for my future MBA applications! Thanks in advance!

Background and nationality:
White german male

Undergrad information:
MSc and BSc in physics at the same major engineering-focussed german university (RWTH/ TUM/ KIT)
- MSc in Physics (1.5 german / 3.5 US GPA)
- BSc in Physics (1.8 german / 3.2 US GPA)
- Scholar of Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes during the whole studies

GMAT:
not yet done

Work experience and leadership:
Will join a tier 2 strategy consulting firm (Strategy&/ ATKearny/ Oliver Wyman) as an associate this summer.
Previously:
- interned at a Fortune Global 500 (top ten) inhouse consulting firm
- interned at a university in the middle east as a sort of teaching assistant for physics and some engineering (more riding camels than real work)
- interned at a german boutique consulting firm (a few hundred employees)
- student assistant at a Big 4 and some more less relevant

Community and others:
- Secretary and board member at a service club (think of youth organizations from Rotary/ Lions)
- Working group member at a political think tank on transatlantic relations
- Selection committee member at Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes
- Deputy Chairman of the german conservative party youth organization in my high school town
- Chairman at my student fraternity (mostly fencing stuff and drinking beers)

Post MBA goals:
Not 100% sure. Very interested in PE/VC and IBD, also MBB consulting, for some years. Corporate strategy/development in the long term.

Anything else?
Plan to do the GMAT and try to apply as soon as possible to start the MBA after two (or three) years at my firm (to hopefully benefit from the firm's sponsorship).
Not sure if I will focus in an industry practice or the deals strategy practice.

Posted from my mobile device

Hey CMB97,

Your academic record is impressive, with a 3.5 US GPA and 1.5 German GPA from prestigious universities like RWTH and TUM. However, to strengthen your MBA application, you should focus on highlighting your work experience. It would be helpful if you could share more details about the clients you have worked with, your international exposure, and how you have improved processes for them. Providing quantifiable results is crucial for demonstrating your impact.

Moreover, admissions committees are interested in learning about your leadership and organizational skills through your extracurricular activities. When discussing your role as a secretary or board member, consider elaborating on the events you organized, the number of attendees, and the overall impact of your efforts. To further boost your extracurricular profile, consider taking additional courses on platforms like Coursera or Udemy.

Finally, the GMAT score is an essential component of your MBA application. Aim for a score of 690 or above to enhance your chances of admission to top business schools like WHU, Mannheim, FSFM, and HHL. However, keep in mind that the work experience is equally important, and you may want to ensure that you meet the minimum experience requirements for the schools you are interested in.

Overall, by focusing on quantifiable results, leadership qualities, and GMAT preparation, you can strengthen your MBA application and increase your chances of being admitted to a top business school.

If you need more help, we'd be happy to set up a call and give more pointers on how to improve your profile and the right schools you should target.
You can setup a call via this link:
https://bit.ly/3DSH5km

Hi,
I am applying in R3 to the 2023 intake for Full time MBA at LBS. Kindly rate my chances. My profile is given below

Demographics :

Female, 26 years, Non - IT, Indian
Will be first in my family studying in the US

Education and Scores :

1. Under-grad : 9.05 GPA : B.Tech ( graduated with Honors) Electrical and Electronics Engineering, College of Engineering Trivandrum ( Top 1 in Kerala state, Tier 3 in India )
Awarded : Prof. V K Savithri Endowment Award - Best outgoing Female student in EEE 2019
R S Varier Memorial Endowment - Top 3 in final year of EEE 2019

2. High School : 12th Standard : 91.4% CBSE, Kendriya Vidyalaya Thrissur, Kerala - Top scorer in English in school
10 th Standdard : 10/10 GPA

Certification and courses :
1. Introduction to Marketing, UPenn Wharton, Coursera
2. Product Management, Transforming opportunities into great products, Stanford Center of Professional Development

GMAT : 720 ( 39V 48 Q ) on third attempt ( 690, 710 )
TOEFL : 113 ( expired ) - need to retake


Publications :
1. Redox flow battery based transmission system for increasing renewable energy utilisation and electric vehicle adoption :
IEEE Explore + Best Paper : IEMRE 2021, Institute of Engineering and Management, Kolkata, India

Work Experience :
1. Product Manager at MarTech SaaS startup ( joined as 8th employee ) : 1.5 years to present ( Took from seed funding to Series A funding)
2. Project Manager at ABB ( Fortune 500 ) - 2 years : Won trailblazer award for customer impact and achieving revenue target during COVID-19, Managed 16 projects (portfolio worth : 4.4MUSD) including complete ABB MV drives project portfolio for ArcelorMittal Nippon steel India, Resolved (hostile) customer site issue of over 2 years releasing $26000, Completed over 10 customer acceptance tests with zero rejections with
avg-20 hours conflict resolution time, Restructured service cost flow framework preventing overspending &
un-authorized service visits leading to cost reductions of ~10%/project, Established service handover framework in collaboration with service team
reducing overall project team involvement later ~ 15hrs/project.
3.Design Assistant Intern - ANERT - Agency for New and Renewable Energy Research and Technology : Designed Solar rooftop Renewable energy systems of various sizing ( 1 month ) : Worked out primary resource study for Solar - Wind hybrid Microgrid at Ponmudi, Trivandrum
4. IoT Developer - Perfomatix - Founded the department - Developed 15 sensor array plan for detailed office automation systems ( 2 months )
5. Intern - AMMINI Solar LTD - Learning methods of Mass production, Quality control & circuit development of products utilising Solar Energy. ( 1 Month)
6. Industrial Training - SABARIGIRI HYDRO POWER PLANT, MOOZHIYAR - Training on hydel generation, pumped storage, HV Transmission ( 1 week )



Co-curriculars :
1. Chief Operating Officer at SWIM ( Save Wetland International Movement ) Non-govt operative: Working towards establishing RAMSAR protected wetland sites in India with the state govt of Kerala
2. Volunteer - HOPE ( Helping Outstanding Pupil in Education ) - Scholarship and mentorship schemes for low income students showing academical excellence.
3. Volunteer - Electrical Inspection, Repair and Cleanup & Rehabilitation - 100 year Flood, Kerala 2018.

In College :
1. Executive Member : EDC - Entrepreneurship Development Cell, College of Engineering Trivandrum ( 1 year )
2. LINK Representative : IEEE Kerala Section : Campus Liaison for IEEE Kerala Section, handling communication for over 10 IEEE societies on campus ( 1 Year )
3. Founding Vice Chair - IEEE Power & Energy Society, College of Engineering, Trivandrum ( 1 year )
4. Ideator and Event Head - Ideated and led the first VR maze solving event in India. Developed video streaming quasi-VR system for the event.
5. Co - Convenor - DISHA ( fresher's week ) - Coordinated over 70+ competitions for fresher's week, Anchor for Disha Concluding night celebrations

Hobbies
State level - Chess player
Swimming, Avid Reader and watercolorist

I was preparing for my MBA and taking my GMAT in June 2021, when my father passed away suddenly due to COVID. I however, managed to change my job ( with a 3x salary improvement from project to product management ) in the next 4 months and returned and took my GMAT the next year. Should I mention the same in my essay to show grit and desire for the MBA?

Trust me you have a great profile but don’t ruin it by applying in R3 , wait and do it in R1 next year cycle

Posted from my mobile device

Hey HrithuOlickel,

You have a good academic background, with a 9.5 GPA, and a degree from the top-ranked College of Engineering in your state. However, it's important to highlight these achievements as there may be applicants from bigger brand colleges such as IIT and NIT. Additionally, you’ve received the Professor V K Savithri Endowment Award for Best Outgoing Female Student in your department and ranked in the top three in your final year of AAA 2019, which are both great differentiators.

When it comes to applying to colleges abroad, the application and profile play a crucial role. Therefore, it's not necessary to mention 10th and 12th grades as colleges abroad usually focus on the last degree earned. You should highlight your interest in management and marketing as well. A GMAT score of 720 would be a decent score to target LBS, along with a good IELTS score which can be retaken if needed.

Regarding work experience, you have a good 1.5 years of experience as a product manager at a startup and a previous one as a project manager at a Fortune 500 company, with a couple of internships. It's important to showcase the kind of clients you have worked with and quantify your achievements.

For instance, you completed the ABB MV drive project portfolio, resolved a hostile customer site issue, saved $26,000, and completed over ten customer acceptance tests with zero rejections. These achievements showcase your problem-solving abilities and add to your profile.

Working at a startup as a founding team member is also a great differentiator. You have seen the startup from the ground up, and this can be highlighted in your application. You should also highlight your co-curricular activities, such as being the Chief Operating Officer of the Save Wetland International movement, which showcases your leadership qualities and empathy towards social welfare causes.

However, it's important to note that LBS generally requires three to four years of work experience for an MBA program. Therefore, you need to quantify your achievements to showcase your readiness for the program.

Lastly, since you are aiming for round three, it's essential to start working on the application immediately after completing the GMAT and IELTS exams.

If you need more help, we'd be happy to set up a call and give more pointers on how to improve your profile and the right schools you should target.
You can setup a call via this link:
https://bit.ly/3DSH5km

Female, India
7 years of work ex in investment management, spent all 7 years at the same firm, 4 promotions
GMAT 680
Short-term goal - Strategy consulting
Long-term goal - Passionate about DEI and want to do something in that space

Investment Banker with Deloitte India - 5 Years Work exp | Curator - Global Shapers (World Economic Forum) | Post MBA - Entrepreneurship | GRE - 325 | Undergrad CGPA - 3.83/4.00 | Based out of Mumbai, India

Hey HrithuOlickel,

Thanks for sharing a detailed profile.

To begin with, on the academic front, I can see a consistent profile. From your GMAT score to your GPA, high school score, they all seem pretty good and display your academic potential. In addition the awards you have won also add value to your profile.

Coming to your work experience, 3+ years of work experience lands you in a stable position to apply for the program. I can see you’ve worked both at a fortune 500 and a startup. This could be used as your differentiator, since working at a startup is quite different from a traditional company, you can highlight your major learnings from these two. You have also mentioned some amazing work roles that you undertook and completed with great results from your end (for instance-Resolving customer site issue of over 2 years and saving $26000 and completing over 10 customer acceptance tests with zero rejections). You might also want to add some specific instance/task you undertook which made you stand out from your teammates. To sum up, your work experience seems amazing and should not be a roadblock in your profile.

Talking about your certifications will also be a boon to your profile, specifically since they’re related to management and are offered by other top B-schools (Wharton and Stanford).

Your ECs will surely add value to your application.Being a Chief Operating Officer at SWIM and working in collaboration with state governments and Mentoring and helping students from low income groups to succeed will help you display your social side to the AdComs. I can also see other extracurricular activities in your profile, they will definitely make your profile stand out from the pool.
Since you are targeting LBS, you may want to read our article on How difficult it is to get into LBS.

The candidates should give the AdComs the impression that they are qualified for an MBA at their institution and that they have the required skills and values. The qualitative component will be important since the profile is assessed based on a number of criteria. Your essays should go through some important occasions in your life that had a positive impact on you.(So you should mention your desire and grit for an MBA). We have recently helped one of our applicant to get into INSEAD, LBS and SAID, you can read her success story here.

Overall, your profile is outstanding and you have a chance to make it to LBS. I think you are a whole package, and you have obviously shown your potential. You still have to provide the right story (and here is where even the best candidates fall short). Your ability to create a compelling narrative by connecting experience dots will be the most important aspect of your submission. We would like to get on a call with you sometime this week to discuss on a higher level about all the important parameters in your profile and how you can use them to work in your favor. Thus, feel free to hop on a call with us to get a better and detailed understanding of your profile. Feel free to schedule a call with us at your convenience.

Cheers!
Neha Hadke
Strategy Manager
Testimonials
Meet our Panel of Consultants.
Email: neha@mbaandbeyond.com

Hello, I am looking for applying in R1/R2 2024 intake. Would love to get my profile briefly evaluated here.

Background and nationality:
31 years, Indian Non-IT Male working in Govt sector

Undergrad information:
Bachelor in Mechanical Engineering from State University with CGPI 8.65/10.

GMAT:
730 (41 V, 49 Q)

Work experience and leadership:

Total Work experience: 7 years

Currently working as Deputy Collector Class 1 Officer (equivalent to Under Secretary rank in State Government) since 5 years

Brief about this role: Administrative head of sub-divsion in the district, reporting directly to head of district administration. Generalist role entailing to deal with day to day public administration and implementation of government directives and policies. This role is also vested with quasi judicial powers. It comes with shared responsibility of law and order with Police department while performing magisterial functions. Conduct of elections, Disaster Management are some other auxiliary functions attached with this role. Thus, leading a team of various government offices working in respective jurisdiction.

Prior work experience:

2 years as Assistant Manager in leading Public Sector Bank

Extra curricular activities:

Giving contribution by mentoring students at government school in rural area by adopting one school for a year in respective jurisdiction.

Collaboration with local companies for Corporate Social Responsibility activities such as development of public park, kitchen garden in schools, skill development camps for women

Playing Indian classical instrument (Beginner stage)

Post MBA goals:
Joining consultancy and exploring avenues of synergy between Global Corporate firms and Government.


My main concern is about GMAT score and relevance of my work experience in public administration in the context of admission, will that be enough?

Thanks in advance.