UCLA Profile Evaluation - Tools for B-School Profile Evaluation

mirelark you have more than a strong shot here if you do the application well
Great GMAT, good fit with UCLA with startup experience in the fashion industry
people management, good, and the community service piece is great
also not sure what the goals are all about but would recommend you nail down the specific post mba job working for X employer
or solving X problem for X population....get specific

Thanks for your inputs mbaMissionNishaT and MBAPrepCoach, they are super helpful!
Clarifying my post-MBA goals, upon graduating I want to work with US-based businesses in their international expansion towards Brazil/LATAM, especially in the tech/social impact space. My ultimate career goal is to drive change in Brazil and tackle problems like access to education, and I believe I can do so while also generating value and profit for the companies that I work with. In my essays, I plan to explore what's driving this industry change for me and be specific about companies and initiatives.

I recommend that you get specific with the goals mirelark: what problem are you solving and for who?
example for successful HBS applicant: I plan to start a nonprofit that uses big data to stop child trafficking
if you want to drive change, what is the problem and how do you plan to solve it?

Hi there!
It would be really helpful if you can evaluate my profile. Thanks in advance.

Age/ Gender/ Nationality: 26/ Male/ Indian

Education: BE Mech with a cgpa of 7.7/10 (non-IIT NIT). recently completed a 30 hr certificate course in finance.

Work Experience: 4.5 years as a mechanical engineer in a private engineering services company. was involved in R&d under a retired IIT prof. Lead a team of 4 individuals, all of them elder to me.

Extra curriculars: Was active in plays during college. Also some sporadic volunteer activities that involved creating environmental awareness to kids in schools hrough plays, organising cultural events for kids from orphanages throughout the city etc. Captain of a local futsal team.

GMAT: 720

Post MBA: Finance

Short term goal is I would like to get a job as financial analyst, preferably in the valuation depts. Continuing and growing up the corporate ladder would be my long term goal.

Hi there, and thanks for writing! Your academics are within the range for Anderson, although Top 15 programs are very competitive for Indian applicants so if you are able to tack on 10+ points, even better. It's great that you manage a team of 4 at work - if your work experience shows high impact, that will work in your favor. Extacurriculars are on the weaker side, but definitely show on your resume to the extent possible the contribution you've made in these activities. Best of luck!

Hi,
Sharing my profile

High school/intermediate- 90+ percentage, merit scholar, top 0.1% in country
Nationality - India
UG- Btech,
Merit Scholar,
WE- FAANG


GMAT- yet to give (expected 720+ basis CAT)

Pl suggest about my profile's match with ucla and/or other business schools in top 20.

Sent from my Redmi 6 Pro using GMAT Club Forum mobile app

Hi - you have a strong GPA, but I would need more info on your work experience/progression, extracurricular involvement, and post-MBA goals to assess your profile for Anderson. Thanks!

[quote="mbaMissionNishaT"]Hi - you have a strong GPA, but I would need more info on your work experience/progression, extracurricular involvement, and post-MBA goals to assess your profile for Anderson. Thanks!

Two years is a bit low for Anderson and other top U.S. schools, so I'd suggest waiting another year or two. Given how competitive Anderson and its peer schools are for Indian applicants, aim for a GMAT score of 720+. Also, you had some great extracurricular involvement in college - are you still involved with that organization since it is going strong today? If not, if you can find a way to continue being involved (as a mentor, etc.) or getting involved in another activity outside of work, that would benefit your profile.

Regarding your goals - VC is very difficult to get into post-MBA (especially without prior finance and startup experience). Regarding entrepreneurial goals, make sure you're clear on what drives them and how an MBA will prepare you to meet your goals.

Hope that helps a bit!

Hi All,

Could you let me know if I stand a chance at UCLA... My credentials are:

Nationality - Indian

Undergraduate - Engineering - 3.2 GPA

Work Experience - 7.5 years + - 3 years in a IT company as a software developer, Co-founder of 2 startups - both in content space - first one is in the news and journalism space, 2nd one is in Indian regional language space. Had successfully driven millions of page views in monthly traffic for these websites. Taking an exit now. Going through that stress right now.

First start-up had a team of 30 people - worked on marketing, business development and operations ( had to shutdown this one - had to fire a lot of people)

Second start up - a team of 10 - worked on marketing, business development and technology development. ( difference of opinion with my co-founder).

Career goals - I am working on my next idea, but cannot start it immediately.(its a longterm shot). Would like to work in consulting and tech space for some time and then start my venture.

Community work - Both my start-ups are kind of social entrepreneurial ventures ---- always tried solving the problems of communities

Why MBA - Though working on my start-ups had given me a vast experience there are certain obvious lacunae that I possess. I had done things in a certain way. I want to go for a full-time MBA course to unlearn some of the things that I did wrong in my journey and learn from the best.

Why UCLA - Because of its pedigree, its focus on communities and Leadership with values.

GMAT - 710.

Thanks

Hi everyone! This is a great threat and I'm really grateful to the community on gmatclub during my MBA journey. I would appreciate an evaluation on my profile! UCLA is my #1 choice

Female, Asian American, 29 yrs old, finance risk consulting @ PwC
GMAT: 650 (1st attempt/practice, (retaking with goal of 700+)
Education: Emory University, 3.3 GPA (but it declined as years went on...3.5 down to 3.1 with C in quant classes. No excuse I was just dumb and thought I was secure once I landed by JPM internship junior yr)

Professional Experience:
Consultant @ PwC, banking and capital markets risk & regulation (New York)
Advising all the large banks (Citi, UBS, MS, etc) on risk management, capital planning and stress testing (CCAR/DFAST)
Top performance rating every year
3.5 yrs

Financial advisor @ boutique private wealth mgmt firm (New York)
Increased managed revenue $0 to $90 million in 9 months
1.5 yrs

Credit analyst JP Morgan Commercial banking (Atlanta)
Credit underwriting for mid-sized companies across multiple industries
Top performance rating every year
2 yrs

Career goals: Entertainment industry, strategy/operations
Personal: All family is in California, so very important for me to go to school and take my career to the west coast
Why UCLA: Best program for entertainment/media specialty, physical proximity to industry, and opportunity to live close to my family

Thank you everyone!

27-year-old American, a dual citizen of Thailand
Graduated from a top 20 university - accounting and finance major 3.5 GPA | Have my CPA license
5 years WE - 1.5 years in Public Accounting, 3.5 years in M&A Consulting
Have two board seats and very active in my local community | I am a Leadership & Philanthropy fellow of a well-known organization
319 GRE (161Q 157V) - have taken it twice, plan on retaking in December

Applied ED to CBS and was denied...now considering Anderson...Do i have a chance of getting in?

Hi there, and thanks for writing! Given the competitive demographic from which you're applying and your academics, I think UCLA will be a reach. Also, looks like you have over 10 years of work experience, correct? While this isn't necessarily a red flag since every year schools accept some very experienced candidates, you would have to show in your applications why NOW is the right time for an MBA. Also, you'll want to narrow down your goals to consulting OR tech, whichever one you find most compelling and as a stepping stone to your LT goals. Hope that helps a bit!

Hi there, and thanks for writing! Looks like you have some solid work experience and that, given your high performance ratings, you'll have great recommendations. It's wise that you're taking the GMAT again and targeting 700+ to get closer to UCLA's range. While your GPA isn't terribly low, you will want to address your grades pattern in the optional essay, in a way that conveys responsibility and ownership. Are you involved in extracurriculars or other outside patterns? This would strengthen your application. Additionally, make sure you explain clearly WHY you want to join the entertainment/media industry and what drives you - AdCom wants to understand your motivations and how your professional/personal experiences have led to this choice. Hope that helps!

Hi there, and thanks for writing! Sounds like you have good work experience (as long as you've had progression in your roles), great extracurricular involvement, and good academics. It's good that you're retaking GMAT - I'd aim for 160+ on both sections. If you're able to do that and make a very strong case for why UCLA and what motivates your career goals (which you haven't mentioned here), then I think you have a decent chance. Hope that helps!

Intake Year: 2019

Pre-MBA Career: Public Relations and Communications
Post-MBA Career: Consumer Goods (Marketing and Brand Management)
GMAT: 710
GPA: 3.3
Years of Work Experience: 2

Notes: My GMAT score breakdown is: (710- Q: 49 and V: 38).

A brief on my background: I have worked for two years in a top-notch international PR and Communications agency (post my under-grad) in Mumbai and served a plethora of MNCs and large scale conglomerates across corporate and consumer verticals in those two years. I was among the youngest people at the agency and was promoted within a year of working there. I have also actively helped in crisis and reputation management for one of the largest corporate crisis in India during my stint at the agency, and truly believe that my quality of work experience has been great over the past two years.

I specialised in PR during my undergrad and carried out five internships successfully during the same time. Three at non-profit organizations and two at industry-specific agencies. Through school, college and work, I have always taken up roles of responsibility and leadership, actively looked out for and asked for opportunities and always showcased the urge to learn.

Additionally, I have always actively participated in extra-curriculars at school and college and performed extremely well academically. I would like to do an MBA with a major in marketing, from a top B-school in the US specifically, so as to add to my experience of PR and communications and achieve concentric growth around my core competencies. Furthermore, coming from a advertising and PR background, I have a fair understanding of the changing communication landscape and would like to deep dive into understanding brand management, disruptive marketing and ways to break through the current clutter to create an impact or spearhead behavioural change.

That aside, in the long run I would like to join the C-suite of an MNC, lead from the forefront and create a lasting impact on the society using my position. However, to get there, I do believe that it is important for me to venture out into relatively new territories for me, i.e. finance, accounting, sustainability, micro-economics and macroeconomics among the others. Hence the MBA.

Furthermore, why the MBA now? Well, because I want to make the switch from the agency side to the corporate side now, and no better way to bridge the gap than do an MBA that would provide me with a holistic understanding of the other side, before I step into it.

Starting today, I have about 50 days till the round 2 deadline to get my essays in place. Does UCLA seem like a good option and what are my chances basis my profile?

Note: By matriculation, it would be about 2 years and 7/8 months of work experience

Hi - I see that you posted the same profile on the Ross boards. Please see my comments there.