Please review my profile

Hi there! Thanks for reaching out to Stratus, I'm happy to help you with evaluating your profile. See my responses in blue below.


25M Indian Engineer Male

GMAT: 760 (49Q/45M)

Work Experience: 3 Year as a Software Engineer at an Indian start up (1 Promotion). Currently I am a tech lead.

Extra Curriculars: Active in the stand up comedy scene. Organzied and revitalized the stand up scene in my part of the city by arranging open mics. Also founded a local short film making club. But nothing recent because of COVID.

UG: 8.5/10 in Bachelor's in Engineering (Computer Science) i.e around 3.52 GPA.

Colleges I am thinking of targeting:

US: Tuck, Duke, Darden, Tepper, Ross, Johnson, Sloan, Stern

Europe: LBS, Insead, IMD, Judge, Said.

Things I am worried about:

1. My GPA does not really stand out
Your GPA is part of the overall 'academics' bucket that the AdCom will evaluate you on, which also encompasses your GMAT, which is high. Your GPA is not bad for many of the schools you've listed here, but you're right, does not necessarily make you stand out. Your UG GPA is the least recent item on your application that the AdComs will see, so you have the opportunity to sway them with your more recent accomplishments in the 'academics' bucket.

2. My profile being very generic
25 y/o Indian male in the software industry is admittedly a crowded space, so it will require you to elevate other parts of your application to stand out.


3. My ECs being very generic
There's nothing generic about your extracurriculars! Being a leader in organizing local comedy events is not something AdComs see every day, and will excite them since it shows off your community-centered spirit. These are the types of events that bring MBA classmates together for moments of laughter and connection, and leaders on this front are precisely the types of people they want to bring into their class. I'd say the only drawback is that you haven't been as active in the past few years--why not start a Zoom series in the meantime? The film aspect also shows a creative side to you that they don't often see with software engineers./color]

4. My work experience being in the software industry
[color=#0000ff]The industry itself doesn't make you standout, but I've worked with numerous applicants coming from a similar demographic who have gained admission to some of the schools you've listed. 3 years is the minimum work experience that most top MBA programs will consider, so you're just barely there, but certainly within the window.

5. My work experience being from a start-up and not a well known company.
There are plenty of advantages to coming from a start up, but it will be on you to sell it to the AdCom. An established company would prove that you've gone through a rigorous screening process already, but a start-up gives you the chance to show your multi-dimensionality, resourcefulness, and entrepreneurial spirit.

6. I have an IR score of 5 (47th Percentile).
You have an excellent GMAT score, which should put you in a great position for a lot of programs. Did you take it more than once? Would you be open to taking it again and elevating your IR score? Otherwise, you could reference your strong critical reasoning skills on the job subtly in your essays in order to give them confidence in your abilities, and/or directly address the low-ish score in an optional essay.

Post MBA goals: I want to pursue a role as a product manager in a big tech companty post MBA.

Please advise on which colleges I can add to the list and what I can remove and how can I make my post MBA goals seem more appealing?
First, I would advise you to think about how important it is for you to get an MBA at this time. Are you willing to head to a school not on this current list in order to create a safety net for yourself? A safety option is a school where your test scores, work tenure and quality and academics are significantly ahead of the class profile. Schools in the top 20-30 range would likely be in the safety category. That being said, I think Tepper, Johnson, perhaps IMD could be great target schools for you. Tuck could be a solid reach and they would love your community-building and comedic flair--a previous client of mine started a club there based on connection and storytelling, and I could see you offering something similar through comedy. A good essay that explains your story with depth could do a lot for you--I don't see this as impossible for you. As for your post-MBA goals, I always recommend folks to be authentic. Don't tell the AdCom what you think they want to hear. This will come through on your essays, which are really the heart of where a consultant can guide you to sharing your story in the best possible way.

I think you should put your focus on why you need an MBA as the next step in your journey, then identifying what you need from an MBA to get there, and how each particular school helps you get there. We do this every day with our clients. If you want to reach out for a free consult, I or anyone on our Stratus team would be glad to explain more about the steps you should be taking to get to your best applications! I see some great things in here... you're well set on what's been within your realm of control, and have personality to-boot. Connecting the dots of your past and where you want to go in your future will determine how much the AdCom want to invest in that story.

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