Profile Review : 20 backlogs - Indian male with a Master's degree

Question

Hi all,

I'm a 29-year-old Indian male working in Europe in a tech company at a mid-manager level. I just stumbled upon this forum and I need some professional advice. I recently started my GMAT preparation in the hopes that I can get a good 760+ score in the next year or so and I've been studying really hard. However, I saw a few posts where it says having backlogs in undergrad might affect the application (sometimes the adcom wouldn't even consider the application) so I'm seeking the forum's advice. As someone who's targeting m7/t10/15 programs in the US, it was a bit disheartening to see those posts. I had close to 20 backlogs in my undergrad, due to my mental health issues, which I've successfully overcome now, but I'm a bit worried that no matter what GMAT score I get, my application might get rejected. Here's my full profile:

Age: 29M Indian
Work Experience: 6 ( In high-growth tech companies)
10th: 93%
12th: 84%

Undergrad GPA (2011-2015): 2.9
University: One of the Top 10 universities in India
Backlogs: 20

2016-2021: Started as a Marketing strategy associate at the first Indian tech company to go public and get listed on NASDAQ where I built and scaled the marketing department from scratch (66 mil USD to 320 mil USD in revenue) and I left the company as the Marketing Team Lead managing 11 associates and worked across Europe and APAC. I have many awards and recognition from this stint and have the full validation and support from multiple people that are currently spread across the Indian tech eco-system (just in case this info would help to paint a full picture of my profile)

2022: I pursued my Master's degree from Ireland's #1 University
Recognition: Graduated with a distinction (1:1)
Master's degree GPA: 4.0
Significant achievement: Topped the class in Financial Management, Strategy and Marketing.

2023: Currently working with a renowned tech company as a marketing manager managing 4 people.

Extra Curricular: Active member of Toastmasters International, Advance Leadership Bronze Medal

GMAT : Yet to take

What can I do to improve my chances of getting into m7/t10/t15 programs? My target schools are Tepper/Booth/Stern/Haas/Ross/Yale.

Any advice you can provide me will be helpful. Thank you so much!

Regards,
Kelsier.

mbaMissionKate · Answer

Hi  kelsier1569  - thanks for reaching out to us at mbaMission with your profile. Let me start by addressing your main concern -- your application will not be automatically rejected because of your GPA or backlogs. Business schools review applications holistically. However, a low GPA and so many backlogs will definitely be cause for concern. The best strategies to address this are:

1) get a high/above-average GMAT score (sounds like you are working on this and it's worth waiting to apply until you reach your target score)
2) take additional pre-MBA courses to create a supplemental transcript (sounds like your recent Master's performance will achieve that)
3) write an optional essay acknowledging the weakness and offering context (you can work on this when it comes time to apply) 
4) have strong recommendation letters that attest to your maturity and work ethic (be thoughtful about who you choose to ask when it comes time)
5) apply to a wider range of schools (some of the schools on your list - Booth, Haas, Yale - strike me as too competitive. I'm not saying don't apply to them, but I think they will be riskier and you may want to add some safer schools into your mix)

The good news is that your work experience sounds really strong, and the international exposure is a nice bonus too. The Toastmasters involvement is good but you could also seek to add another formal activity (ideally one with a giving back element or a leadership role) before you apply.

Hope that helps you plan ahead!
Kate

kelsier1569 · Answer

Thank you so much, Kate, for a detailed analysis. Very insightful and I'll reconsider my target schools.

Regards,
Kelsier.

kelsier1569 · Answer

Hi Kate, I have another question, a lot of people are talking about extra curricular involvement, but I'm not sure how to get started on that. Is there any sense of direction you can provide me with? Much appreciated!

Is there anything that's specifically valued by the adcom team at t10/15 programs?

Is there anything that's specifically valued by the adcom team at t10/15 programs?

mbaMissionKate · Answer

Hi again!

Mostly I wouldn't overthink it -- choose an activity or cause that you're passionate about and follow it. That's mostly what schools are looking for, that you have passions you're committed to and use those passions to have an impact on others. There's no preference on type of organization. A leadership role is ideal but that's hard if you're getting started.

Hope that helps!
Kate

kelsier1569 · Answer

Hello mbaMissionKate ! If my post MBA goal is to pivot from Marketing to Strategy Consulting/Finance, do companies like MBB look at the GMAT or the GRE score? (Both in general as well as considering my UG performance)

Regards,
Nawin.

Regards,
Nawin.

mbaMissionKate · Answer

Hi again!

Yes, consulting firms may ask for your GMAT/GRE score and your undergrad GPA (they don't typically review your full transcript though, just the overall GPA). But those are definitely not the only factors that go into their decisions -- interviews and how well you perform in the case component in particular make a big difference.

Kate

kelsier1569 · Answer

Hi  mbaMissionKate  , thank you so much for your response! One final question is, expanding on the previous one a little bit, do MBB consulting companies prefer the GMAT over the GRE? If I, let's say have a 330+ on the GRE would it strengthen my case? Or should I stick to GMAT (aim for a 760+) and continue the grind in order to maximize the chances of getting into strategy consulting at one of the MBB firms?

mbaMissionKate · Answer

Hi there, there used to be some preference for GMAT if you were targeting consulting, but I don't believe that's true any longer and MBB firms are used to seeing both GMAT and GRE scores. I'd take whichever test suits you best and will increase your admissions odds, because like I said earlier, test scores are not a big determinant of your ability to land a top consulting job.

Hope that helps!
Kate

kelsier1569 · Answer

This is brilliant! Thank you so much, Kate!

kelsier1569 · Answer

Hello  mbaMissionKate  I hope you're doing well!

I just wanted to ask a pertinent question about how I structure my approach towards mitigating the 20 Failed subjects on my transcript. Would it make sense to do another 'quant heavy' master's degree? Probably a one-year master's in finance from a top-ranked university in Ireland (where I'm based/across Europe, a master's degree is usually 1 year), if yes, it would mean that I'll start my master's degree in the next intake (2024 - 2025) and have to apply for an MBA right after that (Round 1 of 2026)

But I also want to ensure that the potential downsides are being considered as well, such as going back to my employers whom I haven't worked with for over 3 years and asking them for a recommendation letter (since I haven't spent that long in my current company), which is why I decided to seek your advice on this.

If this isn't a good idea, would it make sense to continue with my current job and try to earn good grades from UCB/Harvard extension courses?

It would be great if you could offer your advice, I am looking forward to hearing your perspective on this!

mbaMissionKate · Answer

Hi again!

Good question. I do think taking multiple courses is the way to go (i.e., just one course may not be sufficient). A specialized/quant-focused master's degree is one way to do that. But if that means leaving the workforce for a year then yes, it makes it a little trickier to apply later and have recent recommendation letters. It can also make it more challenging to explain why you need another advanced degree right away.

I would probably go for your second option which is to take a few extension courses from accredited universities and get A's in them. Pick quant-heavy courses, or courses that "replace" ones you did poorly in, or courses that relate to your career goals.

Hope that helps!
Kate

kelsier1569 · Answer

Thank you so much for your reply  mbaMissionKate  ! You're insights and advice is helping me strengthen my application!

This is super helpful. A quick follow-up to that question is, would the adcoms prefer extension courses from UCB/Harvard, or an  online  Master's degree (part-time) would be the way to go?

Also, between UCB vs Harvard extension, is one looked favourably over the other?

mbaMissionKate · Answer

Happy to help. I doubt adcoms would have a strong preference between those options. Would matter more which courses you took and how well you did in them!

kelsier1569 · Answer

This is amazing! Thank you so much for helping me out here!

Profile Review : 20 backlogs - Indian male with a Master's degree

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