Profile Evaluation by Experts

 

Hello AdithyaNanjaraj,

Thanks for writing in.

Most schools, especially INSEAD, will value your entrepreneurial experience; it is, therefore, imeperative that you build on the same.

Without a GMAT score and your career goals, it is difficult to comment on your chances; our advice would be that you focus on getting the 99th percentile on the GMAT; that you have achieved sharp career growth at Goldman Sachs will help you build a strong narrative and if you are able to combine it with a stellar GMAT as well as a well thought out application, we see you having a good chance with most schools on your shortlist.

Good luck!

­Hi ,

Request profile evaluation

Indian Male (30) 
Total work ex after graduation : 8 years in merchant navy as navigating officer
Targeting R1 September 24 Intake

Education :-
Class X : 83 %
Class XII  : 86 %
Diploma in Nautical Science : 86% 
B.sc in Nautical Science : 76%
GRE :- 328 Q168 V160 (at home version)

College Experience :-
Amongst top 10 students of Naval academy.
Performed as singer in social and cultural events in college.
Bagged placement in oil supermajor Bp amongst top 20 students of college.

Work experience:-
2023-Present: Working with One of the largest japanese transportation companies owning  Diverse fleet of large cargo ships, including dry cargo ships (bulk carriers), container ships, container terminals, liquefied natural gas carriers, ro-ro ships and tankers.
2012-2021: Worked as operations manager with BP ; Oil and gas supermajor, headquartered in London ,operating in all areas of the oil and gas industry, including exploration and extraction, refining, distribution marketing and trading.
Key Highlights 
-Implemented and redesigned Safe working culture reducing down time by 70 percent. Obtained Prestigious Safety officer certificate issued by Maritime and coast guard Agency, London, Govt of UK
-Improved work efficiency by 30 percent by implementing redesigned data backed work schedule
-Improvised inventory management
-Innovated Antipollution measures saving 25 Mn USD fines
-Saved lives of French Fishermen during independent Navigational watch
-Mentored Junior deck officers to fast track promotion cycle.
- Achieved Cost saving of 150K USD based on route optimisation, provisions- Vendor prioritisation and contract negotiations
- Worked with Multinational crew including polish, chinese, bangladesh, ukrainian, filipino,singaporean and malaysian. 

Post MBA goals 
Wish to work in demographies like Europe, UK, Singapore to achieve a good work life balance. India last preference


Advice needed :-
1. Shortlisting colleges as per my profile (Considering GRE at home test scores)
2. What are the things to highlight for impactful essays and LORs
3. What are the things that can be implemented from today to improve my profile

Please advise if any inputs are needed.

Looking forward to your response­

Hi,

You have a good profile - we should be able to target colleges ranked in the top 20, if in the US.  How much further up we can go, depends on how strong your work achievements are, and what kind of personal stories you have.

In your essays and LORs, you should focus on "Show, don't tell" - meaning, you should be able to reference personal stories that demonstrate your admirable qualities (like hardworking, or solid leader) instead of simply saying that you are hardworking or a good leader.  There are more things you can do to make it impactful - but these are typically approaches that we take up during the iterative process of essay crafting and editing - which we can get into when we work with you (should you choose to work with us).

Things you can work on now: Improve your EC profile to the extent possible.  Try to get more leadership experience at work.  If at all relevant, see if you can push your GRE up further.  It matters till you hit 332/333.

Feel free to reach out if you want to chat more: https://bit.ly/GM_AugAcd_Profile_Evaluation

Best
Karthik

­

@KZodiac ­- interesting profile with a good mix of acads and work-ex. Some thoughts/ clarifications on your queries:

1. What are your career goals i.e. target sector/ function post-MBA? It'd be crucial to have some directional clarity here, in order to prioritize schools. Broadly, navy/ military professionals utilize the MBA as a launching pad to transition into the following path(s):

(A) Operational leadership roles e.g. Amazon Pathways and the likes. This is a classic route for many army/ navy professionals, as it involves multiple transferable skills e.g. operational strategy & execution, stakeholder management, conflict resolution, etc. 

(B) Consulting roles at MBBs, big-4's, boutiques etc. Here, prior sectoral/ geographic/ functional experience e.g. know-how of logistics/ shipping sector, can help advise clients better. This path usually takes more time, energy and efforts than (A) and (C), though achievable.

(C) Functional/ General management roles, in F-500 companies or start-ups. Here again, functional experience counts. For example, an army officer with solid risk-management experience transitioned to lead the risk division for a FAANG company at their Asia headquarters.

Though there could be other viable paths depending on your profile and interests, the above 3 are the most common for navy/ army professionals.

2. In the essays and interviews, it'd be crucial to have a strong narrative highlighting your skill-sets and learnings, linking them to your career goals and how/ why an MBA fits in. Some guidelines for MBA resume are here, writing compelling essays are here, and LoR's are here. While these should (hopefully) give you a headstart, the process involves a lot of brainstorming/ introspection, research, structuring and finetuning.

3. While points 1 and 2 should be on top of mind, there is scope to strengthen your extra-curriculars: the ones you've indicated seem outdated. Would like to understand your involvement in these activities, to guide better.

I've had the pleasure of working with several navy/ army personnel on their B-school application journey. Feel free to reach out if you'd need support.

P.S: We're conducting a live online webinar on "How to Craft Your Winning MBA Application Strategy" on 10th May, 2024 (Friday) at 8pm IST, and we'll cover several of the above topics. If this interests you, details and registrations are here


Regards,
Arvind
Founder, admitStreet | Schedule a free chat
W: https://admitstreet.com | LinkedIn­

­Hi ,

Requesting profile evaluation and certain advices

Indian Male (26)
Total work experience after graduation: 1.5 years working as a software development engineer at Oracle, followed by 2 years working as a product manager at a seed-funded startup targeted for the US audience.

Targeting admissions in fall of 2025 (R1 in September 2024)

Education:-
Class X: 93.10 %
Class XII: 88 %
B.Tech in Civil Engineering: 8.0 CGPA iit Bhubaneswar
GMAT Score (given recently): 685 (Q88/V78/D86)

College Experience:-
Student Placement Coordinator for the batch of 2016–20.
Member of the Social Welfare Society of IIT Bhubaneswar
Member of the Student Guide Community of IIT Bhubaneswar

Work experience:-
2022-Present: Currently working as a product manager at FlyFin AI, a seed-funded startup, where I am overlooking the development of the startup's entire web platform, with an extensive focus on growth via SEO and growth conversion.
Key highlights:
- Brought a 30x increase in the SEO traffic valued at approx. $150K.
- Reduced dependency on 3rd party teams for recurring activities, estimated savings of $60K/year
- Created multiple automations in Excel to increase the efficiency of output in reduced timeframes.
2020-2021: Worked as a Software developer at Oracle. Worked on internal application usage tools, developing chatbots for multiple utilisations. Also worked on the setup of monitoring frameworks for data visualisation.

Post-MBA goals:
Transition to consultation roles, while working in American and European demographies.

Advice needed:-
1. Colleges that I can shortlist (for the current score of 685)
2. What kind of extracurriculars can be picked to improve my profile?

I look forward to your response

Hi guptaparth1998,

You have an overall strong profile - however, the right presentation to the universities is important to ensure your profile does not slip in the overrepresented category.

Our MBA Consultants are happy to connect with you for a free 30-minute consultation and help you fine-tune your profile for M7 and tier 1 business school applications. They have helped several applicants with similar profiles submit stellar applications and secure admissions along with great scholarships. 

You can schedule your free profile evaluation session with the team here
You can also connect with them via call at 91 7780769732


­

Hi guptaparth1998,

You have a good academic and work profile.  The GMAT is good, but given that you would have a techie leaning to your profile, you may need a higher GMAT if you wish to target schools in the T20.

Currently, I would say a T20-30 should be doable, with a T15-20 being a stretch.

Feel free to reach out and we can have a more in-depth chat: https://bit.ly/GM_AugAcd_Profile_Evaluation

Best,
Karthik

­

@guptaparth1998 ­- some thoughts and clarifications:

1. Good acads and GMAT score. The Verbal split seems a bit low and can be a potential concern for some top programs like M7's and LBS. Average GMAT (Classic) scores of top B-schools are here, as a benchmark. Schools where your composite score (converted to Classic equivalent) is 10-20 (or more) points above average can be considered reach/ safe, provided the overall application and fit are demonstrated well.

2. Your work-ex is interesting, given the Oracle and start-up experiences. Would like to understand your professional arc better: were there promotions? why did you transition to the start-up? have you worked with teams abroad? etc. It'd also be crucial to have a strong narrative covering 'why consulting', which domains/ topics within consulting if any (e.g. digital strategy?), and your transferable skills. Top B-schools for consulting, along with latest hiring stats are here. Shortlisting schools may require further discussions.

3. The Extra-curriculars you've mentioned seem a bit outdated. It'd be ideal to showcase consistent involvement across select ECA's than stagerred involvement across many i.e. less (and deeper) is better than more. Try to pick up or resume activities that you've already had exposure to and/ or can demonstrate prior interest in, so it can be tied well to the overall application and essays. 

Let me know if this helps, and feel free to reach out if you'd like to have a deeper chat.

Regards,
Arvind
Founder, admitStreet | Schedule a free chat
W: https://admitstreet.com | LinkedIn­

 

­KZodiac hope this finds you well. You have a great profile overall. I have worked extensively with folks from the navy, military, and operations backgrounds and I myself have about 10 years of experience in this sector, so feel free to connect.

Please note that in the merchant navy, your skills are specifically enhanced in operations leadership, time management, and risk anticipation. These applicants are highly sought after by top B-schools (also by top consulting firms). These profiles remain unaffected by excessive character traits or the politics of the situation, which makes them highly sought after, especially in consulting fields that require significant personal sacrifice. Military and navy personnel are accustomed to making sacrifices during their service and have a remarkable level of commitment, which gives them a distinct advantage over other applicants.

The good news is that you are not part of the typical over-represented segment at top B-schools, but you will need to choose your stories very carefully to demonstrate progress in your long career and your transition from an engineer/individual to a project manager over the course of four years. Demonstrate your strong leadership skills through stories in which you helped resolve conflicts, accelerated projects, were trusted with bigger responsibilities repeatedly, motivated team members or shop floor staff to move projects forward in a timely manner, influenced management with your insights to take a particular point of view on decisions, and saved the company money or brought cost efficiencies.

Do thorough research on your post-MBA goals. MBA essays are about passion; they are about how ready you are to change a problem in the world or seize an opportunity that will change the world. To answer the goals question well, your passion has to reflect through your goals narrative.


Advice needed :-
1. Shortlisting colleges as per my profile (Considering GRE at home test scores)

Kenan Flagler, McCombs (best for operations or folks looking in the O&G sector), Ross(reach), IMD Switzerland, HEC Paris, IESE, INSEAD(reach)

I would also suggest a few operations leadership programs

2. What are the things to highlight for impactful essays and LORs

Mentioned above

3. What are the things that can be implemented from today to improve my profile
Focus on building a strong application. If you do not know how to present your case, then any additional improvements will add no value.

Get personalized advice tailored to your unique circumstances in the B School admissions process. Reapplying? Get a free ding analysis

Best wishes
Aanchal Sahni (INSEAD MBA alum, former INSEAD MBA admissions interviewer)
Founder, MBAGuideConsulting 
LinkedIn |WEBSITE: https://mbaguideconsulting.com/| Message(WA): +91 9971200927| email- mbaguideconsulting@gmail.com­

 

 

­guptaparth1998 A promising profile overall. 

Advice needed:-
1. Colleges that I can shortlist (for the current score of 685)There are two ways of making a career in the US 

1. You cast a wide net and apply to many mid-tier schools to maximize the odds of receiving scholarships. With strong academic credentials (the IIT tag) and solid work experience, it will be relatively easy for you to beat the competition and secure good professional opportunities. Work towards building a life and a career in the USA progressively. This is a safer route.
2. You focus solely on the IIT pedigree and aim to target top-tier MBAs. For this, you would need to further improve your GMAT score and be ready with your score and applications at the earliest. This will be challenging, and the odds of receiving scholarships will also decrease. The exits from these schools will depend on the market situation and how well you can compete with peers (who are also super achievers).

Decide what is best for you and feel free to ask for school suggestions over a call.


2. What kind of extracurriculars can be picked to improve my profile?
Something that cannot be easily compensated with money. I would not suggest designing websites/ product in your free time. 

Get personalized advice tailored to your unique circumstances in the B School admissions process. Reapplying? Get a free ding analysis

Best wishes
Aanchal Sahni (INSEAD MBA alum, former INSEAD MBA admissions interviewer)
Founder, MBAGuideConsulting 
LinkedIn |WEBSITE: https://mbaguideconsulting.com/| Message(WA): +91 9971200927| email- mbaguideconsulting@gmail.com­

­Hi Members,
I'm Divye Gupta from New Delhi, India.
I wanted to evaluate my profile for admissions into Tier 1 MBA institutes in India. Providing the profile below:

1. Class 10th: 72% | Year of passing: 2010
2. Class 12: 78% | Year of passing: 2012
3. Undergrad: Amity Law School, Amity University
   
   1. B Com LLB - Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Legislative Law
   2. GPA: 8.3/10
   3. Year of admission: 2012, Year of passing: 2017.
   4. It was a 5 year integrated course.
   5. Law School Internship: Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas | Feb 2017 till March 2017
4. Full-Time PGDM/ MBA: Lal Bahadur Shastri Institute of Management, Delhi
   
   1. GPA: 8.47/10
   2. Year of admission: 2017, Year of passing: 2019.
   3. It was a 2 year full time PGDM. Specialisation: Marketing and Operations
   4. Gold Medalist
   5. Summer internship: Asian Paints
   6. Student Head of the Placement Cell
5. Work experience. Total work ex: ~5 years across multiple industries in Sales, Field Operations, Central Operations and Central Business
   
   1. Work ex 1: Oxfordcaps (Student housing startup): Designation - Sales Manager. Joined in October 2019 till Feb 21 till the company got shut down due to covid. I was tasked to build the B2B sales pipeline and overall business developement in South India. Responsible for commercial proposals, client service delivery & key account management, site visits and follow ups. Manpower estimation and team building, training & development and resource management.
   2. ­Work ex 2: GoodWorker, A TEMASEK Entity (Blue-collar worker platform): Designation - State Head Operations. Joined in Feb 21 till July 22 till the company shut down due to funding winter in Indian startups. Started as a State Head for Delhi NCR and role got expanded as a Regional Head for North. Responsible for building and scaling end-to-end fulfilment of blue-collar jobs to over 15,000 monthly jobs within four months of joining & secured a total of 250,000+ jobs across various sectors during my tenure (Delivery, BPOs, Textile)
      
      1. Received Top Achiever Award for delivering 400x growth in fulfilment and 7x growth in the Vendor Channel over a span of two quarters leading to revenue growth from Top Logistics Clients.
      2. Received Best Captain Award for managing Zonal fulfilment operations across Delhi, Punjab, J&K, and Rajasthan, leading a team of 15+ members & achieved ground-level sourcing targets and built the overall territory from the ground up.
   3. Work ex 3: Embibe, A Reliance Jio Venture (SAAS - Ed-Tech): Designation: Senior Manager Customer Success and Service Delivery. Joined in July 22 till Feb 24. 0-1 Setup and Leading Customer Success and Delivery Center of Excellence with over 35 members, achieving significant improvements in Account Onboarding, Go Live TAT, Issue Resolution and overall Operations process. Reduced Onboarding time from 7 days to under 12 hours, Go Live time from 36 days to 7 days, and Issue Resolution time from 2 days to under 2 hours. Successfully achieved an Account NPS of 75% within 8 months of operations, actively addressing detractors and achieving a 20% monthly reduction.
   4. Work ex 4 (current): Gourmet Investments Private Limited, A Bharti Group Entity (F&B): Designation: Senior Manager - Delivery Operations. Joined in Feb 24 and currently employed. Handling food delivery operations for 2 gourmet brands - PizzaExpress and Chili's across India with 37 restaurants. Total business size: 40Cr.
      
      1. Recognition for creating multiple tools for VOC, operations excellence. Awared by Company leadership for being a cross-functional champion.
6. Planning to prepare for GMAT for admission into top institutes in India or abroad. Looking for evaluation on profile on whether I should attempt GMAT with the current profile or not.

­