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22 Mar 2021, 11:45
Kudos
Bookmarks
Hello Everyone,
I would love to hear your review of my profile for INSEAD. I am planning to apply in Sept of this year
Background:
Indian Male
Age 25
GRE 321 (Q: 168 V:153) had given GRE in Nov 2019 – Preparing to give GRE again in 2 months with a target of 325 to 330
Total Work Ex: 4 years (5 years when I join)
Education:
Economics Hons from BITS Pilani (One of the premier and well-known institutes in India)
GPA: 6.5/10
Work Ex:
Job 1 – Israeli Management Consulting Firm
Worked with them for 3 years in India mainly on 3 different projects in the retail and inventory management environment
• 3 promotions in 3 years
• Worked directly with the CEOs of all 3 companies
• Multiple achievements in the projects (Working capital free up by $20 Mn, Sales increase by ~$30 Mn, improved internal processes)
• Individually lead a project while reporting to the firm partner
• Lead a team of 9 team members of the client team in my last project at the company
• Worked with the Israel team to develop a product which right now is used by all the consultants across countries, took 1 year to develop the product – traveled to Israel for 6 months and worked with them offline for 6 months
Job 2 – India Based Management consulting firm
Currently working for an India-based management consulting firm that has all the projects either in UAE or KSA. Though the working model of the company allows you to travel to the client site 20 days a month, every month because of Covid-19 I have been working from Home (Not sure if this would count as international work experience)
• Worked with a KSA based client to help build a multiple-year strategy for the Sales & distribution department of a QSR company
• Working with a well-known F&B conglomerate based out of UAE to build and implement a multi-year strategy to become the biggest FMCG brand in their category
Extra-Curricular
• Part of an NGO during my college for 4 years which helped underprivileged children in their studies
• Part of an NGO for 3 years now which is helping underprivileged families with food in a specific region in India
• State level basketball player
• College basketball team captain with multiple medals as captain and player over the course of 4 years
Other Activities:
• Started a Security solutions company in the year 2020 (still work in progress, couldn’t do much in 2020 due to covid-19 but now we are going full-throttle)
• Passed CFA level 1 in 2018
• 6-month Internship at JP Morgan
Post-MBA Goal:
Short term: Work with a management consulting firm for a few years and leverage my previous experience to learn more.
Long term goal: Plan is to start my own product-based company (5-6 years from now)
Concerns:
- Should I wait one more year and apply in 2022
- GPA is on the lower side, how much of a problem would it cause
I would love to hear your review of my profile for INSEAD. I am planning to apply in Sept of this year
Background:
Indian Male
Age 25
GRE 321 (Q: 168 V:153) had given GRE in Nov 2019 – Preparing to give GRE again in 2 months with a target of 325 to 330
Total Work Ex: 4 years (5 years when I join)
Education:
Economics Hons from BITS Pilani (One of the premier and well-known institutes in India)
GPA: 6.5/10
Work Ex:
Job 1 – Israeli Management Consulting Firm
Worked with them for 3 years in India mainly on 3 different projects in the retail and inventory management environment
• 3 promotions in 3 years
• Worked directly with the CEOs of all 3 companies
• Multiple achievements in the projects (Working capital free up by $20 Mn, Sales increase by ~$30 Mn, improved internal processes)
• Individually lead a project while reporting to the firm partner
• Lead a team of 9 team members of the client team in my last project at the company
• Worked with the Israel team to develop a product which right now is used by all the consultants across countries, took 1 year to develop the product – traveled to Israel for 6 months and worked with them offline for 6 months
Job 2 – India Based Management consulting firm
Currently working for an India-based management consulting firm that has all the projects either in UAE or KSA. Though the working model of the company allows you to travel to the client site 20 days a month, every month because of Covid-19 I have been working from Home (Not sure if this would count as international work experience)
• Worked with a KSA based client to help build a multiple-year strategy for the Sales & distribution department of a QSR company
• Working with a well-known F&B conglomerate based out of UAE to build and implement a multi-year strategy to become the biggest FMCG brand in their category
Extra-Curricular
• Part of an NGO during my college for 4 years which helped underprivileged children in their studies
• Part of an NGO for 3 years now which is helping underprivileged families with food in a specific region in India
• State level basketball player
• College basketball team captain with multiple medals as captain and player over the course of 4 years
Other Activities:
• Started a Security solutions company in the year 2020 (still work in progress, couldn’t do much in 2020 due to covid-19 but now we are going full-throttle)
• Passed CFA level 1 in 2018
• 6-month Internship at JP Morgan
Post-MBA Goal:
Short term: Work with a management consulting firm for a few years and leverage my previous experience to learn more.
Long term goal: Plan is to start my own product-based company (5-6 years from now)
Concerns:
- Should I wait one more year and apply in 2022
- GPA is on the lower side, how much of a problem would it cause
Archived Topic
Hi there,
You've reached an archived 'Evaluate my Profile' thread. No new replies are possible.
Interested in current discussions? Please visit the active 'Evaluate my Profile'
topic.
Thank you for understanding, and happy exploring!
23 Mar 2021, 00:31
Kudos
Bookmarks
Hi shashijangir08,
Thank you for sharing your profile. Your profile is highly appealing and genuinely supported by qualitative values. At first glance, it looks promising. If you improve your GRE score to 330+, it will provide you with firm ground and help you compensate for your low GPA. CFA level 1 certification would also boost your profile significantly. Your essays, work profile and how smartly you weave the narrative will play a much more significant role. Let me first tell you about the essential parameters INSEAD uses for assessing your potential.
1) Ability to contribute
2) Leadership skills
3) International motivation
4) Academics
I can see the mix of 1,2 & 3 in your profile. On the work front, good career progression and international exposure. You must explain how you perform better than your peers, leading to your promotion. Multiple achievements in the project show your capability to excel in your responsibilities. You have made remarkable progress in your career and helped your organisation. Your record in mixed leadership positions strengthens your case, as candidates who hold leadership positions or show leadership qualities prefered by the INSEAD. You must talk about the product you have developed and your contribution to it, representing you as an innovative personality. Speak about experiences more profoundly and showcase how working on different projects have developed leadership qualities in you and how you have taken care of things when things went south. Talking about such experiences help give the adcoms a great insight into your values, beliefs and leadership potential and styles. You will need to highlight your international experience in such a way that it will give a global perspective to your profile as it is one of your major USPs.
Talking about your ECs, they are great! Your involvement with NGO in the past and present exhibits your ability to contribute. Keep working with the NGO you are working with and try taking up responsibilities that showcase you are aware of the world around you and are willing to make it a better place. Do speak about your involvement in sports, as it will bring diversity to your profile.
Now about your post-MBA goals, they are clear, and I can clearly resonate your goals to your prior journey and locate the experiences to inspire these goals. Ensure you specify how an MBA from INSEAD will help you fill the gaps in your profile and how you can contribute to its community.
As you are targeting INSEAD, and if you want to get better insights into what the school looks for and how you can better strategise your application, you can look into this session. It's on 27th March, and it's a personalised session to help you assess your chances.
So, overall you have a good shot at INSEAD. On your concern about a low GPA, it will remain the same whether you apply this year or next year. What you can do is, try to get your targeted GRE score and work on your application. What's going to matter most about your application is how you link experiential dots and make a great narrative to put a mark on adcoms.
If you’d like, we are happy to hop on a call with you sometime this week to discuss your profile in length and your further chances to INSEAD. Feel free to book a free session with us as per your convenience.
Cheers!
Shantanu Sharma
Founder and Admissions Consultant, MBA and Beyond
Testimonials
Email: [email protected]
What s app: +65-97158525
Thank you for sharing your profile. Your profile is highly appealing and genuinely supported by qualitative values. At first glance, it looks promising. If you improve your GRE score to 330+, it will provide you with firm ground and help you compensate for your low GPA. CFA level 1 certification would also boost your profile significantly. Your essays, work profile and how smartly you weave the narrative will play a much more significant role. Let me first tell you about the essential parameters INSEAD uses for assessing your potential.
1) Ability to contribute
2) Leadership skills
3) International motivation
4) Academics
I can see the mix of 1,2 & 3 in your profile. On the work front, good career progression and international exposure. You must explain how you perform better than your peers, leading to your promotion. Multiple achievements in the project show your capability to excel in your responsibilities. You have made remarkable progress in your career and helped your organisation. Your record in mixed leadership positions strengthens your case, as candidates who hold leadership positions or show leadership qualities prefered by the INSEAD. You must talk about the product you have developed and your contribution to it, representing you as an innovative personality. Speak about experiences more profoundly and showcase how working on different projects have developed leadership qualities in you and how you have taken care of things when things went south. Talking about such experiences help give the adcoms a great insight into your values, beliefs and leadership potential and styles. You will need to highlight your international experience in such a way that it will give a global perspective to your profile as it is one of your major USPs.
Talking about your ECs, they are great! Your involvement with NGO in the past and present exhibits your ability to contribute. Keep working with the NGO you are working with and try taking up responsibilities that showcase you are aware of the world around you and are willing to make it a better place. Do speak about your involvement in sports, as it will bring diversity to your profile.
Now about your post-MBA goals, they are clear, and I can clearly resonate your goals to your prior journey and locate the experiences to inspire these goals. Ensure you specify how an MBA from INSEAD will help you fill the gaps in your profile and how you can contribute to its community.
As you are targeting INSEAD, and if you want to get better insights into what the school looks for and how you can better strategise your application, you can look into this session. It's on 27th March, and it's a personalised session to help you assess your chances.
So, overall you have a good shot at INSEAD. On your concern about a low GPA, it will remain the same whether you apply this year or next year. What you can do is, try to get your targeted GRE score and work on your application. What's going to matter most about your application is how you link experiential dots and make a great narrative to put a mark on adcoms.
If you’d like, we are happy to hop on a call with you sometime this week to discuss your profile in length and your further chances to INSEAD. Feel free to book a free session with us as per your convenience.
Cheers!
Shantanu Sharma
Founder and Admissions Consultant, MBA and Beyond
Testimonials
Email: [email protected]
What s app: +65-97158525
shashijangir08
PersonalMBACoach
Expert
Personal MBA Coach Founder
Joined: 11 Sep 2010
Last visit: 28 Apr 2026
Posts: 3,811
Own Kudos:
Given Kudos: 11
Status:Boutique MBA Admissions Consulting from a Wharton graduate - Helping applicants get into top global business schools since 2008
Affiliations: Wharton, MIT
Location: United States (NY)
Overall Client Admit Rate: 96%
Expert reply
23 Mar 2021, 11:28
Kudos
Bookmarks
shashijangir08
Hello shashijangir08,
Thank you for sharing such a detailed profile and addressing some of your main concerns. While you are on the younger side of applicants, you have provided some great examples of leadership regarding your work experience.
To address your question about waiting a year, age definitely impacts the application in terms of determining whether you have had enough experience to excel at school.
That said, schools accept applicants across a range. One of the most important things that determines whether you are old enough is what you do for work. Consultants often go to business school younger than most because the experience is considered richer due to the nature of the work, number of different projects/clients, and fast-paced environment. Given the robust nature of your roles at consulting firms, your age should not be a hindrance here.
In terms of your GPA, there is not much you can do to change that. You can, however, work to secure a higher GRE score to counterbalance it and prove that you are prepared for the academic rigor at INSEAD.
If you are looking for guidance, take a look at our comprehensive services to learn how Personal MBA Coach can help you put together strong applications to further enhance your candidacy.
Feel free to send a note to [email protected]
Best,
Personal MBA Coach
