Profile evaluation for Insead/Kellogg

Question

Hi,

Please evaluate my profile.

A) Demographics- 28 years old Indian Male.

B) Education 
1) B.E. Full Time 2003-2007, First Class, top 10% in class, 73% marks (Don't know how to convert this to GPA)
2) Certificate Program in Management 2011-2012, GPA 3.63, Gold Medallist

C) Work Experience
1) Major IT Services Company (Fortune 500) – 2007 to 2011.
Client: P&C Insurance Company in USA.
2007-2010: Application Developer (2 Promotions)
2010-2011: Technology Consultant (7 months in US)
2) Indian IT Major – 2012 to 2013
Business Analyst
Client: One of the biggest P&C Insurance Company in the US
3) BIG4 auditing firm – 2013 (2 months and counting)
Senior Consultant, Management Consulting

D) Certifications
1) CFA Level 1 - CFA Institute
2) Certificate In Project Management - Institute of Project Management Certification
3) INS Certification - Insurance Institute of America
 
E) Extra Curricular
1) Danced professionally and performed on various stage shows. Even helped organize many shows, managed everything from ticket sales to backstage synchronisation.
2) Associated with a health care NGO. We spread awareness about diseases like AIDS and diabetes among the weaker sections of the society living in urban India.
3) Member of core organising committee for the first ever cultural fest in my organisation in 2010. Over a 1000 people participated in the festival.
4) Travelled extensively across the globe to over 15 countries.
5) Pursuing Basic Certification for Spanish Language.

F) GMAT
1) 2008 – 760 (4.5, Q51, V42) - Expired
2) 2014 – 730 (IR 7, Q48, V42) – AWA Awaited

As I hope to continue in consulting post MBA, my dream schools are two that are well focussed in the area, INSEAD and Kellogg. Please evaluate my profile for the schools.

Also, please suggest whether I should retake the GMAT. I am looking to apply to INSEAD (R2 - Jan ’15 intake) and gave the GMAT with less than a month of preparation, hoping it will give me more time to spend on the essays. Now I don’t know if the score is enough, given my choice of schools and applicant pool (Indian/Male/Engineer).

Thanks in Advance!

bryantmichaels · Answer

You should do fine in the INSEAD and Kellogg application pool. You have more work experience than the average Indian applicant and a great GMAT score--which is expected in your applicant pool, so getting a 760 again will not even help you all that much, so I think you made the right choice to go with the 730 and work on applications. Sometimes people with an astronomic GMAT score are more heavily scrutinized anyway, since there are some out there who score super high but are a bit odd in person. I am sure you do not fall into that category and can actually demonstrate some nice social skill with your dancing and travel and cutural interests/skills. I would still target a couple of more schools. Even with your strong profile, two schools is not enough in this competitive day and age, Even as a fully qualified applicant to Kellogg and INSEAD, you could fall victim to the numbers game--hundreds of well qualified applicants are rejected each year simply because there are not enough seats for all qualified applicants. Your story must resonate and inspire--make sure you can tell them what you like about your job and why it has prepared you to make the transition to your post MBA career. Be passionate about why you want the MBA and why you have chosen these particular schools. By the way, if you like INSEAD and Kellogg, you should also apply to LBS and Duke. With four schools, you would have a much increased chance of getting in one of them. Let us know if we can help. We have specialists who have graduated from all these schools and many years of expertise in bringing out the best stories in folks.

samorita · Answer

Hi Bryant,

Thanks a million for your reply!

1) I am worried about the gmat because I have been reading about the so called 80/80 rule that adcoms supposedly follow.

2) Yes, programs at Duke and LBS do excite me for sure. But, I do get feedback from people that all these schools are pretty aspirational and I should also look at schools where I may have a better chance of getting in. I do not want to aim too low either, I may as well continue doing what I am currently doing. Do you suggest any "reach" schools for my profile?

Thanks again!!

bryantmichaels · Answer

I wouldn't worry too much about the 80/80 rule because your score is pretty well balanced and your quant is nice and high, which is more impressive to them than if it were the other way around. As for reach schools, yes, I think you should have a couple in your application strategy and I would pick two or three in the top 10 where you feel you fit in well with their culture and curriculum match with your desired learning environment and professional goals. visiting the schools is usually the best way to ascertain this.

Profile evaluation for Insead/Kellogg

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