ISB Profile Evaluation - Tools for B-School Profile Evaluation

Thanks for your response. I will keep these points in mind. I strongly feel my post-MBA goals played a role in my rejection.

On your suggestion regarding post-MBA roles, do you think role of an IT strategy consultant will fit my profile?

Thanks,
Luna

Academics:
10th - 81%,
12th - 78%,
B. Pharm - 69% (2010, Sardar Patel University),
M. Pharm - 73% (2012, The M. S. University of Baroda)

GMAT score:
GMAT_ONLINE 750 (Q51, V39, IR8)

Work experience:
>8 years (May 2012 till date) in 4 different pharma companies,
No managerial or international work experience

Academic achievements:
All India Rank 141 in GPAT 2010,
Received AICTE PG scholarship,
M. Pharm Gold Medalist,
95.01 percentile in CAT 2018

Target institutes:
IIM-A, B, C, ISB (2021-22)

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Hello SRikin12,
You have a decent and a distinctive academic background and work industry and a good GMAT score. Though leadership does not always mean leading teams, and can show in multiple other tasks you do at work, in your case, having 8 years of experience, with no direct leadership experience can be a red flag. What is the nature of your work? Is it standard to have individual roles at work? Remember there is one whole essay on leadership attributes at ISB. You will also be on the higher side of average WE at ISB.
It will help to better evaluate your profile if you mention your role at work, along with impact you have created.
Again, I have no sense of your post-MBA goals. It will be difficult to comment any further.

Thanks a lot for your valuable insights!

Do you think role of IT strategy consultant would be in-line with my current experience? I am still in the process of evaluating my options.

Regards,
Luna

Hi,
I hope everyone is safe and well during these difficult times.

I was hoping to get my profile evaluated to get an idea about my chances at ISB R1 (2021)

Demographic:
Indian Male
23 years old

Academics:
10th - 84.4 (ICSE)
12th - 87 (ISC)
Undergrad - BA Economics from Top 10 college in the country
Undergrad GPA - 6.3/10 First Class (Sounds low, but our college historically scores very strictly. I was in the top 10% in my class)

GRE: 323 (Q163, V160)

Work Ex:
2.5 years (expected at the time of matriculation)
I work for a fast-growing fin-tech startup based in Bangalore, founded by Stanford GSB and Ross alumni. Joined as a trainee just after series A funding and quickly worked my way up to assistant manager. I have had the opportunity to work with multiple verticals, have managed large projects with multiple stakeholders, launched city-wide marketing operations in two cities in India, and was on the core team for the launch of a new business vertical.

Extra Curicculars:
Held positions of responsibility during college, was on the organizing team of many fests. Editorial member of a newsletter, and have contributed to the college magazine. Directed and wrote the winning play at an inter-college dramatics festival.
Was a member of the high-school student cabinet, and a member of the editorial board of the school magazine. Came runners up in the Asian finals of an international space settlement design competition in high school. Organized multiple fests there as well.
I have a blog where I write about business, sports, startups, etc. But that is a little inactive of late.

Recommenders:
Haven't asked anyone yet, but I could probably get C-Suite level recommendations.

Post MBA Goals:
Short Term - Consulting (preferably MBB or elite boutique consulting)
Long Term - Hoping to get back into the startup scene, either directly or in an auxiliary role like venture capital. I would prefer to stay in/return to India in the long term.

Being 23, I know I still have time on my side to go for an MBA later on, I guess this is sort of a shot in the dark. I am planning to apply only to ISB this year. If it doesn't work out probably work some more, and apply to other US/International schools later. Fit wise I think, ISB makes sense because I want to end up in consulting, and I have lived in Hyderabad for a while (was one of the cities I launched, I used to go past the ISB gate every day for months ). Previously I had also been admitted to IE Business school's MiM program but opted not to go due to financial constraints at the time. Any thoughts regarding an early MBA hurting my chances at an MBB role would also be appreciated since I have heard that it is easy to get lost in the sea of 850+ extremely talented people entering the program.

Any advice/suggestions would be of massive help.
Thanks in advance!

Hi keynesfan,

You are doing well at work and have gained good experience for someone your age- a lot of leadership responsibility and exposure- the perks of being at a startup. These are going to stand you in good stead even if you apply this year. I am aligned with your plan of applying to ISB this year. If it doesn't work in your favor this year, you can reapply next year, as well as apply to some international b-schools which seems to be part of your plan. If that turns out to be the case, then you must also boost your extra-curricular experience. So far what you have is all related to college, but that will become old by next year, whereas B-schools, especially the international ones, want to see a sustained level of extracurricular involvement.
I am not convinced that you need to join consulting if you wish to work in startups in the future. The action is at the startups and why not be part of onground work and learn the challenges there - which will serve you better as opposed to working as a consultant. Same goes for VCs- they look for previous entrepreneurs to take the mantle.

I think you need to first figure out what you want to do after MBA and whether that really ties with your future career aspirations. Consulting is a great career path, but you should think deeper whether it is the right path for you.

Hi MBADecoder,

Thank you for taking the time out to respond. Much appreciated!

About Extra Curricullars - Yes, I am planning to work on that aspect of mine. I have been planning a few things, but the pandemic threw a wrench in it. However, I don't want to do something for the sake of stat-padding just to improve my chance of an MBA admit. Which is why I have pushed it a little further when I can devote proper time and effort into it. But yes, I will try to focus on it going forward.

About consulting - You're right in saying consulting and startups don't really make sense in the same frame. However, my logic to pick consulting was based on my experience so far. In my current job, I am sort of playing the role of an internal consultant, where I pick up problems and try to figure it out as and when they come by. This gave me the opportunity to work with many teams on different things. And I enjoy this freedom to not be tied down to one function. Secondly, all my experiences are limited to the fintech, or the financial services world more broadly. I figured working at a large consultancy will give me the opportunity to work with multiple practices at least in the early stages. This will give me a birds-eye view of many sectors, functions, and companies. Probably then I will notice a problem that I can solve as an entrepreneur or as part of the VC ecosystem. Not to mention, consulting is probably the best way to interact with extremely smart people in a relatively short time. I think that the network effect will compound and may work in my favor, should I choose to go the startup route.

Of course, all these are hypotheses
As someone said, man proposes, God disposes.

I would love to hear your thoughts, if any, on potential hazards of being an early career MBA, like going into ISB with just two and a half years of work ex.

Anyways, thanks a lot again for your time!
Cheers

Hi Luna25, since you are working in a Techno-functional consultant role, a position as a Senior Business Analyst would perhaps suit better than IT strategy consultant.

Hi all,
It'll be really helpful if you could evaluate my profile for ISB round 1.

Indian, Male, Engineer (Mechanical)
College - VIT Vellore, 8.11 cgpa
GMAT - 720 (expected; planning to give in early August)

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Experience: ~4 years

1. Product Manager | Godrej & Boyce - ~1.5 years (a $1300Mn CPG company, based in Mumbai)
-Responsible for launching new products and expansion of overall business Pan India. Leading $50Mn category business, in varied segments.

2. Marketing Coordinator - Brand Management | SC Johnson products Pvt Ltd. - 2.5 years (FMCG MNC - with $200Mn Business in India)
~Responsible for overall business expansion pan India for 3 segments, Shoe care, Air Care and Home Cleaning. Led the launch of 3 key products and managed 10+ projects globally.

Extra curricular:

1. Media and Marketing Head at an NGO (2013-2015)
2. Sponsorship Manager at University's National Tech fest (2015-2016)
3. Won Online Photography contest at IIT Madras (among 7000 participants)
4. Worked as a freelance photography tutor at Bookmyshow.com (2015-2016)

Immediate/Short Term goals: - To work in a CPG giant (eg: HUL, P&G) as a Brand Manager

Long Term Goals: - To grow within the organization to reach at a CXO position (preferably CMO) or Leading the business of a runner Brand at a Global scale, from inside/outside India.

Thanks for your evaluation. Really appreciate.

Regards,
Sahil

Hello sahilaro23,

Your profile is perfect for ISB. Go ahead and give the GMAT and apply. Make sure your application is able to communicate your profile and your aspirations well.

Keep in mind to address why you want an MBA to move into Brand Management from Product Management, and why do you want to make that switch in the first place.




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Hi sahilaro23,

Impressive profile overall. The theme of launching new products is very visible across both your stints and you should leverage on that. Your post MBA goals align with the experiences and skills you have. Extra-curricular are good. Do cover your passion for photography and also add on what you can explore in the Photography Club at ISB.
Would suggest you start with your application and start thinking about how you'd structure the story in parallel with your GMAT prep. Although ~45 days are enough to draft a well-structured application, you'd want to leave room for a (hope not!) 2nd GMAT attempt.

Cheers,
Manan
Co-founder, S4G | ISB Class of 2013

Hi,
Request you to evaluate my profile for ISB round 1/2.

General, Indian, Male, Engineer (Electrical)
College - DTU, 62.60%
10th: 91.60%
12th:80%
1 year gap b/w 12th and B. Tech.

GMAT - 700 (Have score for only Quant, Verbal and IR. Didn't get the AWA score due to technical issue at test centre. GMAC have provided me with an option to retake the test)
Programme- ISB, 2021 Intake

Experience - 6 years (As on 22.06.2020). Shall have 6 years, 9 months by Apr 2021

1. Deputy Manager, Deloitte: Apr 2020- Present
- Experience in consulting in areas such as Bid Process Management, PPP advisory, Policy Advocacy etc. Dealt with a mix of public and private sector clients.

2. Senior Associate, PwC: Jun 2014- Mar 2020
- Experience in power sector consulting in areas of Sector Reforms and Strategy, Regulations, Business Development, Business Projections, Capacity Building, Energy Management, Bid Advisory, Financial Analysis, Thought Leadership, Renewable Energy, Policy Advocacy etc.. Responsible for end to end dealing with clients. Independently led projects in areas of Regulatory , sector reforms, Bid Advisory among others.


Extra curricular/Achievements:
1. Virtual Tutoring to students of a Govt. School in Jharkhand
2. Completed 2 years degree in Hindi Sanskritic Music
3. Was an All India Merit Holder in Hindi subject
4. Was one of the selected few from a pool of 200+ students within the college for the Internship opportunity in SBI
5. Passed the National Cadet Corps (NCC) Certificate 'A' examination with merit
6. Awarded expedited promotion for outstanding Project Delivery and superior Client Management.
7. Received performance awards for innovative project insights and critical project delivery

Goals:
Short-term: To continue in consulting, preferably strategy consulting. Leverage my rich experience in consulting to grow in the domain and diversify into other sectors and areas. Focus has largely been on execution. Want to move up and be a part of strategy formulation.

Long-Term: To be a Partner in one of the Big three consulting firms, 10 years down the line.

Request/Queries
1. Evaluation of profile
2. Do i need to retake the GMAT as i haven't got the AWA score. I took the GMAT at the test centre.

Thanks in Advance!!

Regards,
Himank

Hi Himank08

You have a well-balanced profile. Academics are great. Experience and extracurriculars are sound too. Consulting stints in both PwC and Deloitte both will be helpful to bring out qualities of problem-solving and leadership. Your goals align well with your experience. Our advice is to make sure you are able to justify the need for PGP well in your essays, as you are already on the Consulting path.

In case of GMAT, you might want to write to the admissions team to explain your unique position. In cases like yours, they often take circumstances into consideration and give their verdict. Do this at the earliest so that you have enough time to get GMAT out of the way in case you are asked to retake.

Thanks for the reply. Will certainly connect with the Admissions team of ISB on this.

From the GMAT score perspective do you feel that a score of 700 might hamper my chances and i should aim for a higher score? Considering that the avg. score is around 710-720?

Hi Himank08

That's always a difficult question.

700 should not be a deal breaker. But the answer to 'if you should aim for a higher score' is - it depends on you.

GMAT is the only parameter of your profile that you can actively improve in the short term. Every bump in your score helps. Therefore, if you think you can do better, you should definitely aim for a higher score. If you feel you're done with GMAT (and that's okay too!), focus building a strong application and go with 700.

Two more things for you to consider:
1) You may have played an internal consultant's role, but no one really is a 'consultant' in a fast-growing start-up. You are actually doing things than just advising. A consulting role will be very different. A lot of number crunching, research, interviewing, collating and spreadsheets ad powerpoints. It is a different world compared to an action-oriented world of a start-up.
2) Most people applying to ISB write 'consulting' as their goal. How do you differentiate yourself?

Hi sahilaro23, a person with just around 4 years of experience, with a non-MBA background, responsible for launching new products and expansion of overall business Pan India!

Were you responsible, or were you part of a team that was responsible?

I know there is a fine line separating this, but one needs to be very careful not to oversell oneself. Hope you understand what I am trying to mention here.

Credulity is the underpinning of any essay. Hence, I thought I would highlight this observation.

Good luck with your application.