Hello Ruchi P Consulting,

Thank you for your response.

Yep, that 5.85 is correct. I massively screwed up my first two years at undergrad. The other two years I tried to make up for the lost grades, but couldn't do much.

On getting into VC straight out of college, I volunteered with a national not-for-profit that works towards enabling entrepreneurship at the grassroots level. Here I built up my network and got introduced to a lot of investors, entrepreneurs and senior execs at a lot of growth-stage startups. This helped me get into venture capital right away.

I am indeed working on improving my GMAT, I hope it works in my favour.

One possible question is why leave a VC role for an MBA to get into a VC role again: My experience so far has largely been at a national level, and I want to get a global perspective to business, learn more fellow international students and utilize these learnings to become a better investor.

Also, between your two VC roles, you are involved in some other roles in a startup. So you will have to straighten your story there: Yep, on that, during my first stint I realized that I didn't quite have the perspective and understanding on what it takes to be an entrepreneur, build up the strategy and execute on the vision. My albeit short stint at a high-growth startup has helped me build up on that perspective strongly and I believe makes me a better investor and relate to the entrepreneurs in a more meaningful way. To aid to this and build myself up even more, is why I want to get an international MBA.

I could never get into H/S/W with my GPA, so not even considering those. I will definitely take a strong look at NYU, since it has a strong brand recall back in India.

Demographics : Indian(Male)
Age at time of applying : 29
Undergrad : Electrical Engineering from NIT(Top 15 schools in India)
Undergrad CGPA - 8.5(Top 10 in class of 100)
GMAT : 720
Quant score - Q49
Verbal score - V39

Work Ex
Worked as an Associate consultant at Oracle Financial services for 18 months followed by joining an ed-tech startup at a very early stage 4 years ago. At the startup I have grown considerably in responsibilities and have had P&L responsibility for multiple business functions and managed large teams in this duration.
Promoted multiple times in this tenure from being an individual contributor to being the City Head for an year or so.
Currently heading the Central Operations and Customer experience team where the focus is to coordinate with multiple teams to get product features and internal tools developed that will help the business teams in scaling and generating more revenue by cross-selling and up-selling to existing customers.


The startup also has a social impact component - as we have generated employment opportunity for almost 10,000 housewives from India who have joined our platform as teachers where they could find the right balance between work and home.


Extra curriculars:

Active Pokemon Go player - have been playing since launch in 2016. Have built an active community of 300 people in my city who have similar enthusiasm for the game - with regular meet-ups, competitions, a monthly magazine and many other initiatives to grow and keep the community engaged.
Recently started a remote 1v1 tournament that saw close to 400 people participate from 6 cities in India.

Football enthusiast - started a mini league in my locality that meets every week and holds regular tournaments.

Target schools - Kellogg, Haas and Ross.

Reason for MBA-
My recent stint has made me realise there's a lot to learn about product development and through the MBA I want to pair my prior business development experience in building product features that help solve day to day problems that internal teams and customers face.

Post MBA Goals -
In the short term want to work with an ed tech company like Khan Academy and understand how they have built their processes and products to become an internet company that is present globally.

In the long term want to transition to a product manager role where I can build new products and bring them to market.

Pls share your thoughts on my chances at the target schools mentioned and any steps that I can take to improve the same.
Planning to apply in Round 2 this year

Posted from my mobile device

Hi SameerSid0410,

You have got a great profile there. Ross is a great school when it comes to Tech( 21%) and Consulting(32%) as a post-MBA goal.

Ross looks for the following qualities:
1. Self Awareness: How your life experiences helped shape your character now.
2. Impact: Your achievements in the work and the leadership role you have played.
3. Teamwork: A Ross student should be capable of thriving as a team, giving weightage to the group and letting others contribute too.
4. Academics: Ross believes that you should put your best foot forward and thus wants you to retake GMAT/GRE in case it is lower or not satisfactory.

I see a great mix of all 4 values in your profile owing to your startup experience. And GMAT score of 720 is pretty good with your profile. Having worked across different functions and getting promoted multple times are both great examples to showcase how valuable you are to the organisation. Also, the fact that the startup has a social component can be greatly used to your advantage to show impact, if you can bring out some stories about how you contributed to the same, as Ross greatly seeks to see 'Impact' in one's profile. Make sure you bring out stories from both personal and professional experience to showcase self-awareness in your application.

Considering your score and profile, I believe you have a fair chance to make it to Ross. What’s going to matter most in your application is how you connect the experiential dots and build a great story to stand out from other applicants in the pool. Make sure you also make list of gaps in your profile that an MBA from Ross would help you fill in order to provide a sturdy backbone to your application

If you'd like, I am happy to hop on a call sometime this week to discuss your chances for all your target schools. Feel free to book my calendar as per your convenience.

Cheers!
Shantanu Sharma,
Founder and Admissions Consultant, MBA and Beyond
Schedule a free session
Email: shantanu@mbaandbeyond.com
What s app: +65-97158525
Call: +49-15212121641
Linkedin

Hello SameerSid0410,
Your WE is impressive and will definitely help you distinguish from other candidates. You have demonstrated leadership and worked in leadership roles in the startup, and you should have lots to talk about in the essays from there.
In your EC, try to stress on how your passion has helped others. For example, if have you taught children learn football that could be one way in which you have contributed to the community. Most often than not, we have better ECs than we realize. AdCom want a rounded personality and love to see the social impact you have created beyond your personal development (mentoring kids to learn football versus football being a recreational activity). The given pandemic provides you ample opportunities to bolster your profile in this regard. You can learn more about this, from the article in the link: https://ruchipandeconsulting.com/the-world/.
It is good you have a company name in mind for post-MBA goals. Check if they recruit at your target schools. However, what you should talk about more is how you will contribute to Khan Academy after you graduate than still learning from there (not that you cannot talk about it). I do not see any difference in your ST and LT goals. In what capacity do you want to work at Khan? Product Manager role cannot be an LT goal. You will have to take a look at your goals again. It is something you will be able to join right after MBA. Also, mention what you would like to do at Khan. Another question that you may want to ask yourself is why MBA? Aren’t you getting PM roles in your current organization? You are leaving an industry that is particularly booming in this current pandemic. Considering your profile, it is something that you would be already doing in some capacity (enhancing product features) and much beyond.
Ross, based on my experience, prefers candidates with high GMAT scores. So you can work at improving that, if you can. A score of 750+ will make your profile competitive for Ross though you can still apply with a 720. It will also benefit you to increase your GMAT for your other target schools.
Kellogg and Haas are a good choice with Kellogg having a Technology Management pathway and Haas being preferred choice for applicants wanting to pursue tech roles.
The last tip I have for you is to work on crafting a strategic application, thinking hard how you have made impact at work and taking a re-look at your ST LT goals. The way you represent yourself through your essays will be critical to your success.
Hope this helps. If you have any further questions, feel free to write.
_________________

Requesting a profile review

*Background*

Overview:
I’m looking to bring a strong sense of purpose in my career by transitioning fully to social impact. I’ve always wanted to go into social impact full-time, but I needed to build a niche and valuable skillset before doing so. Regarding marketable skills, I feel ready now, but I need an MBA to help me transition.

Work experience:
I'm currently a Product Manager in Internet Business in a Multinational Telecommunications company. I have 5.5 years of full-time experience, all in Telecommunications product management. The firm I work for is one of the top ones in my country, Bangladesh, and is a part of the 10th largest mobile network operator in the world. I've gotten regular, formal awards (Marketing Award for six quarters out of the twelve quarters of my employment till date + Employee of the month multiple times) at work and my portfolio has increased with time. I can back my achievements with solid numbers.

Some career highlights
- Successful completion of 1-month international assignment & placement in HQ
- Former Management Trainee with fast track progression to Managerial role, within only 2.5 years of my career
- Project Manager for the first telecom merger in Bangladesh
- Product Manager for Facebook's Freebasics program in Bangladesh, which focuses on giving internet connectivity to the bottom of the pyramid, launching it for the first time in my country

On the side, I'm a director at my family business which focuses on government and non-profit sector consulting. I do business advisory for non-profits, and one of these non-profits was founded by a Harvard Kennedy alum and an Oxford Said MBA alum. My area of expertise is "mobile tech & communications for development".

Extracurriculars:
During my undergrad, I won multiple international & national awards in social entrepreneurship competitions. One of that was GSEC organized by the University of Washington's Foster School of Business. My team had beat out MIT in that competition. I was also awarded by Nobel Peace Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus, for winning Yunus Centre's social entrepreneurship idea competition. I've coordinated nationwide charity drives back in my undergrad, 100+ people reporting to me.

Other coursework:
I finished MBA Math and I scored 100% in all of the MBA Math courses.

Nationality: Bangladeshi

Sex: Male

*Stats*

GRE & TOEFL Score:
My GRE total is 328, with a breakdown of 169 in Verbal, 159 in Quant, 4.5 in AW. I'm also done with my TOEFL with a 113/120.
I plan to resit the GRE to raise my Quant, but I'm not sure if I'll be able to make the time for it.

Undergrad GPA:
I graduated from the best business school in my country. My alma mater has alums in top business schools all over the world, including the business schools that I plan to apply to.

My 3.13/4 CGPA (Major- Finance) is measly though. I dived into ECAs during my first two years, achieving great success at the expense of my academics. Reprioritized and did very well in academics during my third year. During my fourth year, I contracted Hepatitis E just before my final exams, and my CGPA took a nosedive. My last year’s GPA was 3/4 versus my third year’s GPA of 3.7/4. I had the choice of postponing my studies for a year or taking a bad hit to my CGPA, & I chose the latter due to financial reasons. Anyways, even after taking my horrible fourth year in account, my last two years' CGPA is 3.35/4, so there is an upward trend there.

*MBA Info*

Goal of MBA:
Working in social impact on the side has actually inspired me to enter social impact full-time post-MBA, perhaps joining my family's business on a full-time basis, and/or starting a sister organization to the family business focused on my area of expertise. My area of expertise, Telecommunications, is very important for social impact in my country, Bangladesh. Our internet connectivity is almost entirely mobile communications dependant.

Working in a large private organization has not given me the training I need to embark on an entrepreneurial venture or engage full-time in expanding a family business. I need an MBA to make me ready.

Hi Naseef,

I just have evaluated your profile for Oxford and would love to do it for Ross. I have given feedback on the aspects of your profile that you should highlight. Your stats are fine for Ross too, though having a higher score may enhance your chances of getting a scholarship. You have done a course in MBA Math, so that should also work for you. For Ross, try to highlight the following:

Awareness: Ross wants its students to be aware of what they are and what they can bring to the table, that they may not have moved mountains in their personal and professional life but must be knowing their life experiences and how they helped them shape their characters now.

Impact: A quality it highly emphasises is your impact on the work, your achievements there and the leadership role you have played.

Teamwork: A Ross student should be capable of thriving as a team, giving weightage to the group, and letting others contribute too.
I would suggest you be very humble and down to earth while exemplifying the self-awareness quality in your essays. Also, try to mention what qualities you feel are lagging in you to start a venture and how a particular school will help you achieve the same (mention curriculum, projects, clubs of that school in this part). What’s going to matter most in your application is how you connect all the dots and build a great story. Feel free to book a free session with us as per your convenience.

Cheers!
Kashish Garg
Community Manager, MBA and Beyond

On behalf of
Shantanu Sharma,
Founder and Admissions Consultant, MBA and Beyond
Schedule a free session

Background and nationality- Indian male, 24 year old, B.Tech

Undergrad Information- B.Tech from Delhi College Of Engineering, GPA- 4 (as per WES)

GMAT: 730 (Q50, V38)

Work experience and leadership: 26 months ( Currently at Paytm Mobiquest for past 4 months, earlier at Urban Company for 8 months as Category Manager (General Management role), and as Junior Research Analyst at McKinsey & Co. for 14 months)
In McKinsey, handled international clients, successfully piloted a new project for South East Asia.
At the time of joining, work ex will be around 36 months

Community and others - Entrepreneurship stint during College (funded by Government of India), Lead volunteer and OC member at Startup Jalsa (India's biggest startup conference) for 5 years, Working with a local NGO in Chandigarh during the times of COVID, Logistics manager for an event called 'The Largest Plantation' which made a world record of planting 300,000 trees in 2 hours near Delhi

Post MBA goals - Short term : PM at a tech-giant (Apple, Microsoft, Google), Long-term: moving back to India and starting my own venture

Anything else- National Level badminton level in school, several olympiads winner in school, Core OC member at college's literature festival