SDave91 wrote:
Hi there,
I would love to get some feedback on my profile and the schools I should target at. I'm new to the forum, so look forward to contributing actively.
The basics:
- GMAT 700 (Q48, V39) on second attempt. First attempt 670. Considering a retake
- Undergraduate degree in Chemical Engineering from a top 25 engineering university in India. GPA: 7.61/10
Work ex total (4.5 years):
0-3 years in India:
- Joined a rapidly growing tech startup backed by marquee Silicon Valley investors (think Sequoia) after graduating college. Over the last 4 years, the startup has grown 10X to operate in 7 countries and has over 500+ employees.
- Worked in a strategy role for 3 years in India, directly with CXOs (who are ex-McK and ex-Stanford) in leading a variety of cross-functional growth initiatives ranging from process improvements, growth-equity investment to customer profitability. Reported to COO for 3 yrs.
3-4.5 years in south-east Asia
- Promoted to lead the company's market entry into Thailand and Indonesia. Relocated to Bangkok and Jakarta to launch operations from scratch to $200K in recurring revenue in both these markets, onboarding the first 50 customers which included major Fortune 500 brands.
- In both countries, hired and trained a local biz dev and ops team and led them from day 1. I lead a team of five and responsible for the complete lifecycle of customer experience in these two markets.
Extra-curriculars (I believe this is the most unique part about my profile)
- Founded an environmental venture during my second year of college and grew the business over 4 years to over 500+ clients (continued part time after graduating). Worked with major Indian corporations and institutions to solve their waste management problems. Venture operated in 4 Indian cities with 100+ volunteers.
- Won several international awards, and national media coverage for the impact of these projects. Also selected to represent India at major UN summits (think Paris agreement) to showcase these projects to world leaders.
Short term goal: Join in clean-tech firm in business development/VC firm focused on impact investing
Longterm goal: Start my own venture that solve global environmental challenges using technology (i.e intersection of sustainability and tech)
Hey dude!
I like your profile. You seem to have had an interesting and exciting time in this startup, and I would love to delve deep into the details.. but basically what I see from here looks good. Expansion, real investment, and then there's you moving to bigger and better roles.
So far so good.
But there are going to be some obstacles... you are an Indian applicant from a non-IIT school with a good, but not amazing GMAT.
So the first question you should be broaching is: apply now? or retake and apply next year?
It's a fundamental one, and one that I would like to hear your thoughts on as well as the pro and con arguments...
With your current profile, you might be good to go say in schools in the 15-35 range (about).... but with a 740, it would be solid in the 5-20, approximately.
What do you think?