Profile Evaluation Please

Question

GMAT FE : 665 (93 %ile)

'23 Mechanical Engineering Passout from (Tier 1 College in India) 
Best Sportsperson of the Batch (Gold Medallist) 
Joint Secretary of Editorial Club 
GPA 7.84/10 OR 3.14

Work ex : 2 years as of June 2025 in a leading Sporting Goods Manufacturing Brand (Decathlon) 
Role : Product Engineer & Sustainability Leader, National Brand Ambassador

Prior to this, worked as a Solution Delivery Intern for 7 months with McKinsey in India

Extra Curriculars : 
1. 2x National Medallist, 8x State Champion in Road Cycling in India 
2. Trained & coached 3 national level athletes
3. National Brand Ambassador for 3 other sports brands earlier & ex-sponsored athlete for a leading road racing manufacturer. 
4. Play the guitar as a hobby

I am aiming top Indian B-Schools (ISB, SPJIMR) & International Schools as well (which ones would you recommend for my profile? I have considered HEC Paris, NYU & Cornell)

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

ExpertsGlobal · Answer

Hello  sethvik ,

There are lots of very unique aspects in your profile (especially, on the extra-curricular front) which will prove to be impactful.

However, considering the GPA is on the lower side and the GMAT score is average, we would recommend that you retake the GMAT if you are considering schools such as HEC Paris, Cornell, and ISB. You will be ok in so far as SPJIMR is concerned.

The choice of schools will depend on your career goals as well and requires a much detailed discussion; feel free to get in touch with us for a free profile evaluation at your convenience.

All the best!

OnCourseVantage · Answer

Hi Sethvik!

Let's go through the strengths and weaknesses of your profile: 
Your undergrad from major from a top-tier university gives you a strong base and your GPA and GMAT score, while not stellar, are still acceptable. You might need to address your GPA in optional essays, especially for US/European schools. Your professional experience is good so far but it would be better to build on this for another year or two before applying; your chances of getting into a program of your choice increase with more powerful work experience, as this helps connect more strongly to your post-MBA goals. Sporting achievements, of course, are exceptional and those help you significantly in boosting your profile. 
In terms of schools, you're definitely a great fit for ISB or SPJIMR. Amongst international schools, you can target the ones you have mentioned - HEC, Stern and Johnson, while considering these dream schools - Kellogg (very sports/leadership friendly) and INSEAD (sports brand experience fits here). Having said this, your actual school list will depend on your goals, and should definitely include some safety schools as well. Happy to discuss your next steps in detail if you'd like. All the best!

MBAGuide · Answer

sethvik Your work experience is definitely on the lower side of the spectrum so you will have to work extra hard to justify why this is the right time for an MBA. The 665 on the GMAT is not super convincing if you have the top schools on your mind. ISB could be an option but there too you need an edge which usually comes to very young candidates (your competition group) who either come from consulting backgrounds (exposure to multiple clients/industries) or those who have worked in fast-paced startups with unique exposure to how decisions are made at the highest levels. So what is your unique story here?

Top B schools see a lot of pre-MBA techies/engineers applying to the program. You will have to execute your application well to stand out. You need to unpack your experiences and reconstruct your stories in a way that shows that working on high-impact projects has given you a much more hands-on experience and opportunity to engage with leaders from the industry, more experiential maturity, and more capability to contextualize business problems related to your industry than most young applicants who apply. Always remember that schools are spoilt for choice and they won't blink an eye before rejecting a young applicant who has an improvement area.

Feel free to have a personalised one to one discussion regarding your application strategy with your current situation.

Wondering how your profile stacks up? Get a free profile evaluation and discuss a tailored MBA plan that aligns with your goals.

Best wishes
Aanchal Sahni (INSEAD MBA alumna, former INSEAD MBA admissions interviewer)
Founder, MBAGuideConsulting
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aanchal-sahni-83b00819/ |WEBSITE: https://mbaguideconsulting.com/| Message(WA): +91 9971200927| email- mbaguideconsulting@gmail.com

sethvik

GMAT FE : 665 (93 %ile)

'23 Mechanical Engineering Passout from (Tier 1 College in India)
Best Sportsperson of the Batch (Gold Medallist)
Joint Secretary of Editorial Club
GPA 7.84/10 OR 3.14

Work ex : 2 years as of June 2025 in a leading Sporting Goods Manufacturing Brand (Decathlon)
Role : Product Engineer & Sustainability Leader, National Brand Ambassador

Prior to this, worked as a Solution Delivery Intern for 7 months with McKinsey in India

Extra Curriculars :
1. 2x National Medallist, 8x State Champion in Road Cycling in India
2. Trained & coached 3 national level athletes
3. National Brand Ambassador for 3 other sports brands earlier & ex-sponsored athlete for a leading road racing manufacturer.
4. Play the guitar as a hobby

I am aiming top Indian B-Schools (ISB, SPJIMR) & International Schools as well (which ones would you recommend for my profile? I have considered HEC Paris, NYU & Cornell)

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

FLY.reachout · Answer

Dear  sethvik ,

We certainly see that yours is a  well-rounded profile —marked by  strong academics, exceptional extracurriculars, diverse work experience , and a  competitive GMAT score . This combination positions you as a promising candidate for top business schools.

Coming to the schools you are targeting, your GMAT score appears to be  slightly above or close to the median  for Indian business schools like  ISB and SPJIMR , which is encouraging. For international schools such as  NYU Stern and Cornell , we believe your score still puts you in a  strong position . However, for  HEC Paris , a  slightly higher GMAT score may offer a more secure footing , though it’s not a necessity.

That said, it's important to remember that the  GMAT is just one of many parameters  on which schools evaluate applicants.  If the rest of your profile is strong—which we do see potential for in your case—you still stand a very good chance of securing an interview shortlist.
 
To build a  compelling application , it's crucial to  weave your personal and professional journey  cohesively in your essays. A  clear articulation of your short-term and long-term goals , and how the MBA program you are targeting will help you get there, will be key.

We would be happy to speak with you further to  brainstorm and explore how to present your profile most impactfully , and how an MBA can serve as a launchpad for your aspirations.
At  Team FLY , we are a collective of ISB alumni dedicated to supporting prospective MBA applicants with  profile positioning, essay reviews, and interview preparation .

Please feel free to  book a 15-minute free session  for a detailed discussion with us:  https://calendly.com/reachusfly/15min

With warm regards,
  Team FLY 
  www.teamfly.org

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