Profile Evaluation Request

Question

Hi everyone,

Would like to ask you about my profile, here it is;

GMAT
710 (91%) - Q 49, V 37, AWA 5.0, IR 6

Education:
Monash University Australia (Malaysia campus) - Computer Science - Jul 2011 (GPA 2.667/4, WES converts this to 3.2/4)
Pre MBA class 
MGMT 115 X - Business Statistics - Mar 2017 (A - highest grade)
MGMT 100 X - Business Economics - currently taking, to be completed by Sept 13 2017

Low GPA due to family issues (both grandparents passed away while I was on my 1st and 2nd year).
I will definitely address this issue in the optional essay and told the Adcom about the pre MBA class I took

Work Experience:
Been working for close to 6 years now. Currently work as Lead Product Manager at a FinTech company in Indonesia. Been promoted twice within the last 1 year since I joined. Company just raised series A from some prominent VCs in the region.

My direct supervisors are a Kauffmann Fellow and an ex engagement manager at McKinsey. I work closely with both of them and both are more than willing to write me a recommendation.

Goal:
Short term: product manager at a passive wealth management FinTech company in US (Silicon Alley comes to my mind). So geography and concentration switch, but not industry
Medium term: moving back to Southeast Asia to a FinTech company (probably Singapore or Indonesia)
Long term: if the market permits, start a FinTech of my own, most probably in passive wealth management area

Extracurricular:
- Organized 2 startup weekend events in Indonesia, startup weekend is an event sponsored by Techstars
- involved in a 1-day teaching program in rural area
- GMAT quant instructor. 2 students, both admitted to INSEAD

Background story:
I'm a male 27 y.o. Indonesian.
I'm going to reapply this year to Anderson and Haas. In addition to this, I'm going to apply to CBS.
2 years ago I was dinged w/o interview at Anderson, Haas, Wharton. I was dinged with interview at Ross.

I've only taken the GMAT once. 710 might not be that high of a score, but I decided to work on other areas of my application since everything else is still fairly weak IMO. These include taking pre MBA classes, teaching GMAT, getting new job related to short-term goal in FinTech (and doing very well in it), and some of the other extra curricular activities.

So, what do you guys think of my profile?

mbaaspirant80 · Answer

there are several online companies which evaluates profile freely.
You can get link from google.

IvyGroupeCEO · Answer

Hi there,

Thanks for sharing your profile and your background. Overall, you are doing all of the right things to strengthen your profile. Your GPA is on the lower side, but I like that you have hit a solid threshold for the quant section of the GMAT (Q 49) and that you are doing well in the pre-MBA classes that you are taking. Professionally, you seem to be doing well and are taking on more responsibility, which is great. The one area that can be strengthened is your involvement in extracurricular activities - it would be helpful to see more leadership.

I would be happy to discuss your profile in more detail through a free consultation if that would be helpful. I can be reached at [email protected] or https://www.ivygroupe.com/contact.

Best,
Shaifali
(Harvard Business School grad)

99Colleges · Answer

Hi cubemaster,

Your current professional stint will make the biggest impact on your application. Details about work experience would help, but from what you mention and from diversity perspective I think you’ve a reasonable chance at some of these schools, subject to executing the application well. It’s ideal to compensate a low GPA with a high test score, crossing at least the median, but you may still be fine with your current score since you are not from an overly-competitive applicant pool.

Regarding career goals, more roles will likely open up as the industry expands in U.S. and elsewhere. However, do check if these companies sponsor (smaller ones are less open) international students. (You may get initial data points from LinkedIn.) I like ‘if the market permits’ in your long-term goal because long term can be extremely long in a fast-evolving industry.

Regarding ECs, double down on those where you have had considerable involvement so far instead of picking up new. Impact matters. Quality trumps quantity.

PersonalMBACoach · Answer

Thank you for your profile post and the details you have provided. I will give a slightly different, and to be honest, not as encouraging evaluation. I tend to be very blunt with feedback. You are certainly doing things to show schools your ability to succeed and that is great. Your work experience is good and getting promoted is good. That said, the stats fall short for the schools you are targeting. Getting such a low GPA and then only taking the GMAT once shows schools you may not be as dedicated as someone else. The reality is if you are targeting that range of schools, you should retake the GMAT. It is getting very common to retake these days and schools like to see the effort you put in. You may reach success this year anyway but you have a much better chance if you can raise the score. Happy to give further thoughts on this. It is competitive and with a low GPA you should offset that with a higher than average GMAT. Currently you don't have that. Scott@personalmbacoach.com www.personalmbacoach.com Best, Scott

SheaRai · Answer

Hi cubemaster , I'm sorry to hear about the rejections but appreciate your spirit to reapply

Looking at your profile, I feel the two possible weak areas are your GMAT score and your career goals. I don't mean to say your goals are not aligned, but I'm afraid that they might not have been explained in a credible, realistic and emphatic manner. This is one of the top reasons students get dinged by the b-schools. I have seen folks with even 760+ GMAT scores get rejected due to poor career goal essays. I believe you should utilize this time to: - clarify your goals, possibly even connect with MBA alums in the role you want to take post-MBA and really understand what it takes and how the MBA will help you - also take the time to network with schools through online/ offline events and demonstrate your strong interest - retake GMAT or re-calibrate your school choices. Although you bring diversity to a class, you still come from a very competitive pool of Asian applicants - obtain feedback on your past years application, so you can correct mistakes and make improvements. It is very rare, but if the schools can help you with that, take that opportunity. If not, then reach out to me and I'd be happy to give you a candid feedback Drop me an email to schedule a 30-min free session You can also connect with me on LinkedIn You might like to read: What B-schools look for and how they evaluate your profile How to be a successful reapplicant? Good luck!

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