MBAAspirant133
Hi,
I am a long time fan of the GMAT Club Forums.
I gave my GMAT in Feb and scored a 760 (V45, Q49) with a 5.5 in AWA and 6 in IR.
My nationality is Indian. I have a bachelor's degree in Economics from a reputed college in Delhi University however my overall grade is just below 60%.
I have around 6 years of varied work experience. I am 26 years old.
I started out as a strategy analyst for KPMG wherein I handled clients from Australia and Western Europe while working out of the Indian office. I worked here for over a year during which I was given a partner's commendation and became the only analyst who led communication training for the new members.
Post KPMG I joined a travel content startup where I built and led a 7 member marketing team and liaisoned with the tech team to build marketing products. I was promoted within 6 months since I helped reduce the overall marketing spend drastically while increasing the efficiency of our targeting by instituting data-driven processes. While working here I also became a travel anchor and a scriptwriter which eventually led to me starting my own venture after spending almost 2 years with this company.
I started a creative agency 3 years ago. Over this period, we have provided a wide cross-section of solutions to our clients ranging from social media posts to a travel TV show which streamed across 18 channels.
Part of the reasons for my average grades in college is down to the fact that I was heavily involved in debating and have won numerous tournaments at the national level. Till recently I kept mentoring college students to help them develop their public speaking skills.
I recently wrote a whitepaper on a set of laws that were to be passed in India. A lawyer took note of my concerns and we successfully were able to get the law amended. If the law were to be passed in its previous form it could have had a devastating impact on small businesses across the country.
I am hoping to get into one of the M7 schools in the US or into LBS since I want to eventually start a content-tech company. In the short term, I am looking at roles in either VC or in product management. I am slightly biased towards US schools since I am looking at changing careers and I believe a 2 year MBA would serve my goals better.
I had applied to Insead for the January 2023 intake in the second round, however, I did not make the shortlist.
Looking forward to hearing your thoughts.
Hello
MBAAspirant133 hope this finds you in good health
I am sorry to hear about your INSEAD application. Although schools such as INSEAD and LBS do emphasize the international experience aspect, I suggest you get an expert's opinion on your application to identify loopholes in the narrative for further improvement. I would be happy to review your unsuccessful applications (pro bono of course) to help you course-correct your strategy for the future.
Some points that I notice
1. Nonfeeder brands on your resume (KPMG and a travel start-up)
Although having nonfeeder brands is not a definite deterrent you would have to put in extra effort to show that you got more hands-on experience, the opportunity to work with the leadership, and have a direct impact on business due to the kind of companies you worked for.
2. Your agency business is interesting but in your essays did you balance the creative aspect well with the business acumen/quantitative aspect?
3. Did you corroborate your claims of rectifying a law with the required proofs? LOR etc
4. PM and VC goals need more deliberation. You are free to pursue what you feel passionate about, but the schools' may not take you in if they feel your goals are not plausible. Did you show that you researched on these goals (connected with alumni, potential recruiters, VCs, and PMgrs)?
If you need professional guidance on your application feel free to reach out.
Warm regards