Hi
kanishkmud,
Thanks for your post.
First, I would like to mention that you have done a great job backing a 740 in your GMAT, and honestly, I don’t think you need to reappear for your GMAT; you do have a decent score (score above average GMAT for all mentioned schools), the rest of your time could be better spend on revamping your profile and crafting top-notch essays.
Now coming to your ECAs, highlight the relevant skill developed, the impact created, and any leadership opportunities explored. ECs aren't about doing something big, they're about what you like doing outside of work. You can speak about drumming and trekking, this will help you bring diversity to your application. Also, you have learned coding by yourself. It shows how interested you are to learn new things. Regarding your Work experience, you will need to highlight your professional accolades, your role & responsibilities regarding the currently leading projects, and the impact created by you. Also, I can see that you do have vast experience in consulting, considering you have worked in a Boutique and political consulting firm you can exhibit the relevant skillset developed, the difference in work experience and responsibilities, and why you chose to work with them.
Moreover, remember that schools like Wharton, CBS, Booth, and Kellogg look for candidates who possess intellect, curiosity, and dynamism and can motivate a team to drive impact while not being afraid to question the status quo and seek the non-obvious solutions. Hence it’s important that you are able to highlight these values throughout your profile.
All in all, I would say that you have a decent profile. However, you will need to be clear about your post-MBA goals. Wharton can be a stretch, but you are an eligible candidate for CBS, Booth, and Kellogg. As you are from an overrepresented pool of candidates, you need to have a robust profile along with well-drafted essays that would mesmerize the adcom. You may want to read an article on the
Role of ECs in your MBA applicationit would be really helpful for you
Overall, you have a good profile and do have a chance at your mentioned b-schools. What's going to matter most about your application is how you link experiential dots and make a great narrative. If you wish to connect with us, we are happy to hop on a call with you sometime this week to discuss your profile in length and further chances for admission to your target schools. Feel free to
book a free session with us as per your convenience.
Cheers!
Neha Hadke
Profile Analyst & Channel Manager, MBA and BeyondTestimonialsEmail:
neha@mbaandbeyond.com kanishkmud wrote:
Would really appreciate any inputs/advice!
Background: Indian male, 26 yrs, applying for 2023 intake
Education:
Undergrad GPA: 3.43/4 (top 10% of class)
Undergrad degree: Business from a top 10 business undergrad program
GMAT: 740 (Q50, V41, IR8, AWA 6)
Work exp:
~4.5 years in consulting, unlikely to leave consulting before B school
3.5 years in MBB, 3 promotions, currently leading projects
Short 2 month stint at political consulting firm before that
1 year in boutique consulting firm before that
ECs
Not much since in terms of “sought after” ECs since college
Drumming & tennis since childhood, multi-day himalayan trekking
Taught myself how to code (purely out of curiosity and interest)
Will begin mentoring an underprivileged student in next 1 month
Several workplace initiatives if they can count as “EC”
Class captain at my current firm representing my peers
Part of APAC wide senior level hiring initiatives at current firm
Simplifying/revamping attendance system at boutique firm to save multiple days worth of work in admin time
Last ditch EC effort before applying: may do some tutoring for drumming and tennis for the underprivileged (total of 5 students across both maybe)
Lot of volunteering experience in college (teaching english to 8th grade class of underprivileged boys, education fundraising for 10th grade underprivileged students)
Post MBA goal
MBB, maybe exit to tech long term
Maybe try for tech PM (trying to leverage self taught coding story) but not relying on it
School targets
Reach: Wharton
Target: Booth, CBS, Kellogg
Safety: some T15 schools
Questions:
Are my school targets realistic or am I aiming too high? I’ve seen a lot of peers at my firm with similar backgrounds get into Wharton, Booth, Columbia etc. they did have higher GMAT scores though
Should I retake GMAT? I may be able to reach 760 but it will be 3-4 months of time effort for me so not sure if my time is best spent on this at this stage
What can I do about ECs? Are my last ditch EC efforts mentioned enough to get by? I know adcom will see through it, but better than nothing I guess
Is there any advantage in terms of Bschool admissions of having a full time offer at my firm (in a US office) before even starting MBA? Usually you need Bschool acceptance first before asking firm for full time offer so not sure how I can use this for admissions
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