Profile review pls! Quant 4.5 yrs work ex | GMAT FE 695 | F 27

Question

Hi Everyone, I am just starting out my application process for M7 R2 this year and would request your feedback on my profile for M7/T10 schools to get a sense of where I stand 
 
27 year old Indian female working as a FO Quant at an US bulge bracket bank with cross-asset exposure and led strat teams for multiple trading desks; 1 promotion. Integrated Bachelors and Masters degree in CS/EE from a top IIT with 8+/10 GPA. 
 
GMAT: 695 FE but planning to retake in a couple of weeks 
 
Extra-curriculars: I have organized leadership events for women at my firm , mentored young women in IITs, no community impact 
 
I am thinking of applying to the following schools: Wharton, Booth, Columbia, Kellogg, LBS, INSEAD and a couple of safety schools in T10 
 
Recommenders: One is a Yale+MIT alumnus and one is head of a trading desk who will write great LORs demonstrating leadership skills 
 
I am worried that my application is lacking in no extra-curriculars with a community impact. Appreciate some honest feedback!

admitStreet · Answer

spat8698 - interesting profile overall, given the IIT pedigree, GPA, Quant/ Strat exposure and employer brand.

How many years of full-time experience do you have? I'd also like to understand your role, key achievements, etc. to assess the professional arc better.

The GMAT score looks fine, but if you feel you can improve (e.g. you scored higher in mocks), a retake would be worth it.

Reg. extracurriculars, your women's leadership and mentorship roles can potentially qualify as community impact - you just need to define it broadly, and talk about what you did and the tangible impact you've had. Many candidates tend to underestimate their impact. For instance, we helped our recent Yale admit with a similar challenge (i.e. less/ no extracurriculars) by building a holistic narrative around his hiring activities at work that resulted in women hires.

It'd also be crucial to have a robust narrative covering your experiences, post-MBA goals, and how/ why the MBA fits in at this juncture. On recommenders, make sure you prioritize those who have supervised you closely and for a reasonable amount of time (ideally a year or more).

Hope this helps. Feel free to reach out for a discussion.

Regards,
Arvind

MG4MBACrystalBall · Answer

spat8698 , Some thoughts on your profile evaluation, some tough love and some queries too: The acdemic arc looks solid given the IIT pedgiree and stream. The GPA needs clarity - 8+ is ok but may not be solid when it comes to those streams from a relative position typically. A higher score will certainly help and bring you more in line with your directly competing peer group. However, given the timelines, you should start application work in parallel to retake prep - possible? The professional profile sounds promising given the bulge bracket (which one?!) and recommender pedigree. Your work is unclear and mentioned at a very high level. Is the promotion per cycle or out of turn? Any precedence from your team? These and more such details are important to understand how strong this is. College level ECs certainly appear to be quite light - maybe there is more there? The reason I say that is because you say leading women impact and also say no community impact. The two statements are contradictory. It will evetually depend on the scale/impact you've had here, but it may not be nothing from the way you've put it. Even if it's not a lot, make sure to not undersell it at all. European schools value international experience a lot . They are also witnessing a huge surge in applications volumes currently. Depending on your actual career plans, think through on whether it's worth applying here. Hope this helps and sparks the right questions. Please feel free to reach out with a resume and other details on mcb@mbacrystalball.com for a deeper conversation. Cheers,

MBADecoder · Answer

Your academics are very strong. A dual degree from a top IIT with 8+ GPA speaks well, combined with a strong GMAT score and a quant focused role. If you are unable to bring up your GMAT score in the next attempt, don't let it pull you down - still apply to the same list of b-schools. Does your work entail working with global desks? That could be another plus point to highlight in your applications. Most b-schools on your list welcome international exposure and you should leverage it to show your ability to work in diverse teams. Regarding ECAs- being a champion of women at the workplace is a good community initiative- you dont have to always volunteer, but do something which speaks to your heart, I'd not be too concerned about volunteering initiatives if you have a few achievements to show on this front. Regarding your goals- there should be a logical progression between the short term and the long term goals. Your short term goals should prepare you for the long term career. This is an area you could work upon to further refine your script ( I read your goals on another forum) as I saw little relevance between the ST and the LT goals (Strategy to fintech). Do reach out for a more detailed profile evaluation. Namita Garg, Founder, MBA Decoder Email: contact@mbadecoder.com Reach out to us for a Profile Evaluation Helping applicants achieve their MBA dreams since 2011 with offices in India & UK

spat8698 · Answer

Thanks for taking the time to evaluate and respond! 4.5 years work ex. Agreed to your point on retake - a 700+ score is just more assuring and I am willing to utilize the momentum on my side and attempt a retake in a couple of weeks in parallel with working on my application. Assuring to hear the Yale story indeed! For your point on recommenders I was unofficially but functionally reporting to these folks and worked with them closely for 4+ years so I am good on this. As for the rest I have kept the post intentionally abstract for anonymity. I will reach out for a more informed discussion.

GeneralEducation · Answer

Hello spat8698

Your IIT CS/EE degree, strong GPA, bulge bracket quant/strat experience, and promotion make you competitive for M7/T10 MBA programs, though your 695 GMAT is below typical averages, so a retake is recommended if feasible; clarify your professional achievements, work duration, and promotion context in your application, and don’t undervalue your leadership and mentoring activities—they can be framed as community impact if you specify scale and outcomes, which schools appreciate even if it’s within the workplace, and for European options like LBS/INSEAD, ensure you highlight any cross-cultural exposure and tailor your goals accordingly; prioritize recommenders who managed you closely, and start essays alongside exam prep to maximize your chances this round.

Feel free to DM us to evaluate your in-depth with our alumni from your targets programs.

Profile review pls! Quant 4.5 yrs work ex | GMAT FE 695 | F 27

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