Most people are familiar with my story on the forum. The TL;DR version is that I applied to a bunch of schools in 2016, got rejected in most of them, and then turned it around in 2017 and got a lot of admits/interviews and such. I posted my GMAT story HERE and a brief version of my admission and application insights HERE . Since doing these two posts, I have been getting a lot of PM's about whether the GMAT is enough or whether applying to a certain school makes sense, and honestly, I have not been able to keep up with those PM's. So this is my attempt to set up shop for my completely non-qualified and anecdotal advice. A place where I will entertain profile evaluation requestions, school strategy and positioning, and some general unadulterated feedback. Go ahead, and Ask Me Anything! I have no aspirations of becoming an admissions consultant. I am playing with the idea of helping others with basic stuff like school selection and resume review, but of course, it will always be free! UPDATE - May 10, 2019 - After a long sabbatical, I am back! First year at Ross was great and I have some downtime to answer more questions. Throw me those profile evals and school strategy questions!

Last visit was: 22 Apr 2026, 04:25

It is currently 22 Apr 2026, 04:25

Toolkit

Business School and MBA

The B-School Applications

GMAT Club Daily Prep

Thank you for using the timer - this advanced tool can estimate your performance and suggest more practice questions. We have subscribed you to Daily Prep Questions via email.

Customized
for You

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History

Track
Your Progress

every week, we’ll send you an estimated GMAT score based on your performance

Practice
Pays

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History

Not interested in getting valuable practice questions and articles delivered to your email? No problem, unsubscribe here.

Go to My Error Log Learn more

Request Expert Reply

Confirm Cancel

Apr 23
When to Stop Studying for the GMAT and Start Working on Your MBA Application
10:00 AM EDT
-
10:30 AM EDT
Admissions committees evaluate the GMAT/GRE in context — your background, your representation in the applicant pool, the strength of everything else in your file. The same score works for one candidate and falls short for another with identical numbers.
Apr 23
ISB Interview Call Guarantee Module
12:00 PM PDT
-
01:00 PM PDT
Inquire for a free profile evaluation and guarantee statement for possible admits and scholarships!
Apr 24
Live Coffee Chat- MBA profile enhancement: How to fix your gaps in 4 months
08:30 PM IST
-
09:30 PM IST
Join us for a Live Coffee chat with Jenifer Turtschanow where we talk about enhancing your MBA profile and fixing gaps in just 4 months.
Apr 25
Begin your MBA admissions journey with a free 1-1 strategy call
11:00 AM EDT
-
01:00 PM EDT
Looking to secure a coveted spot at a top business school? Our team of seasoned MBA admissions consultants, including top B schools alumni and industry leaders, is here to help turn your dreams into reality. Let’s kick-start your journey to success!

Back to Forum

Create Topic

AskSouvik: Which B School to Apply | AMA| - 2019 edition!

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

souvik101990

Alum

Joined: 19 Mar 2012

Last visit: 11 Nov 2025

Posts: 4,314

Own Kudos:

53,373

Given Kudos: 2,326

Location: United States (WA)

Concentration: Leadership, General Management

Schools: Ross '20 (M)

GMAT 1: 760 Q50 V42 Verified score

GMAT 2: 740 Q49 V42 (Online) Verified score

GMAT 3: 760 Q50 V42 (Online) Verified score

GPA: 3.8

WE:Marketing (Non-Profit and Government)

Products:

Expert

Expert reply

Schools: Ross '20 (M)

GMAT 3: 760 Q50 V42 (Online) Verified score

Posts: 4,314

Kudos: 53,373

31 Mar 2018, 12:08

Kudos

Bookmarks

saiar

souvik101990. Thanks for taking this up man. Congrats on the great admits! I would like help with my resume and profile evaluation. Can you PM me your personal email id. Will send my resume and brief description of my profile to your email as I don't want to post my resume here. Thanks in advance.

Appreciate it. This thread serves as a community learning. I don't think I will be able to evaluate your profile over PMs/email. You could post a sanitised version here - nobody would know. Unless you are a celebrity, in which case, why would you go to business school?

GmatHopeful2021

Joined: 11 Oct 2017

Last visit: 03 Jun 2019

Posts: 12

Given Kudos: 1

Location: United States

Schools: Tuck '21 (A) Booth '21 (WL)

GPA: 4

Products:

Schools: Tuck '21 (A) Booth '21 (WL)

Posts: 12

Kudos: 0

31 Mar 2018, 14:13

Kudos

Bookmarks

Hi Souvik!

Thanks for taking this on. You are truly an inspiration.

Here's my profile:

Planning to apply in R1 for class of 2021.

Here is a little background on my profile:

Age: 24 (Indian Female, currently living in US)

Graduation: 87% ( non-IIT, renowned college )

GMAT: 750 Q50, V41. (planning to retake it in a couple of months).

Work Experience: (~5 years by the time of matriculation in 2019, graduated in 2014).

*Vanderbilt University Medical Center. (March '17- present) -- Working on applying data analytics in medicine. Youngest member and the only foreigner in the team of highly qualified individuals

*Deloitte Consulting. (October '15 - March'17)

*Cognizant Technology Solutions (June'14 - October'15)

Extra Curriculars

- Bachelors -- Co-founded a non-profit during bachelors (Acted as technological partners to NGO's)

- Bachelors -- Spearheaded Social Responsibility Division at Model United Nations.

- Post-Bachelors -- Strategy Advisor at American Field Service, an international youth exchange organization.

- Have played Cricket at college level.

- Received Prathibha award during class 7 and class 10 for excellent academics. Central Government scholarship recipient during high school.

Questions I have:

1) How do I improve my profile as a re-applicant. I have already done few things (Won a case competition at Vanderbilt, Started taking up more challenging roles at work as a promotion isn't feasible, started working on improving my GMAT score) but want to know what else I can do to make my candidacy stronger for top 5 business schools in US.

2) Have you used a consultant during the process? If yes, whom would you recommend. I'm planning on using one.

Thanks much in advance!

souvik101990

Alum

Joined: 19 Mar 2012

Last visit: 11 Nov 2025

Posts: 4,314

Own Kudos:

53,373

Given Kudos: 2,326

Location: United States (WA)

Concentration: Leadership, General Management

Schools: Ross '20 (M)

GMAT 1: 760 Q50 V42 Verified score

GMAT 2: 740 Q49 V42 (Online) Verified score

GMAT 3: 760 Q50 V42 (Online) Verified score

GPA: 3.8

WE:Marketing (Non-Profit and Government)

Products:

Expert

Expert reply

Schools: Ross '20 (M)

GMAT 3: 760 Q50 V42 (Online) Verified score

Posts: 4,314

Kudos: 53,373

01 Apr 2018, 02:02

Kudos

Bookmarks

GmatHopeful2021 - quick question before we proceed further. A 750 GMAT with your split (which is great BTW) is MORE THAN ENOUGH for an Indian female such as yourself. Why would you waste time retaking? The only other Indian woman I have seen do such a thing is kmwantstogoschool who wanted to improve her quant (750-770 - she's crazy!).

One more thing: which schools did you apply to and what were the outcomes? If it was just Yale, it does not mean anything!

GmatHopeful2021

Joined: 11 Oct 2017

Last visit: 03 Jun 2019

Posts: 12

Given Kudos: 1

Location: United States

Schools: Tuck '21 (A) Booth '21 (WL)

GPA: 4

Products:

Schools: Tuck '21 (A) Booth '21 (WL)

Posts: 12

Kudos: 0

01 Apr 2018, 10:19

Kudos

Bookmarks

souvik101990: I applied to Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, Booth and Sloan in R1 and got dinged without invites. I applied to Yale in R2 just for a reality check to see if my profile can even land an interview invite at a top school (I was devastated by my R1 results and lost confidence). I got dinged at Yale after landing an interview invite. I know a 750 is more than enough. But this is my last attempt trying for a top 5 school as I can't drain myself more emotionally and financially. With that being said, I want to give it my best shot this time and improve my profile in every single aspect I can. I'm confident that I can score a 760/770 with some decent effort (Not planning to spend too much time on it though, just 1-2 hours a day).

Heisenberg12

Joined: 10 Jun 2016

Last visit: 16 Apr 2019

Posts: 70

Own Kudos:

Given Kudos: 589

Location: India

Concentration: Operations, Strategy

Schools: CUHK '21 (A$) Arizona State'21 (WL) Broad '21 (A$) Smeal'21 (II) NUS '21 (II)

GMAT 1: 710 Q49 V37 Verified score

GPA: 3.3

WE:Project Management (Energy)

Products:

Schools: CUHK '21 (A$) Arizona State'21 (WL) Broad '21 (A$) Smeal'21 (II) NUS '21 (II)

GMAT 1: 710 Q49 V37 Verified score

Posts: 70

Kudos: 99

01 Apr 2018, 10:28

Kudos

Bookmarks

Name: Hitarth Parmar

GMAT: 710 (Q48, Q39); IR - 8; AWA - 5.0. [Recently appeared for my GMAT on 16.02.2018]

Work Experience: 57 months [as on 01.04.2018] at a Public-sector Oil & Gas industry in India. I worked for 53 months in Operations & Maintenance department as an Officer, and was responsible for managing the Routine Maintenance Schedules, Breakdown maintenance with Root Cause Analysis and Report Generation; was responsible for a critical design change which was universalised in the company.

Recently, I have been transferred to Projects department since 3.5 months and been looking after Project Scheduling, Planning, review and approval of procedures, materials, managing and co-ordinating with other agencies (Consultant, contractor, inspection agencies).

Extra-curriculars: Have won a team event at a national level sports fest in the game of Table Tennis; was associated for 1 year with an NGO.

Question:
1) I expected a better GMAT score than 710 - I used to receive around Q49 and Q50 as well as V41 and V42. Basically, I think I have room for improvement and wish to appear once again around May. Is that a good time to appear for the GMAT or should I concentrate more on Essays, LoRs and such?

2) Considering that I have my work experience in Projects and Operations and thereby plan on pursuing MBA in Operations/Project management, should I aim for a better score in Quant? (something around 49-50)

3) Which are the best schools for MBA with specialisation in Operations and Project Management? How good is ISB for the same?

Your help will be thoroughly appreciated.

singh330

Joined: 16 Jun 2017

Last visit: 02 Dec 2025

Posts: 3

Given Kudos: 5

Location: India

Schools: S.P.Jain Institute (A) ISB'22

GMAT 1: 680 Q48 V35 Verified score

Schools: S.P.Jain Institute (A) ISB'22

GMAT 1: 680 Q48 V35 Verified score

Posts: 3

Kudos: 0

07 Apr 2018, 06:31

Kudos

Bookmarks

Hello souvik101990 , I have been reading your debriefs and I would like to have your feedback on my profile.

Gender - Male
Age: 25 years

Work Experience (3.5 years)
2018 onwards Business Operations at UpGrad for Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence Program Vertical
2016 - 2018 - Associate Consultant - Worked on Business Transformation Projects, and Leadership Development
2015 - CEO at AIESEC in Mumbai - Led an Executive Body of 12 Members with an annual budget of INR 1 crore, driving top-line revenue worth 65 lakhs through four products (B2C and B2B), led an overall work-force of 200 members
2014 - Headed Operations at AIESEC and worked at Godrej and Boyce as a Supply Chain Associate

Academics:
BE - Mechanical Engineering - Mumbai University
2012 - 2014: Represented the college at National (2012 and 2014 - SAE India) and International Competition (2012-2014) at Formula Student Germany Competitions by building a prototype race-car. Delivered through roles of Project Manager, and Production Engineer
Placement Co-ordinator
Grade: 60% (First Class)
12th: 78%
10th: 91%

Extra-curricular:
1. AIESEC: Started from a member in 2013 and went on to be elected as the President/CEO of the Mumbai office for the official term of 2015-2016
2. Formula Student Germany Competition in Germany (2012, 2013, 2014)
3. Blogger for AOL Media (2012-2013)
4. Nokia Ambassador
5. State Level Sprinter - 100 metres, 400 metres

GMAT - scheduled for 1st June (highest Mock score has been [i][b]630 in MGMAT Mock)

I am looking forward to applying to the below colleges:
1. ISB (also has an AIESEC scholarship worth 5 lakhs)
2. NUS
3. NTU
4. SP Jain
5. IIM Ahmedabad (next year for Exec)

I know I really have to work on my GMAT score. Maybe around 720.

Would definitely love to know your thoughts on the profile and how to go about the same.

Cheers

sudiptKr

Joined: 06 Aug 2017

Last visit: 18 Aug 2018

Posts: 1

Kudos: 0

12 Apr 2018, 07:08

Kudos

Bookmarks

May I request for profile evaluation ?
2010 - Grad, Computer Engineering, Delhi College of Engineering.

Work experience

2011- 14 months work experience with bank of America in Business Intelligence. (Resigned from Job)
2011-2013 - Prepared for Civil Services. Not able to get through.
2014 - Co founded a national NGO for differently able.
2015- Co founded, a partnership firm to teach cadets for NDA at schools under defense ministry.
2016 - Co founded a start up for providing free quality material for competitive examinations in hindi language as it comprises of 45 % of our population. For the same raised pre seed funds from DTU IIF.

Sports profile

2011- Silver at National Championship in Para Table Tennis.
2012- Speaker at International Conference for London Olympics at Delhi University.
2013- Represented India at Para Table Tennis Thailand. World rank 72.
2016- Successfully negotiated with Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI), Sports Authority of India (SAI) and International Para table Tennis Committee (IPTTC) for National championship of Para table Tennis which was due in India since 5 years and no one was ready to provide any solution. I intervened and helped in formation of national body to take care of Para Table Tennis under TTFI. Consequently, we were able to win medals in Para Asian Games (1 Bronze), Thailand Open, 2017(3 Bronze) and Jordan Open (9 medals, highest in India). Recently I have been able to get funds allocated for national championship which was due 5 years and also presented a separate budget for Para Table Tennis of 1.5 crore which is about to pass in a month. Presently I have been selected as players representative for Para Table Tennis but it is not a legal sanctioned post.

Which MBA school I stand a chance for scholarship ? GMAT :700

Posted from my mobile device

Mani2879

Joined: 04 Apr 2018

Last visit: 31 Mar 2022

Posts: 18

Own Kudos:

Given Kudos: 88

Location: India

Schools: Schulich "22 (A)

Posts: 18

Kudos: 36

12 Apr 2018, 13:11

Kudos

Bookmarks

Hi Souvik
Thanks a lot first of all.
I Wanted to know how are the MBA programs in Canadian business schools ? In terms of ROI and post MBA job opportunities considering Canada has a smaller job market as compared to the US.
Also, roughly how much GMAT score should I target if I am looking for top 10 schools in Canada.

Thank you!
Mani

Sent from my XT1562 using GMAT Club Forum mobile app

abhinav2892

Joined: 07 Dec 2016

Last visit: 26 Nov 2024

Posts: 40

Own Kudos:

Given Kudos: 54

Location: India

Schools: ISB '19 IIMA Melbourne '21 Erasmus '20 (S)

GMAT 1: 710 Q50 V36 Verified score

GPA: 4

Schools: ISB '19 IIMA Melbourne '21 Erasmus '20 (S)

GMAT 1: 710 Q50 V36 Verified score

Posts: 40

Kudos: 7

27 Apr 2018, 12:25

Kudos

Bookmarks

Name: Abhinav
Nationality: Indian
WE: 49 months (Oil & Gas) ( Project Management & Tech Operations)
I have been involved in construction & commissioning of an LNG terminal
GMAT: 710 (Q-50, V-36)

Extra Curricular:
1. Represented the university in various cricket tournaments
2. Prepared a technical review paper
3. Was the university sports secy
4. Organised a few events at the university

Academic Background:

B.Tech(Petroleum)- 74.6%

Awards & Achievements:

1. Was among the top 1% performers in the organisation
2. Was placed at the highest paying company from the university and I was among the top 5% of my batch ( i dnt know if this is an achievement )
3. Was a part of the school team in the district level tournaments conducted by the hyderabad Cricket asssociation

School Preference:

I am mainly looking for a 1-year (at max 15-months) MBA program preferably in English speaking country.I want to work in the general management or operations vertical. I am looking for colleges in any country , where in I could get into these business verticals. I have been waitlisted at ISB , but could no cut through after that.

As far as what I've experienced , i understood that the colleges generally pick those students , whom they would find no difficulty in placing. Can you please suggest me some good colleges ,where in my profile would suit

The colleges , which i am looking into are

NTU
NUS
ISB

Thanks in advance.
Abhinav

souvik101990

Alum

Joined: 19 Mar 2012

Last visit: 11 Nov 2025

Posts: 4,314

Own Kudos:

53,373

Given Kudos: 2,326

Location: United States (WA)

Concentration: Leadership, General Management

Schools: Ross '20 (M)

GMAT 1: 760 Q50 V42 Verified score

GMAT 2: 740 Q49 V42 (Online) Verified score

GMAT 3: 760 Q50 V42 (Online) Verified score

GPA: 3.8

WE:Marketing (Non-Profit and Government)

Products:

Expert

Expert reply

Schools: Ross '20 (M)

GMAT 3: 760 Q50 V42 (Online) Verified score

Posts: 4,314

Kudos: 53,373

05 May 2018, 07:41

Kudos

Bookmarks

Heisenberg12

Okay here goes

For Q1 - you can always try the GMAT again. Considering it is May, I hope you are going hard at those quant and verbal questions, if you feel you can up the GMAT by 30-40 points, you will make a remarkable improvement to your candidacy to top business schools. The 710, would not cut it to top 10-15 schools. If it does, it will definitely be a very outlying example.

For Q2 - Q49/50 would be pretty awesome. That's pretty much as good as it gets. In my personal opinion, there is a massive difference between a Q49 and a Q50, but Q50 and Q51 are often interchangeable. Your most ideal split would be a 740 (Q50 V40) or above.

For Q3 - It is hard to say to be honest. Operations can be a pretty vast space and you have to dig further into what you really want to do. For example Operations at Amazon would look significantly different (and droolworthy) compared to say, Apple or FedEx. Both ISB and top schools can get you to these places. Some schools to look at would be Ross (it is pretty much THE school for operations and there is an option to do a joint degree with the Tauber institute of operations). In addition, I would also look at Tepper, McCombs and perhaps ASU (it is one of the best for SCM functions).

souvik101990

Alum

Joined: 19 Mar 2012

Last visit: 11 Nov 2025

Posts: 4,314

Own Kudos:

53,373

Given Kudos: 2,326

Location: United States (WA)

Concentration: Leadership, General Management

Schools: Ross '20 (M)

GMAT 1: 760 Q50 V42 Verified score

GMAT 2: 740 Q49 V42 (Online) Verified score

GMAT 3: 760 Q50 V42 (Online) Verified score

GPA: 3.8

WE:Marketing (Non-Profit and Government)

Products:

Expert

Expert reply

Schools: Ross '20 (M)

GMAT 3: 760 Q50 V42 (Online) Verified score

Posts: 4,314

Kudos: 53,373

05 May 2018, 07:43

Kudos

Bookmarks

vivek_singh330

How is your GMAT Prep going? Your experience looks really interesting (with startups etc) and I think ISB would be happy to take you in if you crack a 730 or above on the GMAT. Is there a reason you don't want to apply to American schools? i think you can make a strong case with your differentiating work experience and with a high GMAT score, I don't see off-the-top-of-my-head glitches on the top 10.

souvik101990

Alum

Joined: 19 Mar 2012

Last visit: 11 Nov 2025

Posts: 4,314

Own Kudos:

53,373

Given Kudos: 2,326

Location: United States (WA)

Concentration: Leadership, General Management

Schools: Ross '20 (M)

GMAT 1: 760 Q50 V42 Verified score

GMAT 2: 740 Q49 V42 (Online) Verified score

GMAT 3: 760 Q50 V42 (Online) Verified score

GPA: 3.8

WE:Marketing (Non-Profit and Government)

Products:

Expert

Expert reply

Schools: Ross '20 (M)

GMAT 3: 760 Q50 V42 (Online) Verified score

Posts: 4,314

Kudos: 53,373

05 May 2018, 07:45

Kudos

Bookmarks

Mani2879

The average/median GMAT scores for Rotman, Schulich, and Ivey are available on their website. Generally, I would recommend aiming at a GMAT score that is 30-40 points above the school median with a cap at 750-760.

The ROI for Canadian schools are pretty solid. i know 3-4 people at Rotman who did not have an issue with getting jobs in Canada but you would most likely be limited to working in Canada - if that is something that you are cool with, Rotman is your best bet. It has also become more selective since last year because of you-know-who.

souvik101990

Alum

Joined: 19 Mar 2012

Last visit: 11 Nov 2025

Posts: 4,314

Own Kudos:

53,373

[1]

Given Kudos: 2,326

Location: United States (WA)

Concentration: Leadership, General Management

Schools: Ross '20 (M)

GMAT 1: 760 Q50 V42 Verified score

GMAT 2: 740 Q49 V42 (Online) Verified score

GMAT 3: 760 Q50 V42 (Online) Verified score

GPA: 3.8

WE:Marketing (Non-Profit and Government)

Products:

Expert

Expert reply

Schools: Ross '20 (M)

GMAT 3: 760 Q50 V42 (Online) Verified score

Posts: 4,314

Kudos: 53,373

[1]

05 May 2018, 07:50

Kudos

Bookmarks

abhinav2892

Abhinav - thank you for sharing your stats. As you might already know, the biggest favour that you can do to improve your chances is to up your GMAT. I am not really aware of a lot of 1-Y programs that might place you in a leadership ops role, but some of the really strong programs that are 1-Y in the US are Kellogg and Johnson. If you look beyond the US, you can try INSEAD, IE, IESE and other schools in Europe. I know you said English speaking, but I have heard some terrific reviews of operations post-MBA employment at Mannheim in Germany. Of course, language will be a big factor there. For Asian schools, I would add HKUST to the list. You should try learning Mandarin for that, but that also will be doing yourself a big favour.

souvik101990

Alum

Joined: 19 Mar 2012

Last visit: 11 Nov 2025

Posts: 4,314

Own Kudos:

53,373

Given Kudos: 2,326

Location: United States (WA)

Concentration: Leadership, General Management

Schools: Ross '20 (M)

GMAT 1: 760 Q50 V42 Verified score

GMAT 2: 740 Q49 V42 (Online) Verified score

GMAT 3: 760 Q50 V42 (Online) Verified score

GPA: 3.8

WE:Marketing (Non-Profit and Government)

Products:

Expert

Expert reply

Schools: Ross '20 (M)

GMAT 3: 760 Q50 V42 (Online) Verified score

Posts: 4,314

Kudos: 53,373

05 May 2018, 07:51

Kudos

Bookmarks

Sorry the last 4 posts took longer that usual, but considering that it is only beginning of May - most of you folks haven't yet started flexing those application muscles. There is still a LOT of time - or is there? :O

D3N0

Joined: 21 Jan 2015

Last visit: 19 Mar 2026

Posts: 585

Own Kudos:

607

Given Kudos: 132

Location: India

Concentration: Operations, Technology

Schools: Smeal'21 (WD) Arizona State'21 (A$) Simon '21 (WD)

GMAT 1: 620 Q48 V28 Verified score

GMAT 2: 690 Q49 V35 Verified score

WE:Operations (Retail: E-commerce)

Products:

Schools: Smeal'21 (WD) Arizona State'21 (A$) Simon '21 (WD)

GMAT 2: 690 Q49 V35 Verified score

Posts: 585

Kudos: 607

Updated on: 06 May 2018, 14:26

Originally posted by D3N0 on 05 May 2018, 09:32.
Last edited by D3N0 on 06 May 2018, 14:26, edited 1 time in total.

Kudos

Bookmarks

souvik101990

Go ahead, and Ask Me Anything!

Hi !

Please provide some feedback and suggestion on my profile.

Background:
Male/Indian
Age at the time of application submission: 32

Education:
XI= 77%age
XII= 73%age
B.Tech (Computer Science); GPA: 6.4/10 (Bad because I lost track of my education) few bumps here and there which show on my Transcripts.
Masters in International Business : 3.1/4 (London) Also 4 months I spent in US for Educational Rotation Programme
GMAT: Not given yet.

Work Experience : +6 years (7+1/2 by the time join college in 2019.
(1) 2 years as business development manager at startup marketing firm. Retail distribution ofFMCG producs. Achieved 1 years target in 10 months and active contribution in growth of the business.

(2) 2 years 7 months with Import Export Company: Assistant manager Marketing and International Sales. Worked on Ferro metal and agri products export from india. Dealing directly with Export heads of big corporations such as Jindal Steel, Bhushan Steel, Vedanta and others. Mostly handled Middle east and Europe clients.
Also coordinated with Custom House agents for completion of documentation and Shipping of the products.

(3) Two years 3 months: One of india's Largest Group: Assistant Manager Sales: handled sales for a state and improved on sales numbers (from 35%, before I joined to 65% of Target achievement). Handled Projects worth 10 Million to 30 millions (In INR) mostly handled Govt Projects and tenders.

Also completed few online Business courses from Universities such as Wharton, Dardan, and others.

Extracurriculars:
(1) During Schooling: Science Fair Organising Committee member: Won Science Fair awards. Participated in Sate level Science Fair. Won many district level science fairs.
District level Debate Champion and Participated at State level. (Team Leader at State level Science Fair)

(2) During Undergrad: Won Gold at College level cricket Tournament (Vice caption). 1 Silver at college level Volleyball Tournament (Team member).
Co-Funder and Manager Dance Club, Team member of dance Team. Won best choreographer award for National level College fest.
Fashion Show coordinator at National level Cultural Fest. House Caption for Cultural Activities.
Gym trainer at College.

(3) During Masters: Memeber of Consulting Club and Marketing Club, 4 Months Study in US. Team member of Winning team for Case project done for one of US's leading Online Education Company. Presented Ideas to Panel from the company and Won the Competition.
During Masters helped one of the student from Armenia in her project for Quality Management (Volunteer, just helped/guided)

(4) during Work Ex: At (2) Import and Export company: Incharge of project for Company's website design.
at (3) company Won badminton tournament (Doubles) Total 12 teams. Completed many trainings at corporate level.

As being from a small town not much of the guidance were available for me. I am the first person from whole town to go to abroad for study so I wanted to help others. In my free time I try to guide as many people as i can. Achieved good results : two of them have become CA, few have gone to Engineering colleges, few joined management institute and some are preparing for Govt. services. ( This is something I believe in doing)

Choices*: Tuck, Fuqua, Ross, Darden, Tepper, Kelley,

Post-MBA Goals:
Interested in Consulting or Analytics

What are my rough chances at the aforementioned schools? Will I benefit from an extra year of work experience?
Will age be a factor? What are other Schools which, you think, will be fit for my profile?
Any suggestions from your side will be appreciated.

Thanks & Regards,

souvik101990

Alum

Joined: 19 Mar 2012

Last visit: 11 Nov 2025

Posts: 4,314

Own Kudos:

53,373

Given Kudos: 2,326

Location: United States (WA)

Concentration: Leadership, General Management

Schools: Ross '20 (M)

GMAT 1: 760 Q50 V42 Verified score

GMAT 2: 740 Q49 V42 (Online) Verified score

GMAT 3: 760 Q50 V42 (Online) Verified score

GPA: 3.8

WE:Marketing (Non-Profit and Government)

Products:

Expert

Expert reply

Schools: Ross '20 (M)

GMAT 3: 760 Q50 V42 (Online) Verified score

Posts: 4,314

Kudos: 53,373

06 May 2018, 09:28

Kudos

Bookmarks

dkumar2012

Please provide some feedback and suggestion on my profile.

Okay first thing's first. Thanks for posting such an elaborate note. Most people do half the work you've done here, so that's always a plus. One problem I have with profile posts like this is the lack of a valid GMAT score. To be honest, it is impossible to say anything unless you have a valid score - not practice tests, not "estimated" scores, none of that. So I am going to go ahead with the fact that you can score a 730+ GMAT score. if you do, I would say you are in a pretty clear zone of getting an interview invite in almost all the schools that you have listed.

Couple of things to note. I have said it before (in BIG BOLD text) - your high school stats and extra curricular does not matter. They might be meaningful if something really interesting happened when you were young which led certain decisions in the future, but they are --almost certainly-- essay content.

Your work experience seems very impressive and you have articulated your accomplishment in numbers - which is always a plus. You, now, have the task ahead of you to articulate these accomplishments in action in your essays.

For example - I achieved our revenue target in 10 months instead of 12 is all fine and dandy but it does not really talk about WHAT YOU DID. So try to think in that trajectory. It will help crafting your resume and your essays.

The semester abroad as well as the masters degree will surely help making you look better to b school resume scanners. You have mentioned post MBA goal industries but not really the rationale which is basically the point of the goals.The actual goal matters a lot less than your reason to identify those goals. Make sure to have that set up.

Finally, you have taken a good set of schools that will look at you favourable. While 32 will be a couple years older than the average at all the schools, but I am sure Fuqua/Tuck will not mind. The fact that you have Tepper and Kelley, tells me that you are not a ranking chaser, which is always a good news. i would swap Kelley with Emory if I were you, and for consulting hopefuls, I always end up recommending Booth as well. If you can hit a 750/760, I would strongly recommend Booth and Sloan.

Lastly, the GPA can hurt, but honestly, not so much. i have a theory that GPA does not matter that much for Indian universities. Your UK Masters program and GMAT (hopefully!) will take care of that.

GoodGuy

Joined: 16 Jul 2016

Last visit: 12 Jul 2020

Posts: 251

Own Kudos:

[1]

Given Kudos: 33

Location: India

Schools: NUS '21 Stern '21 NTU '20 Rotman '21 Haas '21 (WD)

GPA: 4

WE:Brand Management (Retail: E-commerce)

Products:

Schools: NUS '21 Stern '21 NTU '20 Rotman '21 Haas '21 (WD)

Posts: 251

Kudos: 37

[1]

07 May 2018, 10:03

Kudos

Bookmarks

souvik101990

Go ahead, and Ask Me Anything!

Hi Souvik,

Hope you are doing good. I was desperately look for some help and guidance. I am glad you created this thread. I will share a brief about my profile and then will mention the places where I am stuck.

GMAT - 700 (Q50, V34, AWA-5, IR-8). Work ex - 47 months as on date.

Grad & Work Ex:
I have done my graduation in Fashion Technology from National Institute of Fashion Technology. My college is regarded as the best fashion college in the country and is among the top 3 colleges in Asia. Right now I am working with the biggest apparel organisation in the country. I have reached middle management role in a very short duration and currently heading pan India operations team of my brand.

Profile
Qualitatively I have a strong profile. I have worked hard to build my profile over the last few years. I am national level athlete and a national level quiz medalist. I have led teams during my college days and have also worked for couple of spiritual and non-for-profit organisations in the past.

Reasons for MBA
Though I have got good success in the initial years of my career, a graduate degree won't be sufficient to take me to senior level roles in future. An MBA at this stage will definitely help in making my profile much stronger. A masters degree will also make me financially more stable.

Post MBA plans:
Post MBA I want to work in roles of Brand Management with specialization in the fields of Strategy and Marketing. I am open to industries outside the fashion industry though I wouldn't mind coming back to this industry.

I am planning to re-take GMAT again around mid July and try for R1 & R2 applications this year.

Dilemma

Foreign schools
I am skeptical about US schools because of the current geo-political situation. Under the given scenario I don't see any point in trying for a college outside top 30. Colleges within top 30 are quite expensive. Getting in these colleges is extremely tough with my score and scholarship seems a distant dream as of now.
Similar is the case for European colleges (LBS, Qxford, INSEAD,etc) and NUS.

Indian schools
In Indian schools, I can try for 1-year course of IIM A/B/C. I can't apply for B&C this year because of less experience. Though my profile is slightly unique, I am not 100% confident about IIM A at this stage. ISB seems like a good choice but an education loan of 45 L for an Indian school sounds scary. Moreover, with a batch strength of >800, things can get slightly tough during placements.

Inherently I am a very optimistic person and I always look for opportunities of growth and learning. But I am getting slightly skeptical at this stage because of the cost involved. There is absolutely no margin for error in this case. Even after 4 attempts, i have not been able to reach a score on which I can apply to colleges confidently.

The biggest question on my mind is - Which B School to Apply and I was very happy to see this thread.

Hope I have given all the required information for you to suggest the best course of action. Let me know if you need any other detail from my side. Will be looking forward to your reply.

D3N0

Joined: 21 Jan 2015

Last visit: 19 Mar 2026

Posts: 585

Own Kudos:

607

Given Kudos: 132

Location: India

Concentration: Operations, Technology

Schools: Smeal'21 (WD) Arizona State'21 (A$) Simon '21 (WD)

GMAT 1: 620 Q48 V28 Verified score

GMAT 2: 690 Q49 V35 Verified score

WE:Operations (Retail: E-commerce)

Products:

Schools: Smeal'21 (WD) Arizona State'21 (A$) Simon '21 (WD)

GMAT 2: 690 Q49 V35 Verified score

Posts: 585

Kudos: 607

08 May 2018, 00:27

Kudos

Bookmarks

souvik101990

dkumar2012

Please provide some feedback and suggestion on my profile.

Okay first thing's first. GMAT (hopefully!) will take care of that.

Thank you so much for your reply Souvik.
I will keep your points in mind and plan accordingly.

Thanks again.

nhanhieulogo

Joined: 09 May 2018

Last visit: 09 May 2018

Posts: 4

Kudos: 0

09 May 2018, 19:23

Kudos

Bookmarks

Hi Souvik,

Great initiative. I look forward to submitting my profile here in the near future.
For now, let me start by posting a question that concerns a lot of candidates but yet somehow often gets ignored.
Where do you see the future of GRE w.r.t the GMAT in the coming years.

In 2017, of 50 top business schools examined by Poets&Quants, 18 saw more than 20% of their applicants submit GRE scores, up from only eight schools in 2016.

Putting aside MBB recruiting( which requires you to take the GMAT), do you think GRE will be able to catch up with the GMAT in terms of B-school admits ?

What is your perspective about the whole GRE vs GMAT conundrum?

Best
Stone Cold