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May 2008:00 AM PDT
-08:30 AM PDT
What’s in it for you- Live Profile Evaluation Chat Session with Jenifer Turtschanow, CEO, ARINGO. Come with your details prepared and ARINGO will share insights! Pre-MBA Role/Industry, YOE, Exam Score, C/GPA, ECs Post-MBA Role/ Industry & School List.
May 2110:00 AM EDT
-10:30 AM EDT
Most candidates submit a resume built for a recruiter. Admissions committees are reading for something else entirely. This session covers what adcoms actually evaluate, where strong candidates lose ground before a single essay is written, and why...
May 2208:30 AM PDT
-09:00 AM PDT
Get the inside scoop on what makes Emory’s Goizueta Business School great and how you can present a strong MBA application. Explore the difference between our One-Year MBA and Two-Year MBA programs, talk to our admissions team, and meet students.
May 2203:00 PM EDT
-04:00 PM EDT
The old MBA recruiting playbook is dead. Here’s how top admits are getting ahead this summer.
May 2311:00 AM PDT
-12:00 PM PDT
Transform your MBA application from chaos to clarity with Admit Expert. Get personalized guidance to make your application stress-free and streamlined. Say goodbye to overwhelm and start your journey to success today. Partner with Admit Expert now.
May 2308:00 PM PDT
-09:00 PM PDT
Inquire for a free profile evaluation and guarantee statement for possible admits and scholarships!
May 2707:30 PM EDT
-08:30 PM EDT
Learn how to choose the right recommenders and strengthen your MBA candidacy in this live AMA with Stratus experts.
May 2910:00 AM PDT
-11:00 AM PDT
Download the MBA Launchpad App, for FREE access to the largest MBA database - Data backed read on your profile - Identify gaps before you apply - Build a balanced school list - Track your deadlines - Mock interviews - Extensive content library
Jun 1006:00 AM PDT
-06:15 PM PDT
Register for the GMAT Club Virtual MBA Spotlight Fair – the world’s premier event for serious MBA candidates. This is your chance to hear directly from Admissions Directors at nearly every Top 30 MBA program..
11 May 2016, 01:33
Kudos
Bookmarks
Hi there.
I'm looking for advice on how to build my profile for the top notch B Schools (M7), particularly H/S/W. I just graduated with a score that WES converts to 4.0, and with a Commerce and Accounts degree from a top University of India.
I have taken the GMAT once, but the score was just shy of 700 and so I plan to take it again in an year or two. For now, I'm joining a Top european investment bank at an analyst position (middle office). The job offers a lot of foreign exposure and good peer group.
Other than that, I have strong extracurriculars with a degree in an Indian classical dance form, and I play an Indian instrument too. I've done some amount of volunteer work but not a whole lot compared to many others out there, and one of my LOR will definitely be by a Top 20 US bschool professor. Also, I'm a US citizen but brought up in India. I've also presented a paper in an international undertaduate college.
I want to do an MBA because I want to go into venture capital after some point, and then probably start up.
Let me know what course of action I can take to strengthen my chances, other than the Gmat score. Should i try to transition into PE or VC or a start up once I have some experience to increase my chances? Is work experience of 2 years enough? Would I be evaluated among my indian peers or american peers? Thank you so much! Looking forward to your reply.
Oh, and I'm taking my CFA L1 this year too. By the time I apply, i should be done by CFA L2 too.
Posted from my mobile device
I'm looking for advice on how to build my profile for the top notch B Schools (M7), particularly H/S/W. I just graduated with a score that WES converts to 4.0, and with a Commerce and Accounts degree from a top University of India.
I have taken the GMAT once, but the score was just shy of 700 and so I plan to take it again in an year or two. For now, I'm joining a Top european investment bank at an analyst position (middle office). The job offers a lot of foreign exposure and good peer group.
Other than that, I have strong extracurriculars with a degree in an Indian classical dance form, and I play an Indian instrument too. I've done some amount of volunteer work but not a whole lot compared to many others out there, and one of my LOR will definitely be by a Top 20 US bschool professor. Also, I'm a US citizen but brought up in India. I've also presented a paper in an international undertaduate college.
I want to do an MBA because I want to go into venture capital after some point, and then probably start up.
Let me know what course of action I can take to strengthen my chances, other than the Gmat score. Should i try to transition into PE or VC or a start up once I have some experience to increase my chances? Is work experience of 2 years enough? Would I be evaluated among my indian peers or american peers? Thank you so much! Looking forward to your reply.
Oh, and I'm taking my CFA L1 this year too. By the time I apply, i should be done by CFA L2 too.
Posted from my mobile device
VantagePointMelody
Expert
Joined: 19 Apr 2016
Last visit: 28 Apr 2026
Posts: 203
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Expert reply
11 May 2016, 20:11
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Hi there,
Thanks for reaching out! Congratulations on your recent graduation! It’s great that you’re taking a proactive approach to pursuing an MBA - it's always easier to make changes now vs. 3 months before you submit your application. At this point in your timing, your focus should really be on going all-in at work since that’s the biggest variable/unknown in your profile right now. And by “going all-in”, I don’t just mean delivering on the expectations of your job responsibilities, but stepping up and bringing new ideas to the table, making recommendations for improvements/changes, and making an impact in any way that you can. Two years of work experience is the bare minimum for the top business schools and so you’ll need to provide evidence of the quality of experience (leadership experience, level of responsibility, level of impact, etc.) you had in those 2 years in order to be competitive with applicants that have double that time in the work force to develop their careers. (I’ve worked with plenty of applicants on the young side who have gotten into H/S/W but it’s a matter of quality over quantity in terms of their work experience.)
Your ECs are solid but it would be great to see a deeper involvement in your community in a leadership capacity. If volunteering is something you have a passion for, perhaps you could step up and take on a role leading a team of volunteers or organizing a fundraiser. That's how your ECs can work harder for you and help set you apart. Start now so you can develop a track record.
I'm not sure about having a professor write a letter of recommendation since the schools typically ask for professional LORs but that's a bridge you can cross when you're getting ready to apply. Your recommender selection should fit within your broader application story and strategy.
For your career goals of working in venture capital, those jobs are highly competitive even at the MBA level and they typically go to folks with relevant prior work experience (namely in PE/VC and to a lesser extent, IB). For you, given that your new role is in the middle office, you’ll need experience in a revenue-generating role before VC is a viable option. Your best bet would be to pursue IB directly after your MBA, with a longer-term goal of transitioning into PE/VC. Of course, if you could land a banking job prior to going to business school, then you could do that for a few years and potentially accelerate your timeline.
In terms of how you’ll be evaluated by the adcoms, I would expect it to be among your Indian peers since that is where you grew up and went to undergrad. However, you could always call the admissions offices and ask that question as it could vary by school.
I hope this helps! Best of luck and definitely keep us posted on when you decide to apply to MBA programs!
-Melody
Thanks for reaching out! Congratulations on your recent graduation! It’s great that you’re taking a proactive approach to pursuing an MBA - it's always easier to make changes now vs. 3 months before you submit your application. At this point in your timing, your focus should really be on going all-in at work since that’s the biggest variable/unknown in your profile right now. And by “going all-in”, I don’t just mean delivering on the expectations of your job responsibilities, but stepping up and bringing new ideas to the table, making recommendations for improvements/changes, and making an impact in any way that you can. Two years of work experience is the bare minimum for the top business schools and so you’ll need to provide evidence of the quality of experience (leadership experience, level of responsibility, level of impact, etc.) you had in those 2 years in order to be competitive with applicants that have double that time in the work force to develop their careers. (I’ve worked with plenty of applicants on the young side who have gotten into H/S/W but it’s a matter of quality over quantity in terms of their work experience.)
Your ECs are solid but it would be great to see a deeper involvement in your community in a leadership capacity. If volunteering is something you have a passion for, perhaps you could step up and take on a role leading a team of volunteers or organizing a fundraiser. That's how your ECs can work harder for you and help set you apart. Start now so you can develop a track record.
I'm not sure about having a professor write a letter of recommendation since the schools typically ask for professional LORs but that's a bridge you can cross when you're getting ready to apply. Your recommender selection should fit within your broader application story and strategy.
For your career goals of working in venture capital, those jobs are highly competitive even at the MBA level and they typically go to folks with relevant prior work experience (namely in PE/VC and to a lesser extent, IB). For you, given that your new role is in the middle office, you’ll need experience in a revenue-generating role before VC is a viable option. Your best bet would be to pursue IB directly after your MBA, with a longer-term goal of transitioning into PE/VC. Of course, if you could land a banking job prior to going to business school, then you could do that for a few years and potentially accelerate your timeline.
In terms of how you’ll be evaluated by the adcoms, I would expect it to be among your Indian peers since that is where you grew up and went to undergrad. However, you could always call the admissions offices and ask that question as it could vary by school.
I hope this helps! Best of luck and definitely keep us posted on when you decide to apply to MBA programs!
-Melody
