Profile evaluation for ISB, INSEAD, HEC, IE

Question

Hey,

I'm Harsh. I'm planning to apply to the following school (class of 2019) for a 1-year MBA:

1) ISB Hyderabad
2) INSEAD Paris (Spring batch)
3) HEC Paris (Spring batch)
4) IE Madrid (Spring)

Here's a snapshot of my profile:

GMAT: 720 (QA - 48, VA - 40)

Work Experience
- I'm currently working as a Product Manager in a leading software product Indian MNC, mostly having business in the US
- I'll be completing 3 years of full-time work experience in July this year
- I founded and ran my own tech startup, in consumer internet, for a year, where I was the head and leading a team of 6-7 people
- Since then I've progressed well in my career, currently in a role which is traditionally reserved for MBAs from top bschools. I regularly work with other product managers who mostly from ISB and the top IIMs.
- Before this role, I was working in a cross-functional leadership role with a big digital media company where I was working directly with the CEO on a strategic level.
- As product manager, I've worked on shipping multiple products (both from a strategic and functional aspect) and have continuously led teams of small and big sizes
- Have extensive experience in working with leadership teams in marketing, sales, operations etc due as part of being a full-stack product manager

Extra-curricular
- I've worked with one of India's leading volunteer-driven NGOs for two consecutive years, where I was recognised as one of the best volunteers for a year and then helped created substantial impact by piloting a new project in my city chapter.
- I'm currently taking French classes
- I'm also a regular at Toastmasters International
- In college, I was the founding member and head editor of the official student/staff newsletter
- I've been a regular quizzer, Rubik's speed-cuber during school/college life

Academic
- B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering from a state university
- Avg grades in undergrad
- Academic gold medalist in school

Post-MBA goals:
- Want to make a move to strategic management - either in strategy consulting at one of the top firms or a business leadership role at large tech organisations
- Would also consider a role in venture capital given my overall business, product management and entrepreneurial experience
- An MBA would help me gain an overall perspective to strategic management, finance, organisational structures etc and diverse peer groups will help me understand multiple sectors, industries and functions closely.

Would really appreciate a profile review and feedback for my chances at my choice of bschools.

TIA!

Apphelp · Answer

Hi Harsh,

We think you have a great profile! An entrepreneurial stint and a product management role definitely add value to your profile. A score of 720 is also quite competitive for your target schools. We think that the choice of schools is apt too. What would be critical to your application from hereon, would be the ability to demonstrate clarity of goals in your essays.

Since you are already in a role coveted by MBA graduates, the question may also arise: do you need an MBA? We recommend that you take some time out to talk to current students and alumni of these schools, and map a more definitive career path for yourself. Each B-school has its strengths and we also recommend that you attend roadshows and ad-com sessions to find out how can you showcase your profile to each of these schools.

Lastly, begin early on your applications so that you can showcase your leadership potential to the best.

Feel free to reach out in case of queries.

harshgupta16 · Answer

To answer this briefly:
- I want to move into strategic management through strategic consulting. Product management is more functional rather than strategic, especially at an early stage of one's career, and more so in large organisations building complex products
- Also, with product management, one is limited in one's knowledge of sectors, industries, as you're only exposed to the limited boundaries in which your company/product is operation. Going into consulting gives you tremendous exposure with every new project - new industry, new sector, markets, and functions. You get to define large-scale strategies, improvements in big organisations, working with senior leadership teams, which in turn helps you understand overall business functioning better.
- My background in product management and startups has helped me build skill-sets in market research, competitive analysis, new product development, marketing strategy etc, hiring, culture etc, which'll in turn help me make a, hopefully, successful move to consulting.
- An MBA will help me, firstly thru academics, gather holistic knowledge of business management - strategy, finance, organisation structures, marketing etc. Secondly, with the diverse group of people from different cultures, academic and professional backgrounds that attend schools will be the perfect peer group to learn various aspects of managing businesses. Thirdly, the way MBA courses are structures - case studies, consulting/marketing/finance etc clubs, business events - will help me polish my communication, networking, and leadership skills. Lastly, the network one builds during the course, and with the alumni, will be of tremendous value all my professional life, no matter what I decide to pursue in my career ahead.

- I didn't get this part. Did you mean that starting applications early will help me prepare better essays which show my leadership potential to the fullest?

PersonalMBACoach · Answer

Thank you for posting your profile details. Overall this is a pretty strong profile for these schools! I am really interested in learning more about your startup. What kind of business?

While things look good, the quant is a bit low for your competitive set. It will all come down to how well you execute on your story. Have you started drafting materials or would you like help putting everything together?

Feel free to reach out and learn more about how we can help.

Best,
Scott

harshgupta16 · Answer

Thanks for the review Scott!
Here's a brief snapshot of my startup:

1) It was a consumer internet venture, think of it like a Craigslist but for college students only. Overall, we were trying to bridge the communication and networking gap in college communities, one of its manifestation was the need for a marketplace which connects students for their day-to-day needs of books etc and other academic and non-academic stuff (notes, electronics, carpooling, apartments etc)
2) I built the team and product from scratch, hiring interns/full-time employees
3) I supervised almost every function - product, engineering, marketing, finance etc
4) We're in the market to raise venture capital - investors were pretty interested in our idea, and we were extremely close to raising our seed round, until things collapsed at the eleventh hour - that is when we had to shut it down
5) We grew the product from zero to 10k registered users, 40k monthly visits, GMV of $20k uploaded on our website, with 10+ weekly transactions, average order size of $10 (ignore the dollar-rupee parlance, its just to give you info, our metrics were pretty decent from a India/rupee standpoint). All this we did with less an budget of less than $1000. And we never spent a dime on marketing, it was all hustling, and guerrilla marketing techniques.
5) Ignoring the end-result, this was a tremendous 13 months for me, I learned and did things out of my skin - coding, product management, marketing, hiring, motivating people to believe in our vision and to work for free, pitching at accelerators, to seasoned investors.
6) These 13 months changed my life - and when I look back, the thing that I enjoyed the most? Learning new things, seeing them getting applied, looking at the results, iterating, improving and hustling all the time.

My startup experience influenced me to seek a career in product management, probably the closest role to being a CEO. Its a role which involves immense leadership skills, people management, influence without authority, and cross-functional business/technical knowledge.
The bottomline for my career choices has always been to learn new sectors/industries/functions, think out of the box, apply analytical solutions to complex problems, and keep challenging yourself to move out of your comfort zone.

And this is what leads me to make a move to strategy consulting as well, for which I consider an MBA an important stepping stone.

PersonalMBACoach · Answer

Thanks for the follow-up. You have a great background and if crafted well, it should lead to strong applications. Best of luck and reach out if you want to discuss further.

Best,
Scott

99Colleges · Answer

Hi Harsh,

Your experience as a product manager and as an entrepreneur (even though the scale was small, lessons learnt still count) gives you a cross-functional and leadership experience. You can explain your post-MBA career goals both ways (strategy consulting or PM etc. in a technology company). However, reason for strategy consulting can sometime sound superficial, which one needs to guard against. Also, you may look at your target schools from the perspective of having enough tech recruiters. This could be a good plan B in case you change plans, which isn’t uncommon. (I assume you were a technical PM, which could just give you some leeway here.)

Second, your college-time ECs don’t matter much if you aren’t continuing with them. And one with deep interest and impact is better than superficial dozens.

Profile evaluation for ISB, INSEAD, HEC, IE

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