Profile Review for M7+Insead,HEC

Question

Hi,

I am working at BPCL ops. Work ex 8.5 years. Have worked across several divisions such as logistics, maintenance and HSSE.

Undergrad - mechanical. Joined BPCL through GATE(AIR -174). Top Five of my class in college.
Have undertaken several projects of community service for which I was recognized by BPCL on their social handle.

GMAT 2023(dt Sep13) - 750(Q49/V42).

What are my chances for M7 especially HBS and GSB? Targeting for R2.

Thanks in advance.

Regards,
Deb.

MBAPrepCoach · Answer

Hi Deb you might want to spell out and/or explain some of these acronyms I have no idea what any of them mean

dejay92 · Answer

BPCL Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited, a Fortune 500 PSU.

GATE - an annual exam conducted by the IITs in India to pursue higher studies in Engg.

Btw, I am an Indian Male.

Also HSSE is Health, Safety, Security and Environment.

Posted from my mobile device

pintukr · Answer

Congratulations on an excellent score.

All the best for the applications.

MG4MBACrystalBall · Answer

dejay92 , a few thoughts on your profile evaluation and lots of questions for you:
 
  The academic profile is unclear. What's your college name and pedigree? GPA? The GMAT score helps of course but that's just one aspect of several others that matter in your candidature.  
  The BPCL brand is not a typical feeder to M7s/INSEAD/HEC. What's your detailed work profile? Achievements? Trajectory? All these and more (like what's your post-MBA plan), matter. In our experience, the PSU to private transition is best managed within India - in case that works for you of course.  
    Community service   helps. And BPCL social media is great, but like the other post, don't assume international adcoms would instantly understand what you've achieved/delivered. Bring out the right context and details to help them out.  
  For INSEAD/HEC,   international experience   matters a lot. Anything here? The other aspect to bear in mind is that MBA after 30 is tricky and for most regular full-time programs, you'll be an outlier candidate, leading to these  challenges . Make sure to factor these in your plans?

Hope this sparks the right questions that will guide your applications journey.

Feel free to reach out on the below email id for further discussion (with a resume).

Cheers,

ExpertsGlobal · Answer

Hello  dejay92 ,

Apologies for the delayed response but we hope this finds you in time still.

INSEAD values strong international or entrepreneurial experience; we do not quite see that on your profile.

With regard to HBS and GSB, your GMAT score is alright, however, your chances will be highly dependent on how well your essays are able to differentiate your case, highlight your strengths, and portray a set of logical goals.

Both are among the best schools in the world and chances are slim for most applicants; however, if you feel like you have your best case in hand, you must go ahead and apply.

Additionally, when you are talking about community service, try moving beyond just "volunteering" to focus on how your involvement in community service help you build leadership skills, etc.

All the best!

MBAPrepCoach · Answer

Your GMAT score is good, and possibly also your extracurriculars but not enough information here to know. I can't really tell if you have the habit of leadership or the leadership without authority that Harvard is seeking or the out-of-the-box questioning your assumptions innovation mindedness that Stanford is looking for.

The acceptance rate of Stanford is 6% and I would say it's probably half that for Indian nationals so it's quite difficult to give an assessment but I think you should make sure to pay equal attention to the other schools you have listed here. Don't throw all of your effort into the Stanford application which is entirely possible, and if you don't have time to do that alongside the other applications I would probably focus on the other schools. It's a very long application with dim odds for just about anyone.

Also as a more experienced candidate I have to say that's also not good for these two schools both are known for choosing younger candidates.
It's somewhat difficult to know what to advise in terms of school selection. As an older candidate European schools would be more interested in you, however I don't know if your goal requires an internship. If it does then I don't think September for INSEAD is going to be a good idea, and for HEC you do the internship generally at the end and that doesn't give you a lot of room for maneuvering if you want to switch.

If you need to make a pivot then I think you should go for January intake which will give you a little more time which is very necessary because that is a very long application as well. I think LBS is a school that might really make sense for you if you do need to make a pivot to reach your goal, they like older candidates, and it's a two year program if you choose to make it that. You can actually do 2 internships there. If you are single there's a little bit of an advantage right now because they actually are no longer giving visas for dependents.

I'm noticing you have IMD on the list here so I'm guessing that you feel you can reach your goal without an internship and if that's the case I think I would recommend applying to Columbia January intake. The odds are just a lot higher, and you're only waiting three more months. It's more suited to older applicants. They don’t offer financial aid for J term but I don’t think that should stop you.

For both INSEAD and LBS there needs to be a clear international orientation which isn’t apparent right now; same with all EU programs but less so HEC (that said – if you are not interested in learning or working in French more limited ROI).

I don't know if you've considered it but it's a bit along the same lines as IMD - I think Stanford MSX would be a good thing to shoot for, since you have 8 years.

2 year for Kellogg – good odds there. The 1-year is mostly for business undergrads.

If you don’t need an internship then the 1 or 1.5 year programs in the US and EU are good options and they skew older as well.

Profile Review for M7+Insead,HEC

Prep Toolkit

Top 5 GMAT Debrief Videos

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards