Yale Profile Evaluation - Tools for B-School Profile Evaluation

Background / nationality :
Indian female

Undergrad Information :
IIT BTech / MTech ; top 500 AIR
IIT Btech : 6.9/10
IIT MTech : 8.8/10 ( +scholarships)
GMAT: 710

Work experience and leadership :
6 years
Currently cofounded a start-up in edutainment
a.Early member of a tech start-up: In Europe+ US - 3 promotions ;
b.Management Consulting - Two promotions
c.tech start-up in the past ( funded + won many awards )

Community and others :
Corporate social responsibility related activities
Active in student clubs for all years ( several activities to mention)
fundraising for many causes

Post MBA goals :
Entrepreneurship

Anything else?
Recos are good.

What is the chance of this profile in Yale SOM?

Hi dony1989,

With the limited info you shared, I think overall your profile is pretty strong. The good GPA and IIT background help, as does the excellent GMAT. The fact that you've done some consulting work already helps position you well for your post-MBA goal, and the team-based experience is great too. Have you led teams? Have you been promoted? Have you had any international exposure? Those would be good experiences to highlight, if so. My areas of concern are a) that you're applying from a competitive demographic (which I'm sure you know), and b) your extracurriculars are really light. Anything you can restart? Or maybe there are additional duties you take on at work, like training/mentoring/hiring, that you could position as non-required roles? That could help a little, but I still think could be a concern, especially in terms of demonstrating your leadership in an activity outside work.

Best of luck!
Kate

Hi Taanya Khare!

Good to be planning ahead

See my notes below -- I think the biggest area for you to improve is GMAT!

Best,
Kate

Hi newbiestar123! See my notes below....
-Kate

Hi, please evaluate my profile.

Background and nationality: Female Engineer from IIT, Indian
Undergrad Information: Mineral Engineer, GPA: 3.30
GMAT: 730 (Q: 50, V: 40, AWA: 4)
Work experience and leadership: Work in one of the big fours in management consulting domain. Worked on projects such as turnaround, capacity building, marketing strategy, business planning etc. for mining sector clients.
Community and others: Associated with toolbox India and Toastmasters International
Post MBA goals: Would like to work in strategy consulting in firms such as MBB, ATK etc.
Anything else?
______________

Hello,

Kindly go through my profile and check its suitability to the Yale MBA program.

• Country: India
• GMAT Score: 760 (Q:50, V:47, IR:8, AWA:5)
• Total Work Experience (in years): 10
• Undergraduate Institution: BITS Pilani (India)

Work Experience:

I am an engineer-turned-entrepreneur with ten years’ of diverse experience in building internet-based businesses spanning across education, e-Commerce and the not-for-profit sectors. I began my career as a Software Developer at Satyam Computers, a publicly-listed technology firm where I managed a team of 4 to build the Agent management system for State Farm Insurance, a Fortune-500 company.

Over the past eight years, I have worked on three different start-ups, two of which were co-founded by me. In 2009, I launched an educational consulting firm that counselled students on various career avenues and trained them on job skills. I was responsible to handle 12-member team that conducted workshops in over 200 schools impacting 10000+ students and partnered with the local government to guide underprivileged children. Could not monetize the venture sufficiently and had to shut it down three years later.

I co-founded a food-tech start-up in 2012 that accepted orders for restaurants and delivered them at the customer’s doorstep. I built the company from the ground to successfully deliver over 400 orders a day and a GMV crossing $600,000. After bootstrapping the business for two years, I sold the company to the India-based technology vendor of Seamless.

I have been working for the past two years on an internet platform for the social sector that connects the various stakeholders such as NGOs, Donors, Volunteers and development professionals. I have successfully onboarded more than 50,000 individual members and 5000+ NGOs in India.

Post MBA:

I plan to transition to the Venture Capital sector and aim to join an Impact VC firm to use my diverse entrepreneurial experience for identifying and supporting disruptive social business ideas.

Thank You!

Hi mk10071986,
Actually "hi again" as I remember seeing your profile on the Sloan thread too. I think your profile is really strong -- great GMAT, made a difficult switch from engineering to entrepreneurship, and some measurable successes with your start-ups. Your involvement in the social sector would fit very nicely with Yale's curriculum and mission. My only worry is that you're much more experienced than the typical applicant for Yale's 2 year program (3-5 years work experience on average). So you could still give it a shot (just make sure you explain why you're interested in the 2 year full-time option), but I think programs like Sloan Fellows would be a more logical fit.
Best of luck!
Kate

Hi. I was dinged without interview from most of the Rd1 schools I applied to (HBS, Wharton, Stanford, CBS). I did interview at Sloan and am waiting to hear a decision. In the meantime, I am working on essays for Rd2 schools, including Yale.

After being dinged without interview at so many schools, I have concerns that my age and my profile are going to be tough sells at other top schools (Yale, Booth, Kellogg, Stern, etc.). Looking for advice on my chances and what I can do to maximize them.

Background and nationality: 32 y/o American white/middle eastern male
Undergrad: 3.66 GPA from public state university; Finance major; magna cum laude
GMAT: 760 (47/47)
Work experience:
10+ years WE including military deployments.

The Good: Currently in a compliance role at JPM while serving as a logistics officer in the Marine Corps Reserves, where I am a captain and command a company of ~175 Marines. Deployed to E Europe during the Crimea Crisis and again in 2017. Lots of stories there involving building trust and relationships with people of different nationalities across E Europe, overcoming language barriers, bringing multiple nationalities together for a common goal, etc. Also leveraged accounting background to discover and escalate $MMs in overpayments to a government contractor. Had to overcome bureaucracy as a junior officer to get the government recompensed.

The Bad: Long-winding road to get to my present situation as a 2008 recession grad: worked multiple blue collar and service jobs, was injured in Marine Corps training twice, did not finally commission as an officer until 2013, 5 years after my initial decision to join the military. I sacrificed a lot of time and job opportunities on this commitment. Was an inner-city kid from a state school who worked full-time to pay for college so missed the boat on internships and networking that would have helped.

Extra-curriculars: As well as working for JPM and serving in the Reserves, I am a part-time video game developer for a Microsoft contractor; I am part of a team developing a blockbuster game series with 4 million players. I also prepared many of our marketing materials and am involved in customer outreach.

Post-MBA Goals: I hope to leverage an MBA to give credibility to a career transition to product management, preferably in entertainment software or another tech-related field. I believe I would be effective in such a role by combining my leadership and operations/logistics experiences from the military, my financial background, and an MBA coursework focused on marketing and operations management. My part-time experience in game development and marketing may also give me some credibility to transitioning to a full-time position with Microsoft or with another firm, such as Electronic Arts.


So, do I have a shot? Anything I can do to mitigate some of the red flags in my profile that probably got me dinged from schools?

Hey all,

I'd first like to say thanks for the help. I'm in the midst of applying for Msc Management and similar programs (like the Yale SOM) now and am looking for any suggestions on how to improve my applications / what to emphasise on my profile.

My Profile -
Asian-Singaporean, ethnic Chinese
GMAT: 780 (Q51, V45), AWA 5.5
Undergrad Degree: LLB Law, Durham University, UK (currently in my final year)
Grades: Low 2.1, 62% average
Extra-curricular activities:
- Participated in a few Europe business games, placed in finals for a couple challenges
- Various student club leadership positions at university (pretty law-related)
- captain of college basketball team (more of a school club thing rather than university-level competition)
Work Experience:
- 1 internship at a small tech startup
- 3 internships at big law firms in Singapore (M&A, Intellectual Property, Commercial work)
- 2 years in the Singapore military as a sergeant (probably will not emphasize this)

My weaknesses I feel would be my poor undergraduate grades and not-too-exemplary extra-curricular activities. Most of my previous work experience has been law-related as I've only recently come to a decision to not pursue the law path.

My dream in the long haul would be to do an MBA in the US at a reputable business school and work in the US afterward. My short-term goal would be to do an MiM in Europe, preferably London, and to go into consulting after for a few years, hopefully MBB but also at other firms such as Strategy&, etc.

The schools I am applying to are:
US, MBAs - HBS 2+2, Yale SOM
UK, MiM - LBS, LSE, Imperial College London
Paris, MiM - HEC Paris

Would like advice on my profile for Masters applications and the viability of me getting into these schools. Also on which schools would give me the best chance of getting into the MBB consulting firms, or if there are any schools I may have overlooked. Any help would be much appreciated, thanks!

Nationality- Indian
Gender- Male
Undergrad- Engineering from IIT
Grad GPA: 2.4/4
GMAT- 700 (Q-50, V-34, IR-6)

Work Exp : 6.5 yrs as of now
1. Have worked in 4 different industries with roles varying from Operations, Project Management, Business Strategies, Venture Launch.
2. Have got 4 role up-gradations in last 6.5 yrs, with all 4 of my organizations.
3. As a part of International work experience, Worked closely with Siemens VAI (Austria team) for a duration of approx. 10 months, on a $40 million project. Worked on successful commissioning and launch of project. Later worked on designing and implementing the operations for the Project
4. Have worked as EA to CXO level in an organisation with yearly turnover of $2.5 Billion, directly monitoring the business size of approx. $0.6 billion.
5. Have almost 2.5 yrs of work ex with 2 startups, both in different market segment.
6. First Startup (secured series B of $10 million): launched the business in a City and was responsible for expansion and PnL of that city. Later launched a business vertical for same startup, worked from scratch on doing pilot projects, designing the sustainable business model, setting up the complete Operations, Sales team. Later launched the business in 5 different cities, and later left the startup, when we were clocking approx. 1000 transactions per day. As of now this business has grown to approx. 10K transactions per day, with positive unit economics.
7. Second Startup (secured Series C of $34 million): Worked with multiple functions, to improve Supply Partner NPS. Launch loyalty program for company. Majorly look into the various problem statements company is facing and work on resolving them, with fast pace.

Volunteer Experience:
1. Worked with an NGO and taught kids in Orphanage for approx. 6 months (Though do not have any document to prove the same).

Extra Curricular:
1. Conceptualized, scripted and acted in a comedy play in College.
2. During college Lead a team of five and completed Kedartaal Trek (5 day trek at height of 10055 feet) (comes under moderately difficult category).
3. Was a part of Hockey team and won 3 silver medal in Intra College hockey tournaments.
4. Certified Rock climber (completed Basic rock climbing course) (rigorous 15 full day course, followed by practical and theoretical tests)

Post MBA Aim: considering that already been worked in 4 different industry and going by my interest in solving various problem statements, looking to move in Consultancy.

Also would like to know all probable schools, considering my profile and GMAT score, where I should apply.

TIA

This thread has been quiet for a while. The consultants are probably focused on helping people with Rd2 apps.

Hi Filthydelphia, sorry it's been quiet! You're right re. Round 2 craziness.

I see since your original post that you got your Sloan decision and I'm sorry about that. I agree that your age and "winding" career path may be a tough sell. And Sloan has become so selective lately. I do think you have many strengths in your profile though, so I think you are in range for other top schools like Yale.

I'm curious to know more about your current role and how the skills you're building in a compliance focused role transfer to product management; hopefully that's something you were able to explain more in your essays/interviews. But it seems like a less traditional career switch to make.

Otherwise, I think you really need to demonstrate your interest to your R2 target schools, continue networking and showing them how you fit with the program, and demonstrate your open-mindedness and that you are not "set in your ways" (a stereotype of older applicants) and that you have the skills and motivation to make this career switch. Your GMAT/GPA stats are impressive, and your military experience will be a strength, so I hope those things will outweigh any concern about your age.

Best of luck!
Kate

Hi All,

I am a lawyer from a top 5 law school in India. I hold a dual degree (Bachelor of Socio-Legal Sciences + Bachelor of Law).

Work experience: 3 years.

1. Consultant - EY, Bangalore for 1 year. Work profile- corporate advisory, private equity/funds advisory, tax advisory.

2. Associate Legal Counsel- role of an in-house corporate lawyer with Infosys Limited. Work profile: Negotiations, Deals, Risk strategies and liabilities.

GMAT: 740 GPA: 3.6 plus

Extra curricular: Professional Classical vocalist with 15+ awards from various institutions.

Blogger+ Run an online fashion initiative promoting Indian fashion and brands. Run the team newsletter at work.

Volunteering work: good amount of volunteering and community service including Bharat scouts and guides, Make a difference etc.

Preferential schools: Yale, Stanford, Booth, CMU Tepper, Kelley’s

Significant achievements: 0.1% merit certificate from CBSE; Part of British Council’s “Dreams and Teams” leadership initiative.

Other courses: Hold diplomas from Asian school of cyber laws, World intellectual property organisation.
Completed “Harvard Manage Mentor” modules.

Languages: English, hindi, tamil, Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam and Marathi (7 languages)

Wanted to understand what are my chances to any of my dream schools, specifically Yale ?



Sent from my iPhone using GMAT Club Forum

Hi Sandhyabiswas93,

Thanks for reaching out. You have a strong profile overall. In terms of stats, you're in a pretty good position with Yale, with a GMAT above their median (730) and a GPA very close (3.69). As you may have seen on these boards, the pool of applicants from India is extremely competitive though, so good stats are not enough. I think your background studying law and advisory work will help differentiate your profile. Some of your extracurricular activities will help you do that too, especially the fashion blogging, that's a bit more unique!

What are your post-MBA career goals and reasons to get your MBA? Those will be important to articulate clearly, and of course you'll want to identify specific resources you can take advantage of at Yale to achieve your goals.

So overall I think Yale is in range for you. It's very competitive though and the school is increasingly popular, so I would also make sure you have some backup options in mind too.

Best of luck!
Kate

Hi all,

Please help in evaluating my profile for Yale.

Indian, Female, 30 Years

GMAT – 720

Undergrad: Bachelor of Technology (Electrical Engineering) – (Non-IIT---top 5% in the university) – (2004-2008)-4.0 GPA
Grad: Master of Science (Computer Science) – Univ of California, Davis – (2010-2013)-3.6 GPA

Work Experience:
After Undegrad:
Lectureship at Government Engineering College (2008-2010)
Mentor at Training and Placement Cell for the students at that college
After Masters:
Software Engineer at Cisco Systems, San Jose from 2012-present, with one promotion.
-Leading the team as a senior software engineer,
-Interaction with marketing (product management/TMEs) and marketing for narrowing down the features customer ask for
-leading cross functional team for delivering software successfully
-driving from front the customer serviceability requests for our products

Extra Curriculars –
- Volunteering at a certain Engineering College in India for placement guidance, campus preparation and resume review.
- Organizing various events in our Business Unit at Cisco, from Socials or Picnics to hackathon etc.
- Mentoring new hires and Interns
- Organizing volunteering activities for our cross-functional group at Cisco.
- Part of team organizing fund-raising (In Silicon Valley) for education of underprivileged children in India.
- Organized Hepatitis B vaccination drive at my mother's work place (one of the most reputed banks in India) for 5 consecutive years

Hobbies -
- Dance (founder of dance/drama club in my undergrad college)
- sports (winner of University badminton championships in undergrad for 3 years, stopped after knee injury)

Achievements:
- Won multiple hackathons at Cisco (couple of them where I was the team leader)
- Won multiple awards at Cisco for recognizing my performance and leadership
- Won scholarship till under graduation from State Bank Of India on Merit

Hi there! I just responded to your post on the Sloan thread: https://gmatclub.com/forum/what-are-my- ... l#p2041111

I feel pretty similar about Yale -- it's become so competitive that I don't see a material difference in your chances at those two schools.

Good luck!
Kate