Stanford Profile Evaluation - Tools for B-School Profile Evaluation

If you get in the 730-750 range you will not be wasting your or your recommenders' time by applying. The academic portion of your profile is definitely competitive at M7 schools, even with the 720 (but a higher score would help). However, That portion will get you to the door: it won't get you in. Given your finance background, I suspect that you could get a pass on weak community service IF the achievements and growth in responsibility on the professional side are impressive or above average for people in your field and your goal is something that the school can help you achieve.

In terms of Stanford specifically, I don't see a lot of initiative in what you wrote above and that's what Stanford wants IMO. In my mind Stanford is a stretch, but more info about you, could change my assessment.

You might be interested in the following resources:

Get Accepted to Columbia Business School, a live webinar that I am presenting next Wednesday Dec. 11.
Get Accepted to Stanford GSB, a recorded webinar.
How to Present a Winning Wharton Application, a new podcast interview with Wharton's admissions director, Blair Mannix.

Best,
Linda

GMAT - 730
Undergrad - B.Tech in Biotechnology (major) and Computer Science (Minor) (Undergrad) from IIT Guwahati (Top 10 in India)
GPA - 8.6/10 (Top 15% in my class)
Background - Indian - non IT Male
Total Work Ex - 5.5 years (~1 Year in IT consulting and ~4.5 years in consumer tech startups)

Brief Summary

During my 2 month B.Tech internship at University of Strasbourg - France, I published a research paper on HIV in International Journal of Virology. I have spent almost 3.5 years in a early stage start-up , where I was the first Data Analyst to be hired and went on to lead the Analytics team as Associate Director - Data Analytics. I was also working on Central Growth strategy and helping the CEOs office in raising a $50 Million Series D funding. I am currently working in a mid stage startup as a Sr Manager in Strategic Business Planning Team, scaling and commercialising the Commercial Interior Design vertical and refining the Annual Operating Plan for the entire organisation. I have also worked with an IT MnC in India for about a year as a Validation Consultant for the Regulatory Domain in the Medical Devices Vertical where I was helping the clients as well as internal teams to create products compliant with the FDA rules. I have done volunteering work with an NGO for 2 months, during which I trained the students from Primary Government School to participate in city level competitions where the children secured top positions. I have also taken a few online courses on Data Science and a executive course on Project Management from IIMB, one of the top B schools in India. I can get recommendations from the Founders/CXOs in the startups which I have worked. My short term MBA goal is to get into a startup and contribute in a larger capacity or join a corporate strategy team of a big organisation. Long term goal is to start a business on my own.

GMAT - 730
Undergrad - B.Tech in Biotechnology (major) and Computer Science (Minor) (Undergrad) from IIT Guwahati (Top 10 in India)
GPA - 8.6/10 (Top 15% in my class)
Background - Indian - non IT Male
Total Work Ex - 5.5 years (~1 Year in IT consulting and ~4.5 years business, strategy and leadership in consumer tech startups)

Brief Summary

During my 2 month B.Tech internship at University of Strasbourg - France, I published a research paper on HIV in International Journal of Virology. I have spent almost 3.5 years in a early stage start-up , where I was the first Data Analyst to be hired and went on to lead the Analytics team as Associate Director - Data Analytics. I was also working on Central Growth strategy and helping the CEOs office in raising a $50 Million Series D funding. I am currently working in a mid stage startup as a Sr Manager in Strategic Business Planning Team, scaling and commercialising the Commercial Interior Design vertical and refining the Annual Operating Plan for the entire organisation. I have also worked with an IT MnC in India for about a year as a Validation Consultant for the Regulatory Domain in the Medical Devices Vertical where I was helping the clients as well as internal teams to create products compliant with the FDA rules. I have done volunteering work with an NGO for 2 months, during which I trained the students from Primary Government School to participate in city level competitions where the children secured top positions. I have also taken a few online courses on Data Science and a executive course on Project Management from IIMB, one of the top B schools in India. I can get recommendations from the Founders/CXOs in the startups which I have worked. My short term MBA goal is to get into a startup and contribute in a larger capacity or join a corporate strategy team of a big organisation. Long term goal is to start a business on my own.

Hi All,


I'm going to apply anyways, but I'd like some feedback to manage expectations I guess.

Arab-American Male

Hons B.Acc (Accounting & Finance), small US liberal arts school, full scholarship
3.95/4
MSc Financial Economics, Oxford Said

Current GMAT
750
Work experience
5 years: derivatives trading, VP at Tier 1 bank in London, resigned to pursue startup

Community
Seeded a small impact fund in a developing country, 1 startup invested in and it is up and running now

Post MBA goals
I am in the process of launching an insuretech startup, so I'd like to continue working on this throughout and ultimately scale it. Stanford is very appealing because of the geography and the ability to grow the team from local talent

You should apply anyways. You have a competitive profile. You may be interested in:

MBA Essay Editing
Stanford GSB MBA Essay Tips
Get Accepted to Stanford GSB, a recorded webinar.

At the same time, given Stanford's extremely low acceptance rate also apply to other programs that support your goals. look into HBS, Haas, MIT Sloan, Wharton, Booth.

Best,
Linda

It's always hard to provide a profile eval in cases like yours where we have some good stats and cursory info but not necessarily the full picture. On the surface, you check the boxes - 750 GMAT, great undergrad GPA from great school, marquis employer (tier 1 bank), int'tl experience. I'm not sure from your background how old you are (important since ave over 28ish is negatively correlated with admission) or how your startup ambition syncs with your prior experience or how involved you are in your community or what your extracurriculars are.

You will need to do a good job convincing the GSB AdCom that you are imminently qualified to raise capital and scale this business idea and that you have a plausible plan of action post-MBA. I probably don't need to tell you that GSB admissions are insanely competitive, and, as an international student, you come from a very over-represented (and therefore even more competitive) demographic. Most Arabs applying will be male. It is a benefit that you are not coming out of O&G or O&G professional services (IB, consulting) as these industries are more represented.

One thing that the AdComs want to understand about non-US international students is how imminently plausible their plans are given the immigration realities in the U.S. Vanishingly few companies can reliably sponsor international workers now. Top banks, consulting firms and tech companies have the resources and budget to sponsor international workers, but smaller start ups don't. And if you want to stay in the U.S. to start/continue your OWN start-up (as you hint given the location of GSB), there are ways to do that, but it isn't easy. That, combined with the high cost of tuition and resulting debt-load post-MBA, is one of the reasons why many GSB international students move to industries where they can get quickly green card-tracked post-MBA and put off their entrepreneurial plans a few years until after the have a greencard. All of this isn't to dissuade you from your entrepreneurial ambitions, but you should be smart about how you articulate them to the AdCom in your application. No AdCom wants to risk somebody who can't do what they want to do and therefore is a drain on the GSB alumni profile from a rankings perspective.

If talking to an admissions consultant about strategic positioning (post-MBA plans, etc.) may be helpful to you, feel free to sign up for a free consultation here: https://admissionado.com/free-consultat ... sultation/

It's a little bit hard to provide feedback without talking to you directly, but you have a lot to be proud of in your application: IIT grad (that's what all the schools prefer in your extremely competitive demo), international work/academic experience, good professional experience with demonstrated career and EC leadership.

Your GMAT is fine for GSB from an objective sense given its overall average, but it's on the lower side for an Indian Male IIT applicant. Still, your GMAT shouldn't be a deal breaker, even though you will probably be evaluated on a relative basis rather than an absolute one.

Although your academic experience is very impressive (masters, published status), I wouldn't focus on it too much in the application outside of the resume. GSB will impressed with academic accomplishments but it's best if they are combined with a great history of promotions, professional leadership, and ambitious goals for which you are imminently qualified given your past professional experience.

It's great that you had a 2 month commitment to a civic organization that empowers Indian youth, but GSB will want to see continued and sustained extracurricular involvement. It's better to be involved in an EC commitment for many years than for just 2 months. So to the extent that you can build out that general passion of mentoring/helping kids as a deeply-held interest that's spanned multiple years (even if that particular position was only 2 months), that would be ideal.

One note on your espoused career interests - especially your start-up vs. corporate ambitions: AdComs want non-US international students with imminently plausible their plans are given the immigration realities in the U.S. Vanishingly few companies can reliably sponsor international workers now. Top banks, consulting firms and tech companies have the resources and budget to sponsor international workers, but smaller start ups don't. That, combined with the high cost of tuition and resulting debt-load post-MBA, is one of the reasons why many GSB international students move to large corporations where they can get green card-tracked as quickly as possible post-MBA and put off their entrepreneurial/start-up plans a few years until after the have a greencard. All of this isn't to dissuade you from your start-up career dreams, but you should be smart about how you articulate them to the AdCom in your application. No AdCom wants to risk somebody who can't do what they say they want to do in their application - that's bad from a rankings perspective.

Revised

My response for Stanford is pretty much the same as my response for HBS. Address your low GPA as suggested here. .

Give it a go. I'm not sure that HBS/Stanford or bust is the best approach, but for R1 of next year, it's fine. You can fine tune if needed or simply continue in your career path.

Best,
Linda

Hi All,

Please evaluate my profile as an international applicant for the MBA program at Stanford

Nationality: Indian
Age: 25 (Will be 27 by the September 2021 intake )
Undergraduate Qualification: BSc Honours Statistics (3 year course with a GPA of 3)
Other qualifications: Have cleared 11 (out of 15) Actuarial Exam
GMAT: 730
Work experience: 4+ years (will be 6+ years by intake) in the insurance, reinsurance and consulting sector. Have worked with world’s largest reinsurer and EY. Received various awards from office (Employee of the quarter/month).
Extracurriculars: Zonal level football participation. Organising various events during college involving the entire Delhi University (including Marathons, internship fairs, Youth Summits etc). Also travelled to HongKong for official work and attending seminars.

Posted from my mobile device

Please Evaluate my profile and any feedback would be nice

Male based in Dallas, Texas

Background and nationality: Age 29 & Black

Undergrad Information: Undergraduate GPA in Mechanical Engineering: 2.9 but Graduate School GPA in Technology Management: 3.87

GMAT: Not taken yet-Goal is >700

Work experience and leadership:
Overall experience: Operations/Manufacturing for about 7 years
Previous experience: Supply Chain Manager/Manufacturing Manager/Quality Engineering. (Fortune 500 Companies)
Current Experience: Program Manager @ Defense Aerospace company leading cross functional teams
Got promoted twice current company in 3 years

Community and others
Undergrad: Researcher at Robotics Lab, Academic Tutor and Financial Chair on National Society of Black Engineers. Multiple internships at Top companies.
Currently: Official paid mentor selected by current company to mentor high school & college students, Appointed-President of Employee Resource Group at Current job, Business Round Table Speaker-Go to high schools in surrounding areas to enlighten Kids on STEM and also tutor some STEM courses. Working in program in Dallas community with under privileged kids in alternative high schools schools to put them on the right path. Leader a Teenage program assisting college and high school students with mentorship, college admission, scholarships etc. President of National Society of Black Engineers Professional Chapter

Post MBA goals - Working in Technology and Strategy

Anything else?
Certification-PMP
Awards & Recognition: Manager of the Quarter Award & Leadership Awards
Excellent Performer ratings at work

If your GPA was originally in a percentage, can you provide the percentage? Also, what do you want to do post-MBA?

Linda

Thank you so much for the reply Linda.
Graduation percentage - 70%
Post MBA goals- work in healthcare/ insurance/ consulting/ PE.

Posted from my mobile device

Strawhat1989,

Thanks for your post. Obviously your GMAT will matter. But let's assume it comes in at 710+, you still have a chance at Stanford and other top MBA programs. Stanford, just because of the competition is a stretch, but I would encourage you to apply. Your undergrad GPA is low, but if you combine a competitive GMAT and your masters GPA with recognition that you had a tough undergrad major, I think you will be given serious consideration. Your goal makes sense, but sharpen in your application.

Here are some resources for you:
* MBA guidance and editing.
* Stanford GSB MBA Essay Tips
* Get Into Stanford, a recorded webinar

Best,
Linda

Hi Everyone,

Nice to meet you all. It would be nice to have your feedback on my profile. Please kindly to check it below:

Background: Female, 24 years old from Indonesia

Undergrad Information:
University of California, Irvine with major in Business Administration
GPA: 3.94 /4.00
Honors: Magna Cum Laude

GMAT: 720

Work experience and leadership:
- Family Business for a year as a Product Manager
- Retail Company as a Budget Analyst
- Founder of an online store
- EY as an Advisory Intern

Community and others:
- Volunteers at UNICEF

Post-MBA goals:
I would like to join a social-purpose company as their product manager and then develop my own social venture company.

Thank you so much for your time and feedback!

Hi everyone, I am a 22-year-old Australian about to begin my final year of undergraduate studies with the intention to complete an MBA through GBS's deferred pathway. Due to my expected graduation date, I am eligible to apply to potential programs in 2021. I believe that my GMAT score and essay(s) will ‘make or break’ my application. I appreciate any feedback on my profile and would like to hear opinions on what would be an appropriate GMAT score to target for Stanford. My current train of thought is minimum --> 710, target --> 730, dream --> 750.



(1) BACKGROUND

Work experience:

• Big 3 German automotive manufacturer (Volkswagen, BMW, Mercedes)
  
  
  6-month internship in Germany
  
  
• Prestigious boutique German automotive manufacturer
  
  
  14-month internship + thesis in Germany.
  
  Only (possibly first) non-EU resident at the company

Extra curriculars:

• Founding president of the mechanical engineering student association
  
  
  200+ members in six months
  
  Organised an on-campus industry expo with 30+ companies and 1100 student registrations
  
  Company Q&As, industry visits, skill workshops, etc.
  
  
• Elected undergraduate representative of 12,000+ students on the school’s academic board
  
  
  Hold monthly academic board meetings with the pro-vice chancellor and other high-ranking school officials. The academic board establishes the structure of academic programs and discusses school matters. There are a lot of NDAs!
  
  
• In2Science mentor
  
  
  Mentor a classroom of low socioeconomic high school students to increase their engagement, confidence, and aspirations in STEM.
  
  
• Student-Staff consulting representative
  
  
  Consult with my peers to identify program-related opportunities for improvement and present those issues at student-staff meetings.
  
  
• Entrepreneurship club
  
  
  Committee member
  
  
• Founded a side-business on a shoestring budget
  
  
  Automotive part marketplace, similar to this. I DO NOT want to brand it as a start-up.
  
  
• Very early stage NPO start-up
  
  
  I have the ambition to not let this happen again. Everyone has the right to get home safely!
  
  MVP almost complete.
  
  
• Golden Key International Honour Society
  
  
• Formula SAE

Undergrad school/major:

• Location - Australia
  
  
• QS 250, QS Engineering 100
  
  
• Mechanical Engineering (Honours) | Business Management
  
  
  Will graduate with two degrees.
  
  Received several awards.
  
  Featured on university promotional material.
  
  
• December 2020 graduation date

Other education/coursework:

• Certificate III in Music Industry

Race/nationality:

• White
  
  
• Australian

Sex:

• Male

(2) STATS

Cold GMAT Scores:

• MGMAT#1 620 (Q40 V35)
  
  
  Taken 23/12/2019
  
  
• GMATPrep#1 530 (Q32 V32)
  
  
  Taken 26/12/2019
  
  
• Potential test dates: July 20’, December 20’, January 21’, February 21’

Undergrad GPA:

• 4.0 / 4.0
  
  
  6 subjects remaining.

(3) MBA INFO

Goal of MBA:

• [Short-term] To move away from traditional engineering roles and into management style roles particularly in NPO start-ups. By being accepted into a deferred program I will have the confidence after undergrad to take professional risks, whether that is to begin/grow a start-up or apply myself in a smaller boutique firm. Furthermore, I will have the support of the school’s network to help accelerate my professional progression in the period before matriculation.
  
  
• [Long-term] My longer-term vision is to make a positive impact in Australia. Currently Australia has a large dependence on its mining and farming exports however both industries are in decline which will ultimately damage the economy. The automotive industry was once in this position, unfortunately the industry succumbed to the downward trend and manufacturing has since been abandoned. My goal is to bring back the automotive industry to Australia in the form of renewable and sustainable practises thus contributing jobs, innovative technology, and pride to the country.

(4) OTHER

International exposure and languages:

• Two months in Tanzania
  
  
• Two years in Germany
  
  
  Can speak German at an elementary workplace level which I learnt in my own time.

Matriculation:

• Aim to work for 3-4 years before matriculating
  
  
  Assuming that I am accepted into a deferred program.
  
  
• Will be ~27 years old at time of matriculation

Essay discussion points:

• Aspirations to lead and make a positive impact.
  
  
  Unfortunately Fortunately I have no ‘sob stories’.
  
  
  
• MBA goals
  
  
• Time spent in Germany

Hi guys, I would greatly appreciate it if you use your fortune-telling powers to evaluate my chances of getting invited to GBS R2 interviews.
- Age: 29. Male.
- Nationality: Egypt.
- Background: Medical Doctor (M.D.)
- University: Most prestigious medical school in Egypt.
- GPA: 3.82
- GRE: Q:162 (79%) V: 159 (83%)
- Four years of US-based experience in the field of cancer & Molecular diagnostics.
- 3 promotions. From Sales to Marketing to Product development & Strategic planning.
- Published researcher in Biotechnology and Stem Cells form elite US institutions.
- Current: Founder & CEO of a Molecular Diagnostics Consulting Company.
- Extracurriculars: President & Founder of the biggest Student Club. President of the Student Union.
- LORs: President of the company I worked for reflecting on a successful business track record. & University Professor & mentor reflecting on a history of leadership in extracurricular activities.
- Essay: Influences that impacted my decision to pursue medical entrepreneurship, why an MBA & post-MBA goals.
Thanks & I really appreciate your efforts so much!