Stanford Profile Evaluation - Tools for B-School Profile Evaluation

Hi SanyaKullar,

Your profile looks good. Your stats are great (assuming 3.26 has been converted from a 10.0-grade scale). If you target GSB, I would say a score around 730 will serve your profile better. However, your commerce background and being a female will help you get diversity. Now, your college experience is quite great. You have been involved in and lead many departments and activities. Your overall work-experience looks great with examples of career achievements and a good career trajectory in all the organizations you have been part of. However, it does not look very straightforward, like you have worked in very different industries and functions during your 5 years. Would like to know more on this and how you reached your post-MBA goals Your community experience (by highlighting impacts and unique experiences) and your certification should be plus in your profile. So, overall, a decent shot at Stanford. We are delighted to hear your story and discuss at length your chances. Feel free to book a free session with us as per your convenience.

Cheers!
Kashish Garg,
Community Manager, MBA and Beyond

On behalf of,
Shantanu Sharma,
Founder and Admissions Consultant, MBA and Beyond
Email: shantanu@mbaandbeyond.com
Linkedin

With more than 8 years of experience spanning across entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship, Shantanu has worked across the globe as a Procurement Manager, Product Manager (Marketing, Operations, Payments and Risk/ Fraud), Growth Consultant, eventually unraveling his love for helping candidates with their MBA application as a Coach. Shantanu started coaching applicants, with his team, right after he graduated from INSEAD in 2017. Have a look at how he helps frame a stellar application and lead candidates to their dream schools.

SanyaKullar wrote:

Hi,

Pleaser review my profile for Stanford Graduate School of Business.

MBA Specialistion/Subjects/Interests- General Management/Public Policy/ Government/Social Impact

[b]GMAT- 720
(expected according to mocks)

Undergrad- Bachelor of Commerce (Honours), Christ University
Christ University is a Tier 1 college in India ranked amongst the top 5 schools for Commerce/Business Management.
Major- Finance and Investment
CGPA- 3.26/4
Extracurricular Activities/ Leadership roles -
Christ University Commerce Association- President/ Student Coordinator
Christ University Festing Association- Co-founder and President
Department of Commerce, Christ University- Student Coordinator
Suyukti, Department of Commerce (Literary Club)- Founding Member
Finance Club, Department of Commerce-Member
Prayas 2014 Head- Operations and Events (Prayas is a national level business fest hosted by Department of Commerce, Christ University)

Total Work Experience- 6 years (by the time I join the course)
1. Pahal (NGO) (2 Years)
Supporting two projects: Special Training Centre under the National Child Labour Project (NCLP) and GOAL Program, a CSR initiative of Standard Chartered Bank.
Program Officer ( 6 months)
Associate Program Officer (1 year)
Program Intern ( 6 months)

2.Business Development Manager at CSA Infraprojects (1 Year)
CSA Infraprojects is a real estate and an infrastructure firm. Handled new business acquisition and growth of existing business alongside leading corporate strategy, sales strategy, proposal process, and bid preparation.
Achievement - Project: Modern Bus Terminal on DBFOT (Design, Build, Finance, Operate and Transfer) basis with State City Transport & Development Authority.

3. EY Global Delivery Services (2 years)
Aligned with the Assurance- Wealth and Asset Management team operating financial services clients in the Bahamas, Bermuda and Cayman Islands. Responsible for the external audit of four clients, each different- Hedge Funds, Fund of Funds, Private Equity and Service Organisations.
Associate Audit EY (11 months)
Advanced Associate Audit (1 year 3 months)
Achievements-
Awarded Extra Miler- Spot Award.
Awarded Exceptional Client Service Award

Volunteer experience:
1. Missionaries of Charity (1 year)
Mother Teresa Orphanage, run by Missionaries of Charity, looks after orphaned differently-abled children below 17 years.
2. Educator/Mentor with Simple Education Foundation (3 months)
GyanVahak program enables rural children of Gular village to keep learning despite all the odds of Covid-19

Certificates-
1. Design Thinking: From Insights to Viability- Stanford Graduate School of Business Executive Education

Other information:
Age- 26 years
Gender- Female
National- Indian

MBAnBevaluations, Thank you for your insights. I'll definitely reach out to further discuss my profile.

Hi all, looking for a profile evaluation for Stanford GSB, intending to apply in R1 2021.

26 year old white female from the United States (will be 28 at matriculation)

Undergrad Information
U.S. Top 40 Private University, known for innovation and career programs
Dual degree in Business and Political Science
3.87 GPA, summa cum laude, Dean's Scholarship

GMAT
730 (Q 48, V 42, IR 8) Took this only once after extensive studying, curious how a slightly higher score would impact admissions decisions

Work experience and leadership
My background is somewhat non-traditional:
-(1 year, 1 month) Decision Scientist at a midsize global marketing agency focusing on two major clients, one in the automotive sector where I work directly with global emerging markets and the other a major U.S. telecommunications company.
-(2 years, 7 months) Scouting Operations Analyst at a high profile NGB (national governing body of sport) managing their national scouting operations and analytics. I hired and managed 2-3 interns at a time in this role.

Have some good impact-based stories for these two experiences, particularly the latter, to share through recommendations.

Community and others
-On an LGBTQ non profit Associate Board that provides services to those impacted by HIV/AIDS
-Active in my undergrad career office since I was a Peer Mentor in college (speaking on panels, offering advice and mentoring to underclassmen in their internship search)
-Lots of extraneous sport event volunteering (triathlons, marathons, etc.)
-Was a soccer coach for at-risk youth in college, a hugely rewarding experience

Post MBA goals
To pivot into venture capital, focusing specifically on investing in female and minority-led (people of color, LGBTQ+) businesses. Working toward gender/racial equity is hugely important to me and has been a common thread through many of my work experiences and extracurriculars, particularly within women's sports.

To a lesser extent, I'm also interested in non-profit management long-term but would plan on applying with the above goal.

Anything else?
-I identify as LGBTQ
-Will be applying to the Forte MBA Launch program for application guidance

Other schools considering:
MIT Sloan, Dartmouth Tuck, Berkeley Haas, Yale SOM, University of Washington Foster, any other programs I should consider?

Thank you in advance!

Hi,

Thanks for getting back to me!
Here are some of the details regarding leadership roles from work:
Coaching interns and new to career associates for the past two and half years(involves regular calls on career development and performance evaluation, 4 interns and 3 associates).
Culture ambassador for the local office I work in (I used to work in a midwest office where Asians are very underrepresented) through diversity forum from the company.
International student orientation and event lead for my last two years in college. However I don't not have much else volunteering experience.

Post MBA goals are more focused on transitioning into management roles in tech industry in the Bay Area.

You have a competitive profile for Stanford and for the other programs on your list. You may also want to consider applying to HBS and or Wharton.

Hello SanyaKullar,
Your expected GMAT score of 720 is good, but for an over-represented geography it is ok. What will help you here are the other parts of your application, which are non-traditional, i.e., WE, under-grad degree, being a female.
As I can see clearly, you have no dearth of Volunteering experience. However, what I am missing here is information around your EC, and any leadership experience in your roles. Your WE is varied and can be your biggest asset and challenge depending on the way you present it in your application. You will have to present a cohesive story about your career moves. Yale would be a good fit for you.
Your post-MBA goal is too generic. What you would want to talk about is the kind of job roles or career you are interested in. You need to be very specific in that too. One tip is to try to align your goals with your previous WE.
Hope this helps.

Hello cph0501,
Coaching interns and associates would probably be part of your leadership experience at work.
Again, details around your work as cultural ambassador will matter most. Were you only responsible for completing tasks assigned to you, or were you leading a project too here? One thing I have found is that more often than not people have better ECs and Volunteering initiatives than they think they do. Were you somewhere involved in helping the community during the pandemic? Little brainstorming may help you here.
Again, for the purpose of the application, you may want to have goals that are specific and more aligned with your previous experience. So what kind of management roles you are talking about? What position, what vertical?

Hey SanyaKullar

You have a pretty great profile,

You have a good GPA, which showcases your academic prowess and the brand of your undergraduate college is pretty impressive and would further bolster your chances of getting accepted into top B-schools as every school is on the hunt to admit candidates belonging to the cream colleges of every country. However, while your grades and brand do play an important part, you should highlight your extracurricular activities and other endeavors because AdComs are looking for applicants with holistically developed profiles.

That said, while you have pretty diverse extracurriculars so far, your endeavor of starting the college literary club, heading the commerce association, and co-founding the feasting association particularly stands out and showcases your leadership skills and ability to take on initiatives. I’d like to let you know that Extracurricular participation plays an important role in strengthening your applications as B-schools desire all-rounder profiles. Thus, it is essential to shedding light on the endeavors you’ve taken up at the clubs, associations, fest, and events you managed or participated in during your undergrad. Digging deeper into these activities, make sure you bring to light how you added value to each endeavour and stood out from the crowd whilst honing your skills and knowledge in the process.

As far as your work experience goes, since an MBA is a manager's degree and requires significant work experience, your 6 years of work experience would put you at par with other applicants. You have a pretty varied work profile and although you have a big brand on your CV which works in your favour, you would need to connect the dots and showcase your journey in order to stand out from the competition. You ought to explain and highlight the major projects of your work and how these experiences helped to develop and further groom your skills and knowledge. Highlight why you chose these firms, how you have gone beyond the role, any initiatives you took and any kind of impact created to establish a connection with your goals and portray the knowledge gained from these experiences.

Coming to the school you are targeting, Stanford comes under the dream category. For the schools in this category, a GMAT score of 720+ and above would help. You should definitely aim to score as high as you can since a strong GMAT score would bolster the AdComs confidence in your academic abilities and improve your acceptance chances.

One thing to keep in mind is, Dream schools have a very stringent acceptance rate of 12-15% and according to your profile, you have a 50% chance of getting accepted into the school of your choice.
Additionally, I would like to advise you to hedge your bets wisely and target a good mix of dream and competitive schools to ensure a fruitful outcome.
To help you understand better, here are a few schools you could consider:

DREAM: Wharton, Cornell, NYU
COMPETITIVE: Duke, Michigan, Berkeley, Kelly, Fordham


To increase your chances of getting admitted at these schools you would need to ensure that you have a very strong application consisting of well-drafted Essays, LORs and resume to back your profile. You need to showcase your journey, what makes you different from your peers and how you are a great value addition to the school.
On this note, if you are looking to target the top B-schools and want to prepare a strong application that would increase your chances by a minimum of three times and meet the application deadlines right on time, you can check our comprehensive all in one solution that has helped thousands of applicants get into their dream schools including schools like HEC, INSEAD and LBS!

Link to our All-In-One Solution-

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Here, you can even Book a Free Consulting call to connect with one of our consultants.

Hey NotDeeny


You have a pretty decent profile.

Starting with your academics, you have a great academic background. Your GPA of 3.6 showcases your high academic caliber and prowess. Moreover, being in the top 10 of your batch further strengthens your profile.

Your GMAT score is pretty decent as well. Having 50+ in the quant section and a cumulative score of 740 definitely displays your stellar academic performance and opens the doors for the top business schools for you. Speaking of your concern with respect to the verbal score, you need not worry about it as your overall score is taken into consideration, moreover, given the fact that you have several endeavors that vouch for your fluency in the language, this most certainly shouldn’t cause hindrance in your application.

Coming onto your work experience. You have 3 years of experience in data analytics and consulting, however, it does fall on the short side of the time frame as the majority of the mba applicants have at least 5+ years of work experience under their belt. But you can negate this by showcasing your leadership and analytical skills through shedding light on the roles you have taken, the projects you led, the cross-functional skills and major learning takeaways from the roles and moreover how you bloomed into the position of an analyst.

You have a fair share of extracurricular activities as well. Being a freelance writer displays your artistic side while heading the math department showcases your analytical and leadership skills. The bronze medal in the math olympiad and Youth excellence in science definitely authenticates your mathematical and technical abilities.

Even though you have a pretty decent profile, there is one major factor that is missing throughout your profile and it is the lack of huge brand names. Brand name definitely plays a major role in an application as you’d be competing with applicants from the top schools and big4 companies. Moreover your work experience falls on the shorter side too. Which is why I’d suggest you lay emphasis on your admission application as the application acts as the window through which the admission committee can peer into your skills caliber and your personality. But simultaneously, it is also the way through which you can highlight your strengths and give apt justifications for your weaknesses to smooth over any flaws in your profile. Moreover, a strong application sets you apart from the rest of the competition.

Given your school choices, all of the schools you’ve mentioned fall under the dream category, Which means they have an acceptance rate of 8-15%. Due to their stringent admission rates, you stand a chance of 40-50% of getting into the program. A better strategy in this case would be to target a mixed bunch of schools from the dream, competitive and safe category.

According to your decent profile and your inclination towards studying in the US, you can target competitive schools such as Washington, Boston, Babson, Irvine, NYU, UCLA Anderson etc.

Lastly, since the major chances of your admission depend on the quality of your application, you might want to seek professional help to secure your spot in your target schools. You can check our, All-in-One Solution, to gain insights into how we can assist in creating a strong application. A good GMAT coupled with strong essays and an early application should help you get into your target schools.

Link for the ALL-IN-ONE solutions-
https://www.mim-essay.com/mim-all-in-one

Hope this helped!

Hi cph0501,

You have got a great profile. Let me start with the strong points in your profile. Your GPA of 3.97/4 is really impressive as it showcases you have been an excellent student throughout your college life. Also, you have mentioned that you graduated from a top 50 ranked US college which is decent enough, however one thing to keep in mind is that top-notch B schools tend to pick students from the top 10 colleges of every country, which is why you need to highlight your profile holistically.

Your academic scores will work in your favor but with that, also bring to light all your endeavors in college- projects you have taken, extra-curricular, and certificates gained. Basically, you have to portray that although not being from the top 10 colleges in the US, it has in no way hindered your growth.
Coming forward to your GMAT score, 740 is extremely good with Quant 50 and Verbal 41. This score opens up the door for you to be eligible for all the top B-schools in the world.

Speaking of your work experience, 4.5 years is good enough at a Big 4 firm and makes you eligible for the MBA program but since most of the competitors will have 5-6 years of work experience you need to differentiate yourself. Consequently, you ought to mention the kind of projects you have worked upon, the impacts created by you, approaches used, skills acquired, and knowledge gained. This would bring you at par with the candidates who possess higher work experience than you.
Further, Business schools look for well-rounded candidates, so for that, you need to show all the extra-curricular activities done by you so far.

That said, you can dig deep into the kind of CSR activities you have done. I also recommend you to take up certifications related to business, management, or finance if you haven’t already. You can also take up leadership roles by associating with NGOs and voluntary organizations where you can lead projects and create a substantial impact. This will also help showcase the socially responsible aspect of your personality that could contribute towards you being a great future leader.

Looking at your school preference, GSB is one of the top-notch colleges and has a very stringent acceptance rate which is why it is often clubbed under the dream category. So, you can be expecting high-end competition while applying to this school. Having said that, your chances of getting admitted here would roughly be around 50%.

Going on, the dream schools have stringent acceptance rates therefore I suggest you also look for competitive and safe schools in order to hedge your bets wisely.
That said, here are a few schools you can consider in the US:

COMPETITIVE: University of Illinois, Northeastern University
SAFE: George Mason University, Hult

To summarize, you have a good profile and in order to increase your chances of getting admitted, you need to focus on your application as it can help justify what makes you different from other applicants with similarly competitive profiles. That said, your resume, letter of recommendation, essays, statement of purpose need to be in its best form as it will be the deciding factor for your selection.

Moreover, I would advise you to apply as soon as possible as you can have a higher chance of getting accepted in the initial rounds.
For any further queries, you can take up our FREE consultation call where we can help you figure out the best course of action for you to realize your goals. We have a 92% success rate in admissions and have helped in 2500+ admits at the top schools around the world.
Link for the FREE Consultation call-

https://www.mim-essay.com/book-an-appointment-form

Hi,

I am a final year Mechanical engineering student at National Institute of Technology Karnataka interested in deferred MBA program.
1. I am a co-founder of startup working on a medical device and I am planning to continue working on it after graduation. We have a patent for this device and we have received various government grants and awards for the product.
3. I have done research internships at IITB and Bajaj Auto Limited. I have also interned at Idea to Startup lab (Initiative by ISB Hyderabad and Bocconi university, Italy)
2. I am Entrepreneurship head at E-cell of my university.

GMAT: 750
GPA: 9.01/10

Hi GSB Team

My profile is below. Please advise.

Background and nationality: IT Business Analyst. Indian.
Undergrad Information: Computer Science Engineering
GMAT: 650
Work experience and leadership: 8 years of IT experience. Tried starting a company. Lead team in company.
Community and others: Distribution of food and education to children by government aid.
Post MBA goals: Management Consulting

Hi smitrambhiya21,

Your profile, based on these details, look quite good. Your startup has received some great recognition and you have some very big companies for your CV (implying examples of some big impact of yours in the work). Your stats are great and you exhibit leadership experiences as well. But deferred programs are quite difficult to get into and so, you now need to work on projecting a unique, strong story. We are delighted to hop on a call with you to discuss your profile at length and guide you to understand your target schools well. Feel free to reach out to us as per your convenience.

Cheers!
Kashish Garg,
Community Manager, MBA and Beyond

On behalf of,
Shantanu Sharma,
Founder and Admissions Consultant, MBA and Beyond
Success stories and Real essays
Email: shantanu@mbaandbeyond.com
Linkedin

Hi pranshum1,

First, your GMAT seems quite low for Stanford, and especially when you are an Indian engineer. Your work-ex seems little high than the usual average at US schools but if you can convincingly explain why an MBA at this point will be the most beneficial for your career, I don't see it a problem. Also, I do not have details of your work-ex and your candidacy greatly depends on the quality of your professional life. So, before commenting on your chances I would like to know more about your work-life, the roles you undertook, leadership experiences, companies you have worked for etc. and your post-MBA goals as well. If you'd like, we are happy to hop on a call with you to discuss your profile at length and will try to help you understand yourself and the schools that may fit your profile. Feel free to book a free session with us as per your convenience.

Cheers!
Kashish Garg,
Community Manager, MBA and Beyond

On behalf of,
Shantanu Sharma,
Founder and Admissions Consultant, MBA and Beyond
Success stories and Real essays
Email: shantanu@mbaandbeyond.com
Linkedin

Hello!

Hope you're doing well - I would be incredibly grateful if you could evaluate my profile below.

Demographics
Age: 24
Gender: Male
Citizen: Eastern European (EU), Non-American
Diversity: LGBTQ+

Education
BS in Finance & Statistics from NYU Stern
GPA: 3.8+ (Magna Cum Laude)

GMAT
GMAT: 750 (Q50, V42), IR7, AWA6

Work Experience: 3 years by matriculation
Currently:
- Investment banking in New York at brand-name firm
- Will not have promotion due to firm's 3-year entry structure
- Significant responsibilities and client-facing interaction
Undergrad:
- Internships in Europe, Asia and New York

Extracurricular Activities
Post-Grad
- Founding member of firm's first LGBTQ+ employee resource group and Co-Founder / Captain of firm's first undergraduate LGBTQ+ recruiting pipeline
- Out4Undergrad (career conference for LGBTQ+ undergrads) Mentor
- School's LGBTQ+ Alumni Network Board of Directors
- LGBTQ+ Immigration-focused non-profit Junior Board member
Undergrad
- Various leadership positions in School's largest student organization / business honor society
- Student Council LGBTQ+ Initiative Founder
- Competitive Hip-Hop Dance Team Choreographer
- Study Abroad semesters in Europe and Asia

Post-MBA goals
- Venture capital investing in tech / software

Any specific questions you would like answered by our team:
- Is there anything I can do to improve my chances 1 year out from applying?
- Would going to a investment firm without brand after my current firm impair my chances? Would it be better to apply from my current firm?

Thank you so much for taking the time - I really appreciate it!

Hi Avian96,

Your profile looks great. Starting with stats, your undergrad university and GPA is amazing and now with an even more amazing GMAT, you do not leave any doubt of your academic potential.

Your work-ex, on the surface, looks amazing with some really great international experiences. You work with a brand and as you say, with some significant responsibilities. So, if you are able to communicate your experience right and strong, it is pretty much sorted. Also, you have experience of three different worlds and if you can communicate how these international experiences have impacted you, it will make your app more strong (because this is your strength and you must be able to bring it out right in your apps).

Your ECs are strong. Not only they exhibit amazing leadership and varied interests of yours but also they make a strong statement of how passionate you are to represent the LGBTQ+ community in every possible manner and at every place. So, overall I liked your profile and if you want to apply next year, make sure you do some amazing additions in your work-life as well as in terms of your community involvement. Also, going to a firm without a brand will not hamper your candidacy as long as it is a promotion in terms of responsibilities and it can add some significant experiences to your work profile. We are delighted to hear your story and guide you in the best possible manner to help you understand yourself and the schools better. Feel free to book a free session with us as per your convenience.

Cheers!
Kashish Garg,
Community Manager, MBA and Beyond

On behalf of,
Shantanu Sharma,
Founder and Admissions Consultant, MBA and Beyond
Success stories and Real essays
Email: shantanu@mbaandbeyond.com
Linkedin

Hi RetlawMadiera,

Glancing on the details you’ve provided, your profile most certainly comes under the stellar category. Your CGPA of 3.87 along with a dean’s scholarship, definitely showcases your academic potential. Additionally, your GMAT score of 730 surely works in your favour as it will allow you to target most of the top-notch B-schools more specifically Stanford. It is best suggested that you apply at Stanford GSB for the earlier rounds of intake as it increases your chances of acceptance.

When talking about your work experience, you have 3.8 years of experience under your belt which is slightly on the lower end since most of your competitors will be having a work experience of 5 years and above coupled with big brand names. To set yourself at par with your competitors, you can focus on highlighting why you chose these companies, the kind of projects you handled, the value you added to these projects, the skills you gained and the major takeaways you were able to attain throughout your endeavours. This way you will be able to equalize the intensity of 5-6 years of work experience under 3.8 years of work experience.

Apart from your work experience, you have also mentioned about your extracurricular participation which again is very important as it showcases a holistically developed profile. Here you have mentioned that you identify as part of the LGBTQ community and is also an active member in the LGBTQ front and its related Non-profit associations. This aspect of your profile definitely stands out as it showcases how you are a change-maker who isn’t afraid to take on challenges and initiatives for the betterment of the LGBTQ community in particular and the society in general. However, you can add more value to your profile by digging deeper into the various endeavours you undertook and how you went above and beyond to excel in the same. Furthermore, this can be taken up a notch by elaborating on the kind of events you organized, duties you performed, and most importantly highlight what were your major takeaways. Additionally, you can also talk about certain certifications that you might have undertaken. All in all, these skills can contribute towards you being a great future leader which would automatically impress the adcoms.

Now speaking about your chances of acceptance at your desired B-schools can be categorized as follows:

In the dream category ( schools where your chances of admission are 40-50%) you have already set your targets on; STANFORD, YALE, MIT, and DARTMOUTH TUCK. Additionally, what I would suggest schools like CORNELL and DUKE to widen your options in this category.

In the competitive category (schools where the chances of admission are 60-70%) you have opted for SOM, UWF and BERKELY HAAS. Additionally, you can also target UT DALLAS.

All said and done, while you have a good profile, there will be thousands of applicants out there with similarly great profiles, which is why your application would play a huge role in enhancing your chances of getting accepted into your target schools. You would thus need to highlight your profile USP’s and how you can be a great addition to the school whilst posing the right examples to legitimize your claim. Additionally, you need to ensure that your LORs and Resume, equally depict the strengths of your profile.

Since you already have all the elements of your profile ready for applying in the upcoming round, you can check out our All-in-one service where we provide expert counselling sessions and services in the form of multiple editing, proofreading, and up-gradation of your application which consist of your Essay, SOP, LOR and resume. Through this service, we have proven to help over 2500+ applicants get into their target schools!

Below you will find the link for our All-in-One service

https://www.mim-essay.com/mim-all-in-one

Hope this helped !