Ask August Academy : Ask Admissions Consultants - Page 3

Hi,

You have an interesting profile - I don't think you need to worry about getting into a good school. Some considerations:

1) Consider reducing your time horizon to 3 years instead of 5 - after 5 years, you might be on the higher side of the age bracket and that might work to your disadvantage.

2) Continue to do a good job at work.

3) Score as high as possible on your GMAT and TOEFL.

Reach out to us when you are ready, and we will be happy to take it forward.

Best,
Karthik

nougai27 wrote:Qualifications
Xth :-64%
XII th:- 82%
Graduation :- 65% English (Hons) Humanities
Current work:- income tax inspector
Age:- 24 years
Nature of work:- not related to corporate work experience in anyway, it is government sector work. The work is divided into two categories

Assessment Section 
A job in this section includes work related to desk job details that come with the title of Income Tax Inspector.
You will be responsible for assessing income tax that people, company or partnership firms are liable to pay.
You will also have to handle refund claims and TDS (Tax Deduction at Source) queries Non-Assessment Section 
A job in this section will subject you to field work.

Inspectors employed in this section can be a part of the rapid response team that conducts raids.

The ITIs who are given non-assessment duties usually have to perform only clerical duties.

Their job is limited to filing official paperwork and occasionally accompanying raid teams

My query:- I always wanted to do an MBA as it was my dream to work for a private company. Due to financial constraints, I was not able to apply for MBA in foreign universities. I had no interest in Indian MBA as I always wanted to work in a foreign country. Also Indian MBA had very low chances to get me placed in a foreign firm. Private firms in India without an MBA gives very less salary and high load which would not have given me time to make my profile for foreign MBA.
Therefore, I decided to pursue a government job and finance my future MBA from that money.
I intend to do an MBA after 5 years. I can score score very well in GMAT and TOEFL from official mocks that I have given. I am interested in doing MBA from Canada so that I can get permanent residency. I am aiming for "average" b schools in Canada only.
Please I am in dire need of help. I have 5 years at my disposal. Please guide me on how can I make my profile in these 5 years so that the adcoms don't reject me. Also honestly tell me whether I am eligible of doing MBA from an average Business School in Canada only.
Thank you and God bless you !

Posted from my mobile device

_________________

Dear All,

We have a little more than a month to go for the New Year, and our R2 deadlines.

We've been working very hard to make those deadlines - so hard, in fact, that we've not taken the time to congratulate our R1 applicants.

And we've had excellent results so far. We had people getting offers from INSEAD. We've had folks who interviewed with Stanford, Kellogg, MIT, Ross, Tuck, Columbia, Fuqua, Darden, Cornell, Anderson, Tepper, McCombs, Rotman, Oxford, HEC, ISB and IIM A.

We wish them all the best as the results approach us. And we wish all of you all the best with you R2 applications.

Later,
Karthik Palaniappan
_________________

Hi August Academy,

I would like to request a suggestion/opinion on a confusion I am facing. One of the B-School Forum Moderators suggested that I reach out to you for help as you people have a rich experience in the MBA admissions process.
I received an admit from a business school in Georgia, USA with a full scholarship and stipend/graduate assistantship. Therefore, I asked other two MBA schools for which my decision was pending after the interview if it is possible to provide my application decision sooner as I already have a decision in hand and wish to make an informed decision before paying out the enrollment fee. The schools reverted with a request to send them a copy of "Admission Letter" and "Scholarship Letter" before taking the case to the Admissions Committee for decisions.
Now, I am little confused whether to provide the letters or details such as the name of program, amount, the deadline for payment, etc. to those schools. I am not sure whether this would put my only admit into jeopardy or help me.
Kindly advise. Hope to hear from you soon.

Hi,

I know we corresponded over phone, and resolved this - but I'm still posting a response here for the benefit of others who may be in the same situation.

It is ok to share information with the other school, as long as the school that has made the offer has not asked you to keep this in confidence.

Best wishes,
Karthik

targetbusiness wrote:Hi August Academy,

I would like to request a suggestion/opinion on a confusion I am facing. One of the B-School Forum Moderators suggested that I reach out to you for help as you people have a rich experience in the MBA admissions process.
I received an admit from a business school in Georgia, USA with a full scholarship and stipend/graduate assistantship. Therefore, I asked other two MBA schools for which my decision was pending after the interview if it is possible to provide my application decision sooner as I already have a decision in hand and wish to make an informed decision before paying out the enrollment fee. The schools reverted with a request to send them a copy of "Admission Letter" and "Scholarship Letter" before taking the case to the Admissions Committee for decisions.
Now, I am little confused whether to provide the letters or details such as the name of program, amount, the deadline for payment, etc. to those schools. I am not sure whether this would put my only admit into jeopardy or help me.
Kindly advise. Hope to hear from you soon.

_________________

Dear All,

We are happy to host a free live video-conference for all R2 MBA aspirants.

This is a place where we will be interacting live with each other - you can see me and hear me. But all of us can see you and hear you too! (So, yes - please avoid PJs!)

Modalities apart, the topic of discussion is extremely relevant: We will discuss how you can present the best R2 application... and we are excited to have you join us!

Please sign up at the link below, and we will email you a link for the video-con shortly.

When: Saturday, December 8, 2018: 10:00 am EST, 3:00 pm GMT, 8:30 pm IST
Where: on-line. zoom video link will be shared shortly.

How: Sign up at https://services.augustacademy.in/2018_12_08_webinar?utm_source=GMATclub&utm_medium=forum&utm_campaign=dec2018webinar

See you there!

Regards,
Karthik
_________________

Hi ,

I am having trouble choosing which businesses school to attend.
I have got admissions into Cornell (2 year) and HEC Paris ( Jan intake )

I would really appreciate your guidance in helping me decide.

Thanks.

Posted from my mobile device

First of all, congratulations. These are two of the best programs in the world, and you've done well to be accepted to both of these programs.

With regards to choosing one over the other - it becomes a personal decision. I would be able to lay out a series of points that you should think about though:

1) Recruitment into your target companies - think about which school provides the best opportunities here.
2) Scholarships, and out of pocket costs after considering scholarships.
3) If you have preferences to live in the US vs. Europe, or vice versa, that would be a factor to consider.

There is no absolute answer to this, and it becomes a personal decision at the end of the day.

Best,
Karthik

kalyanis2095 wrote:Hi ,

I am having trouble choosing which businesses school to attend.
I have got admissions into Cornell (2 year) and HEC Paris ( Jan intake )

I would really appreciate your guidance in helping me decide.

Thanks.

Posted from my mobile device

_________________

Profile Assessment - Rotman MBA & Said MBA.

Indian Male

2012-2013
Diploma in Economics - Distinction - London School of Economics (London, UK)

2012-2016
BBA (Finance) - GPA 3.99/4 - Distinction - Hult International Business School (Boston,USA; San Francisco, USA; Shanghai, China; Dubai, UAE)
Valedictorian/Dean's List for 6 continuous terms/On boards of Hult Consulting and Finance Clubs
Interned at a Consulting firm in Boston & at an Asset Management Firm in London

GMAT: 720 (Q49/V39)

Work Experience:

2013-2015
BAT Team Leader
Bloomberg L.P. (London, UK)
Led the EMEA BAT Analytics Team.

2015-2017
Senior Associate Consultant
TISX Global (Boutique Financial Consulting) (Mumbai, India)
Strategy Consulting for SMEs.

2017-2020
Lead Principle - M&A, ECM
TISX Global (Boutique Financial Consulting) (Kolkata, India)
Led M&A and ECM assignments amounting to INR 1.73 Billion.

Target Post Rotman/Said:
Investment Banking or Asset Management (Impact Investing/Real Estate)

Have seen several application with GMAT scores over 720 being rejected by Rotman & Said. What are my chances?
Also, what about the "fit" in terms of what Rotman & Said require of its students/applicants?

My motivations for Rotman - Right in the centre of the Canadian financial services industry. Easy immigration policies of Canada. Top tier 2 year MBA in Canada. Have already attended a couple of classes by Rotman faculty at Hult, and they were impressive. CDL as well, is an amazing opportunity.
My motivations for Said - Couple of really close friends over there who gave amazing reviews. Love the opportunity to belong to a college as well as the business school. The Oxford setting is lovely, love the regatta. The name recognition of Oxford.

Hi There,

You have a good profile, and should be able to look at both of these schools. I'm of course, assuming you have strong stories of personal achievement in your life - these will be required to bring out your uniqueness, and showcase you as an achiever.

Feel free to set up a call with us by registering at the link in the signature.

Best,
Karthik

mjaininc wrote:Profile Assessment - Rotman MBA & Said MBA.

Indian Male

2012-2013
Diploma in Economics - Distinction - London School of Economics (London, UK)

2012-2016
BBA (Finance) - GPA 3.99/4 - Distinction - Hult International Business School (Boston,USA; San Francisco, USA; Shanghai, China; Dubai, UAE)
Valedictorian/Dean's List for 6 continuous terms/On boards of Hult Consulting and Finance Clubs
Interned at a Consulting firm in Boston & at an Asset Management Firm in London

GMAT: 720 (Q49/V39)

Work Experience:

2013-2015
BAT Team Leader
Bloomberg L.P. (London, UK)
Led the EMEA BAT Analytics Team.

2015-2017
Senior Associate Consultant
TISX Global (Boutique Financial Consulting) (Mumbai, India)
Strategy Consulting for SMEs.

2017-2020
Lead Principle - M&A, ECM
TISX Global (Boutique Financial Consulting) (Kolkata, India)
Led M&A and ECM assignments amounting to INR 1.73 Billion.

Target Post Rotman/Said:
Investment Banking or Asset Management (Impact Investing/Real Estate)

Have seen several application with GMAT scores over 720 being rejected by Rotman & Said. What are my chances?
Also, what about the "fit" in terms of what Rotman & Said require of its students/applicants?

My motivations for Rotman - Right in the centre of the Canadian financial services industry. Easy immigration policies of Canada. Top tier 2 year MBA in Canada. Have already attended a couple of classes by Rotman faculty at Hult, and they were impressive. CDL as well, is an amazing opportunity.
My motivations for Said - Couple of really close friends over there who gave amazing reviews. Love the opportunity to belong to a college as well as the business school. The Oxford setting is lovely, love the regatta. The name recognition of Oxford.

_________________

Hello
I am a doctor and i want to do an MBA. Here is the brief over view of my profile
My Profile-
Undergrad- MBBS from not so prestigious college.
Have good Percentage.
Worked as a medical officer post MBBS at a corporate hospital, later started General practice in my town for 3 years.
Did MD in Psychiatry from a prestigious college.
Got selected for central medical services and currently working as a medical officer-
roles- predominantly administrative to oversee the admissions and drug dispensing for central government employees.
Established Psychiatric OPD and has been running that ever since.
experience in this role 3.5 years currently.
Other experience-
I am involved in the management of a nursing home and hospital.
Has been associated with NGO running de addiction center, the role is as consultant and as administrator.
Has been associated since my under graduate days with NGO working for disability welfare and women empowerment.
Has been advisory board member Pharma giants Jannsen and Lundbeck.
Has been medical advisor for Banafur pharma.
Regular speaker on national television and radio shows
Professional speaker at Multinational companies.
other roles-
Worked as joint Secretary doctors association
reviewer Telangana journal of psychiatry
Presented papers at various national and international conferences in Psychiatry
Gmat 1-560
gmat 2-650
retaking gmat by next month
post MBA goal-
Actually planning for a career shift from a clinician role to complete managerial role.
want to work in health care /pharmaceutical sector as a manager/consultant
i am currently 34 years of age partly because my duration of education is lengthy

Please evaluate my profile and suggest what business schools do i stand a chance for as well for my background?
Planning to apply for round 1,2021 intake.

Hi August Academy,

It would be great if you could evaluate my profile.

Nationality : Indian
Gender : Male
Age:27
Education
10th - 94%
12th - 90% (Science Stream)
BTech - 7.1 GPA (Passed out from NIT Calicut - Civil Engineering)
PGD Advanced Construction Management - 8.4 CPI (Passed out from NICMAR, Pune)

GMAT - 760 (Q50 V42) (First attempt - 12th June 2020)

Work Experiece
1. Worked for a leading Infrastructure company (HCC Ltd) as Planning In Charge of a 374 Cr Infra project in Madhya Pradesh, India. Worked for 40 months and got a promotion in between.
2. Joined GenBiotec Pvt Ltd (a Pharma Company) as the Group Strategy Manager. Joined in March 2020.

Extra Curricular Activities
1. Captained the basketball team (during my final year) of my School and colleges (BTech and PG)
2. Member of football, badminton and table tennis teams during my PG.
3. Founding member of the All India Basketball Tournament held at NIT Calicut (Ragam Tournament)
4. Organized a public hearing at Badgaon, a village in MP (attended by likes of Asst Collector) for educating the public on importance of irrigation projects and getting their feedback.

Posted from my mobile device

Hi Anirudh,

Thanks for your question.

You seem to have a good profile. Some questions that pop up are (that you will need to explain):

1. Why the career shift?
2. How does this tie in with your post-MBA goals?

We will also need to assess the impact you've had at your workplace. Based on this assessment, I can see you having a good shot at schools in the US top 15. You may go higher up the list if you've demonstrated significant impact at work, and outside. Or lower if that is not the case.

AnirudhGMAT wrote:Hi August Academy,

It would be great if you could evaluate my profile.

Nationality : Indian
Gender : Male
Age:27
Education
10th - 94%
12th - 90% (Science Stream)
BTech - 7.1 GPA (Passed out from NIT Calicut - Civil Engineering)
PGD Advanced Construction Management - 8.4 CPI (Passed out from NICMAR, Pune)

GMAT - 760 (Q50 V42) (First attempt - 12th June 2020)

Work Experiece
1. Worked for a leading Infrastructure company (HCC Ltd) as Planning In Charge of a 374 Cr Infra project in Madhya Pradesh, India. Worked for 40 months and got a promotion in between.
2. Joined GenBiotec Pvt Ltd (a Pharma Company) as the Group Strategy Manager. Joined in March 2020.

Extra Curricular Activities
1. Captained the basketball team (during my final year) of my School and colleges (BTech and PG)
2. Member of football, badminton and table tennis teams during my PG.
3. Founding member of the All India Basketball Tournament held at NIT Calicut (Ragam Tournament)
4. Organized a public hearing at Badgaon, a village in MP (attended by likes of Asst Collector) for educating the public on importance of irrigation projects and getting their feedback.

Posted from my mobile device

_________________

Folks,

Since we first started operations in 2013, We've spoken to several hundreds of students. The MBA application process is demanding. Even so, there are six areas where students have the most problems. Do you see yourself facing any of the following difficulties?
Difficulty #1: You don't understand what schools want when they ask you a particular question.
Difficulty #2: You believe that you don't have achievements that are strong enough to help you differentiate yourself from the competition.
Difficulty #3: You don't understand the difference between realistic goals and far-fetched goals.
Difficulty #4: You are convinced about your achievements, but don't know how to explain yourself clearly.
Difficulty #5: You cannot write in a non-technical manner.
Difficulty #6: You are having difficulties managing your application timelines.

To learn more about how we can help you overcome these difficulties, check out our blog (and videos) on this topic here.

Want help with the application process, but on a budget? Use coupon code JULY2020, and subscribe to our 5 week MBA Admissions Masterclass for just Rs. 11,999 (plus gateway charges; regular fee Rs. 29,999). Hurry - classes start on July 19, 2020!
_________________

Team - meet Rahul!

Rahul, like several other Indian applicants, is an IT Engineer. More precisely, he worked as an SAP consultant. He was on the rolls of a leading IT Consulting firm and was leading a consulting engagement for a Medium-Sized Manufacturing firm located in America's midwest.

And Rahul, like several other Indian applications, didn't know how to communicate the impact of his work in a non-technical manner.

The before picture:

Consider the following bullet points from his resume:

1. Led 8-member team
2. Identify improvement areas in the supply chain processes.
3. Identify Business Opportunities for <IT Consulting Firm>.

It is reasonably clear that Rahul was on the verge of entry to mid-level management. But what kind of impact did he have - on his firm? His clients? His team? Specifically, what type of industry/functional exposure did he have?

Finally, what was his wow factor?

Want to learn how we helped him make an impactful resume, and get into Tepper? Read our article about Rahul's journey here.

Want to replicate our successes in an affordable manner? We will discuss more such strategies in our MBA Admissions Masterclass.

The MBA Admissions Masterclass will be suitable for you if you fall into one of the following categories of people:

1. You are a do-it-yourself'er. You want to put together your essays and resume by yourself. Having said that, you would appreciate good guidance and the company of a motivated group of people through the application process.

2. You want to apply this year and are itching to get started, but you haven't yet taken the GMAT.

3. You are looking to apply in a future year, but want to get started with the process right now.

Through five weeks, we will have lectures and workshops on all aspects of the application process - starting with an overview of what is involved, all the way up to resume and essay workshops.

When: July 19 - August 16. 5 Sundays at 7:30 pm, for 90 minutes each.
Content: As can be seen at https://courses.augustacademy.in/p/mba-admissions-masterclass (free previews of last years videos available).
Validity: 3 months

Fee (in INR): Rs. 29,999 (inc. GST) + payment gateway charges. Use coupon code JULY2020 to get Rs. 18,000 discount. (Discounted fee: Rs. 11,999 + gateway charges). For INR, pay using the green button at https://courses.augustacademy.in/p/mba-admissions-masterclass.

Fee (in USD): $399. Use coupon code JULY2020 to get $240 discount (Discounted Fee: $159). For USD, pay using the yellow button at https://courses.augustacademy.in/p/mba-admissions-masterclass.

The discount is valid only for 12 people. We've already had a few folks signup. Please sign up at the earliest.

When you are done with the GMAT, you may upgrade to a full-fledged consulting package. At that point, we will reduce the fee paid from the fee chargeable for the consulting package that you will be signing up for.

PS: As a curtain-raiser, we invite you to take a free preview of the MBA Admissions Masterclass: https://courses.augustacademy.in/p/mba-admissions-masterclass In this free preview, we've unlocked access to videos discussing the overall MBA admissions process. Please review - you will find this to be of immense value. For proprietary purposes, we've not unlocked access to the content covered in the resume and essay workshops.
_________________

Hi August Academy,

I'm finding it really difficult to figure out where I stand when it comes to applying to B-Schools for my MBA and since I do not have too many people around me for advice I'm really hoping that you would help me out by evaluating my profile details:

My MBA interest: Fulltime program in Marketing and IT operations in USA.

GMAT 1 550 (Q42, V23)
GMAT 2 630 (Q46, V31)
GMAT 3 660 (Q49, V31) (IR 6 AWA 5.5)


Total Work Exp: 5.5yrs (IT)
US based, leading IT MNC - Technical Consulting Engineer (Sept 2018-Present)
US based, leading IT MNC - Technical Support Engineer (Aug 2014-Dec 2017)


Gender – Female
Age – 28 yrs
Nationality - Indian

Current Responsibilities:
-Perform complex and in depth networking problems requiring strong analytical, problem solving, engineering, and communication skills and provide successful resolution of technical issues reported by customers and thinking on innovative ways to avoid issues in the future.
-This process involves in-depth research on technical topics, reproduction of customer's environments and issues using lab equipment, technical exchange and discussions with product development and engineering teams, interaction with Technical Leaders.
-Provide training to near hires and other team members


Education:
B. Tech (Computers) from Punjab Technical Univ, 2014 passout, 82% marks
XII – 72%, CBSE board
X – 92%, CBSE board

Achievements:
1. Received Student of The Year Award in North region by ISTE
2. Performed in Theatre Group at National level for 3 years
3. Received Tesla Award at Services Kick Off amongst various nominations globally (including Escalation Team and Support Team), awarded for my contribution to Service Assurance
4. Highest NPS as 90% with maximum customer satisfaction for the services delivered
5. Performance Award: A nationwide recognition for performance

I am interested in Interior Designing and would like to have my business in the same. I have done certification courses from Udemy. However I dont have any experience in Entrepreneurship and Marketing.

My questions :

1. An honest opinion about where I stand
2. What could I do to improve my case ?
3. As per my case, which are the US business schools that I should be looking at ?
4. Should I show my interest in Entrepreneurship without having any experience or will it have any negative impression?

I would like to hear your views upon the fruitfulness of an MBA for a profile like me.

Hi,
Please evaluate my profile and let me know my chances.

Experience: Female, 7 years in IT (Big data Testing). Cognizant Technology Solutions.
Age: 30 years
Geography: Indian
Latest GMAT: 650(Q47 V33) IR 2

Job Profile:
1. Technical trainer in Infosys(2 years) Teaching recent college graduate to transform them into working professional.
2. Worked with US bank client. As a team lead(5 member team) from offshore.
3. Currently, working with Australian Telecomm company.

No onsite experience.

Received award in first project from Client company for delivering the project without any flaw.

Extra curricular:
Taught English to student of government school on Saturday.

Post Mba:
Work as a Strategy Consultant.

Geography:
Singapore, canada or Australia. Mostly looking for 1year MBA program.
If I have chance of applying to any good Business school. I want to apply in Round 1. Though the chances for scholarship is bleak and I am yet to take IELTS.
Note: I cancelled my score on spot... I will reinstate if there is any chance of applying to good colleges.
Posted from my mobile device

Hello Sir,

Please evaluate my profile for Tier-1 and Tier-2 Canadian B-Schools

My current profile:

Age: 25
Sex: Male
Nationality: Indian
GMAT Score: not yet taken but am getting 580 on mocks
GPA: 6.62/10 [Transcript attached]
University: Institute of Technology, Nirma University, Ahmedabad, Gujarat
Degree/Specialization: B.Tech, Electronics & Communication
Work experience: 1 year 9 months (Full-time) 6 months (Freelancing) [Resume attached]
Designation: Content Writer
Industry: IT services and solutions
Preferred location for MBA: Canada

Current status:
I have taken a break from my full-time job to prepare for GMAT because I wasn't able to prepare alongside the job. So technically, I have been unemployed since Feb 2020.

But, on the flip side, I am currently helping my father to grow his YouTube channel, where he teaches physics in the Gujarati language to 11th and 12th-grade students. I am responsible for doing all the post-production work, from editing videos to doing SEO and CRO (which I learned from my work experience) and uploading videos.

Achievements @ Work:
My core responsibility at work was to create stories that would help the company get more business. For most of my time at work, I wrote high-quality blogs, articles, whitepapers, case studies, and web page content. I have also created business/vendor profiles on some of the most popular business listing websites (e.g., Clutch, G2Crowd, Think Mobile, Good Firms, etc.) for my company.

Leadership:
For once, despite being a content writer, I lead a team of website designers, HTML/CSS developers, and WordPress developers to create a website for a product company. Moreover, I did the on-page SEO of that website by myself, although it wasn't a part of my job profile.

Working on this project gave me an excellent opportunity to work cross-functionally with various teams who have different viewpoints and opinions. The main goal of the project was to redesign the website.

Extra-curriculars College:
I was a technical head in the Electronics and Communications Organization (a.k.a ECO). My responsibilities were to craft and judge technical events/competitions during annual fests at college.
I also brought the participation of almost 200-300 students every year for college fests by visiting various colleges across Gujarat.
I was also one of the instructors in a series of seminars conducted by the college on the topic of "Programming with Arduino."
I co-created a whole new laboratory session/subject/, which would help future students to learn Arduino and how to interface it with various sensors. As a part of it, I created a sensor board with an easy-to-use plug and play sensor modules and a technical user manual that guides students performing practicals.
I also co-founded a startup with my friend called Sivy Electronics. We sold various types of electronic sensors on Amazon and eBay. Plus, we took up projects from multiple clients to build highly-customized IoT (Internet of Things)-based automation products.

Extracurriculars (general):
I am also a singer. I love to sing karaoke songs in house parties, family parties/gatherings.
I have sung over a hundred songs on a karaoke singing platform called Starmaker.
I have also learned Indian classical music professionally for two years.

Post-MBA goals:
Go into technology consulting or consulting in general (haven't yet decided).

Reason to go into consulting - Want to explore various sectors (and find the one I love to work in), learn how the business operates in each of them, meet new people, get global exposure, develop an analytical mindset.

Long-term goals:
To set up my own business and settle in Canada/USA.

Finally, thank you very much for reading all the way through. I would highly appreciate it if you could tell me whether I am eligible for any of the top MBA programs in Canada, i.e., Rotman, Ivey, Schulich, HEC Montreal, McGill, etc. If not, then can you please suggest any other B-schools that I should target. Also, please let me know the GMAT I should target.

Hi,
I would love to hear your opinion on my brief profile.

Targeting INSEAD Jan intake R1, Kellogg 1yr MBA R2 and MBB consulting after that.

GMAT score: 730 (Q50, V40, IR 7)

Demography: 32 years, Male Indian

Undergraduation: Computer Science Engineer from NIT-Trichy (Ranked consistently in Top 10 engineering institutes in India)
CGPA: 8.62/10 (First class with Distinction)

Postgraduation: MBA (2 year full time flagship PGP course) from IIM-Ahmedabad (Harvard MBA-equivalent & consistently ranked #1 MBA in India)
CGPA: 2.777/3

Work experience (in brief):
Current total work experience of 8.5 years:
• Last 4.5 years of work experience in technology (SaaS-based software) sales roles (business development & account management) in mid & leadership levels across 2 emerging companies (each with an annual revenue of ~20 million USD). Led teams sized 12 account managers in one of the organizations where I got promoted twice.
• 1.5 years in Product Marketing in a Fortune 500 software MNC. Awarded the best new joiner of the year across 40 B-school recruits. Won the best marketing campaign award by US-based HQ office, organized across 13 geographies. Won Quarterly Spot award – conceived & executed marketing strategies to sell Cloud at 140 universities
• 2-month summer internship during my MBA in Strategy & BD at a Fortune 500 company
• 2.5 years in technology consulting (pre-MBA) in a niche boutique consulting firm where I worked closely with US-based tech law firms & US-based Fortune 500 tech companies. Got promoted once. Helped a client receive settlement of USD 20 million in damages against seven Fortune 500 retail banks
• Will be joining a Fortune 500 technology company in a Sales role next month
• All above work locations in India

International exposure details:
• During my work experience at the niche boutique consulting firm, I worked with US-based tech law firms & US-based Fortune 500 tech companies to deliver ROI on tech intellectual property & perform due diligence. Worked in the US for about 3 months in 2011. Travelled to meet & work closely with clients in 6 cities across east coast and west coast in the US.
• During my MBA at IIM-Ahmedabad, as a part of the student exchange program, I did one term (3 months) at France Business School in 2013. Did a backpacking tour to 14 countries in Europe during the exchange program.
• During my product marketing role with the Fortune 500 software MNC, I worked closely with teams across geographies to orchestrate global marketing campaigns. Travelled to the USA for marketing training workshop & events.
• Personal immersion trips with family (not sure if these count): A 2-week holiday trip across multiple cities in Japan in 2016, a 2-week holiday trip across Thailand in 2017 and a 10-day holiday trip to Dubai in 2019
• Currently learning Spanish and targeting to clear the SIELE global exam A1 within the next 2 months

Extracurriculars:
• Trained in Indian Classical vocal music for 15 years. Performed across venues during school & college days, with concert reviews in leading newspapers. Winner of multiple awards in school & college
• Performed in English plays, attended by 300-people & reviewed in leading newspapers
• Cleared Mensa worldwide test – Top 2%. Member of Mensa international
• Active NSS volunteer, organized community service camps and tree-planting schemes at college

Other academic achievements:
CAT 2011 (Common Admission Test - India)
Taken on Oct 2011: 99.65 Percentile
Number of test takers - 189,000

AIEEE 2005 (All India Engineering Entrance Exam)
Taken on May 2005: 98.81 Percentile
Number of test takers - 800,000

Do you think I stand a chance of INSEAD interview & admit, or am I being too ambitious (given my lack of direct international work ex & above average 8.5 years current work ex)?

Can you also please suggest other B-schools as well (both Europe & US), given my profile & aspirations of MBB consulting?

Open to doing a brief pre-MBA internship or stint in a consulting/strategy/EA to CXO role once I get an MBA admit, to increase my chances of a shortlist with MBB consulting.

Given a choice, I would prefer a 1-year MBA (since I’ve already done a 2-year MBA), but open to a 2-year MBA if the internship helps pivot from sales into consulting/strategy.

Looking forward to hearing your feedback,

Thanks much!

Hi Kartik,

A little about myself - Indian, female, 28

Experience: 5.8 years in B2B SaaS Product Marketing. My work has largely involved content development for all channels, digital marketing, customer communications. For the past 3 years I'm working with an MNC and also got promoted to a managerial position 3 months ago. I don't have any international experience (apart from the semester abroad) but I have worked with teams in the US/UK. By the time I start applying I'll have 6.5 years of experience.

Education:
I've already done an MBA from an Indian College (GPA 2.98/4). Would the fact that I already have an MBA work against me? I can explain why I need another MBA and connect it with my short term and long term goals.
Exchange student at TAMU, College Station, USA for a semester (GPA 3.65/4).
Bachelors 70%, 10th: 85%, 12th:80%

GMAT: Not taken yet but based on mock tests, expecting 700

Post MBA goals: switch to luxury marketing if possible. I'm also starting to learn French.

Community: 2 months of community service in a blind children's school.

Achievements: State level in swimming (not sure if relevant?), 1 of the 4 selected from a batch of 180 for an exchange program in US.

I'm dead set on HEC MBA (Sep22/Jan23). Assuming I have a good essays, what are my chances of getting into HEC?

I'm looking at schools in Europe only, so the other options I'm looking at are Judge, Said and IE.

Thanks

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