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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'm interested in doing an MBA. Kindly review my profile. Sharing a snapshot of the same below.

Bio: Indian, M, 24yo
Undergrad: Comp Sci from top 5 colleges in India(IIT)
Undergrad GPA: 5.6, It is on the lower side bur from a very prestigious college.
GRE: 329(Q166 V163)
Current Role: Project manager
Current Sector: Finance & Investments
Work experience: Worked in a MNC for 2 years where I worked abroad a project of 3 months duration. Got a promotion from a junior level to a Cloud lead. I worked with cross functional teams in India and US heavily- going to show teamwork and adaptability.
Post this, I Moved into an equity Research firm as a Project lead. Currently working as Project lead since 5 months. I currently lead multiple projects standing as a common ground between the investments team and the tech side.
Total work experience: 36 months by the time of Joining.
Short term goals: Move into an investment firm and work on Portfolio research in the equity markets(Sell side).
Long term goals: Move into a Private equity firm/Hedge fund in the buy side.

Extras:
Worked as a volunteer for differently abled
National level chess player
Lead departments in national level Fests.
Worked on an incognito startup(Failed)(Not sure if I should mention this)

Referees: Manager and colleague
Target Schools (R2): Any of the top 25 in US

Couple of questions:
1)Do you think I stand a better chance at top 15 colleges if I wait another year and then apply?
2)Do you think I should do a masters in the coming year and then later pursue a MBA?
3) Do ADCOM's consider an MBA post Masters positively?

I have a question: if the school had already asked for some info in the application form, is it safe to omit those from my essay? For eg, my extracurriculars and my job responsibilities.
As I said, I could use those to highlight some leadership skills but may have to omit them to keep my SOP within the limit.
My target schools are the top IIMs, if that matters

I am currently working as manager in a Public Sector Bank with 4 yrs of experience. But I have a gap of 5 years after my graduation. Was preparing for some Govt exams. Now I am starting my GMAT preparation , but I am having doubt that is it possible to get into a Good B-School in India with a good gmat score of 720+ or this 5 year gap would hinder that even with any Gmat score. My Gmat preparation depends on this. Wether I should go with gmat or not. Please put some clarity.

Posted from my mobile device

Ask any questions or profile evaluation requests to Vikram Shah consulting here in this chatroom.

Hello! Requesting profile evaluation, please let me know what all data would be needed for it.

Profile Evaluation for MBA 2022 Intake-
GMAT: 760
Duolingo: 145
Undergrad: 9.7 CGPA in Bachelor of Commerce(WES-> US Equivalent Undergrad).
University: Lovely Professional University, Punjab
12th Grade: 92%
Work Experience: 2.5 yrs as Finance Associate in Largest Infrastructure Company of India- Promoted Twice in the period currently leading a team and managing finance of Two National Projects in India under the direct control of PM Office.
3 MOnths as a Process analyst intern in Telecom Company.
EC's - Hosted many events in Undergrad, District level Hockey Player won prizes in Undergrad, Been a part of Charitable organization for the past 5 years.
Certifications: CFA Level 1, CPMP and Online MOOC's over Analytics and Data Science.
Post-MBA goals - Want to transit in Product Management in FMCG.
Hope for the Comments.
Also, Please let me know if pursuing MBA in India or in Abroad is correct for my profile.
which schools can I apply for?

Indian, Female, 28
Target GMAT - 700+
Education - Bachelor in Engineering-8.7 , Diploma in Engineering-8, 10th-75%

Work experience - 6.5 Years
1. worked as Software Engineer at US based InsurTech fortune 500 company and at Healthcare and FMCG automation and technology company.
2. Co-Founder of handicraft social e-commerce startup, founded and registered in 2019.
I am from village where most women knows needle and thread art but not able to earn money because of lack of platform, technology and investment. We are helping these women earn money.
3. Partner at Import export and trading company
I am helping farmers sell their produces at price higher than MSP(minimum support price) by removing middleman layers.
4. CURRENT ROLE-Freelancer as Lead Software Engineer at LogiTech Startup

Why MBA?
I have gone had many corporate experiences and managed my startup over the years, but I learned everything in a try and error manner. Now I want to take a step back and use the MBA program to gain skills(management, strategy, marketing) in an academic setting.

Short Term Goal: To become a product manager in an AgriTech startup.
Long Term Goal: Social Entrepreneurship in AgriTech industry
Born in farmer’s family and being a tech person myself, I knew that in India and many other , farmers don’t have technology, data and advanced tools to make better decisions and ease the agriculture processes. My goal is to transform the agriculture industry through technology and improve farmer’s lives

Target Schools: M7, Haas, Yale, Duke Fuqua, Tuck, Ross, Said, Judge, NYU Stern, Insead, HEC Paris, ISB, Babson

Questions-
1. which college and program should i go for which will help me achieve my long-term goal(Entrepreneurship in AgriTech) ?
Any other colleges you want to suggest?
2. how can i highlight my strengths – Leadership, Community involvement and what do you find weakness in my profile? Suggestions you want to give to improve my profile/CV?
3. do you find my personal story strong and compelling enough?
4. I want to join AgriTech startup soon after my MBA and pursue my entrepreneurship career later down the line in AgriTech itself.
I am not sure if school will find ’join AgriTech soon after MBA suitable (because generally tech company comes into campus but not specifically tech company that works in agriculture sector) or Shall I still present this as my short term goal in my SOP? If so, how do I make sure it doesn’t look odd in the face of the AdComs.

Hello,

Name – Madhangi
Indian, Female, 32
Target GMAT - 700+
Education - Bachelor in Engineering-- 84% , 10th-87% and 12th – 93%

Work experience – 11 Years
1. Working as a software engineer in IBM and has various mutlinational corporate exposure in Product management
2. Cofounder of NGO Society for the Welfare of All things – Chennai, India
3. Leading a team of 14 resources across various technologies like EMAIL and content management in direct end user architecture set up
4. CURRENT ROLE- Single Point of Contact for delivery and planning of major projects for the team.

Why MBA?
MY managerial and leadership expereince has been through real time scenarios ,I want utilize the MBA education as investment in myself and understand the basics and gain skills in accounting, strategy and marketing.
Short Term Goal: To become a product manager in an digital environment
Long Term Goal: Global Leadership goals
In the long term, I foresee myself in the Director of Product and Vice President positions. I’d like to lead the business development of a firm by formulating winning business strategies and expanding the global outreach of the company.
Target Schools: Stanford, UCB, UCLA, Tuck, Ross, MIT and INSEAD,

Questions-

1. Is there any evident weakness in my profile ?
2. What should be my minimum score in GMAT.
3. How can I make my story compelling enough
4. Would my age and work experience would be an factor the adcoms to consider my profile?
5. Which other colleges should I consider?

Prasad2799 wrote:Profile Evaluation for MBA 2022 Intake-
GMAT: 760
Duolingo: 145
Undergrad: 9.7 CGPA in Bachelor of Commerce(WES-> US Equivalent Undergrad).
University: Lovely Professional University, Punjab
12th Grade: 92%
Work Experience: 2.5 yrs as Finance Associate in Largest Infrastructure Company of India- Promoted Twice in the period currently leading a team and managing finance of Two National Projects in India under the direct control of PM Office.
3 MOnths as a Process analyst intern in Telecom Company.
EC's - Hosted many events in Undergrad, District level Hockey Player won prizes in Undergrad, Been a part of Charitable organization for the past 5 years.
Certifications: CFA Level 1, CPMP and Online MOOC's over Analytics and Data Science.
Post-MBA goals - Want to transit in Product Management in FMCG.
Hope for the Comments.
Also, Please let me know if pursuing MBA in India or in Abroad is correct for my profile.
which schools can I apply for?

Hi Prasad2799,

Your question is difficult to answer. You should study in the country that you wish to work in. If you wish to work in India, study in India. If you wish to work in the US, then study in the US. You should also consider your budget when you plan to pursue an MBA. That said, you seem to have a competitive profile, albeit less experience than the average Indian candidate (4-5 years). You may choose to apply to schools in the US such as Kellogg, Duke, Darden, Cornell and Anderson. This is a tentative list of schools. When we start working with a candidate we get a much better sense of where they will fit in.

If you wish to have a more personal conversation or wish to learn how we may help you with your applications, I suggest we communicate outside this portal. You may reach me at +91 98330 96568.

Best wishes,

Vikram Shah

NirupaD wrote:Name - Nirupa
Indian, Female, 28
Target GMAT - 700+
Education - Bachelor in Engineering-8.7 , Diploma in Engineering-8, 10th-75%

Work experience - 6.5 Years
1. worked as Software Engineer at US based InsurTech fortune 500 company and at Healthcare and FMCG automation and technology company.
2. Co-Founder of handicraft social e-commerce startup, founded and registered in 2019.
I am from village where most women knows needle and thread art but not able to earn money because of lack of platform, technology and investment. We are helping these women earn money.
3. Partner at Import export and trading company
I am helping farmers sell their produces at price higher than MSP(minimum support price) by removing middleman layers.
4. CURRENT ROLE-Freelancer as Lead Software Engineer at LogiTech Startup

Why MBA?
I have gone had many corporate experiences and managed my startup over the years, but I learned everything in a try and error manner. Now I want to take a step back and use the MBA program to gain skills(management, strategy, marketing) in an academic setting.

Short Term Goal: To become a product manager in an AgriTech startup.
Long Term Goal: Social Entrepreneurship in AgriTech industry
Born in farmer’s family and being a tech person myself, I knew that in India and many other , farmers don’t have technology, data and advanced tools to make better decisions and ease the agriculture processes. My goal is to transform the agriculture industry through technology and improve farmer’s lives

Target Schools: M7, Haas, Yale, Duke Fuqua, Tuck, Ross, Said, Judge, NYU Stern, Insead, HEC Paris, ISB, Babson

Questions-
1. which college and program should i go for which will help me achieve my long-term goal(Entrepreneurship in AgriTech) ?
Any other colleges you want to suggest?
2. how can i highlight my strengths – Leadership, Community involvement and what do you find weakness in my profile? Suggestions you want to give to improve my profile/CV?
3. do you find my personal story strong and compelling enough?
4. I want to join AgriTech startup soon after my MBA and pursue my entrepreneurship career later down the line in AgriTech itself.
I am not sure if school will find ’join AgriTech soon after MBA suitable (because generally tech company comes into campus but not specifically tech company that works in agriculture sector) or Shall I still present this as my short term goal in my SOP? If so, how do I make sure it doesn’t look odd in the face of the AdComs.

Hi Nirpura,

Apologies for the delay in replying.

To answer your questions, 1) as an aspiring entrepreneur, you should look for schools that are strong in entrepreneurship, tech, have lots of hands on learning opportunities and a strong network. That said, assuming you get a score of 730 or above, you could look at schools such as Kellogg, Yale, Darden and Haas. If you wish to pursue a one year MBA, Oxford, INSEAD and ISB would be good choices. If your GMAT score is in the range of 650-700 perhaps Babson would be a good choice.
2. Leadership-- you need to demonstrate leadership at the workplace, from leading teams to taking initiative etc. Same for community involvement. You'll get opportunities to showcase this in your CV, application form, letters of recommendation and essays. Weaknesses: from your message so far, I can see grammatical errors so I am guessing that your English could be improved.
3. I think your story has potential.
4. When thinking of your short term goals, I suggest you mention names of potential employers. Do research on whether these companies actually hire MBAs and if they do, for what positions. Anything well researched will sound more convincing. You could also show your short-term goal as entrepreneurship (starting a new company or a division in your existing business). Since you already have founded one company, your story may be more believable.

I suggest you contact me, outside this portal, once you have taken the GMAT. You may reach me at +91 98330 96568.

Till then, I wish you all the very best for your test.

Vikram Shah

Name- Bharat
Indian, Male,26

Target GMAT- 700+

Name – Madhangi
Indian, Female, 32
Target GMAT - 700+
Education - Bachelor in Engineering-- 84% , 10th-87% and 12th – 93%

Work experience – 11 Years
1. Working as a software engineer in IBM and has various mutlinational corporate exposure in Product management
2. Cofounder of NGO Society for the Welfare of All things – Chennai, India
3. Leading a team of 14 resources across various technologies like EMAIL and content management in direct end user architecture set up
4. CURRENT ROLE- Single Point of Contact for delivery and planning of major projects for the team.

Why MBA?
MY managerial and leadership expereince has been through real time scenarios ,I want utilize the MBA education as investment in myself and understand the basics and gain skills in accounting, strategy and marketing.
Short Term Goal: To become a product manager in an digital environment
Long Term Goal: Global Leadership goals
In the long term, I foresee myself in the Director of Product and Vice President positions. I’d like to lead the business development of a firm by formulating winning business strategies and expanding the global outreach of the company.
Target Schools: Stanford, UCB, UCLA, Tuck, Ross, MIT and INSEAD,

Questions-

1. Is there any evident weakness in my profile ?
2. What should be my minimum score in GMAT.
3. How can I make my story compelling enough
4. Would my age and work experience would be an factor the adcoms to consider my profile?
5. Which other colleges should I consider?

Name: Pranay

Name: Pranay
Age: 25 years, Male
Education: B. Tech (Mechanical) - 89%, Class 12- 90% Class 10- 95%
Work Experience: 3 years in Volvo Eicher Commercial Vehicles
Job Description: Handling Marketing campaigns & product strategy for driving Sales for Buses across the country. Working closely on identifying and expanding the current business portfolio of the company. Also working on digital campaigns to generate enquiries and lower customer acquisition cost. Been promoted once with several event based recognitions from senior management

Why MBA? – Want to step up and further increase my knowledge in Marketing and Strategy. Gain holistic knowledge when it comes to product management, brand equity and devising long term strategic plans and strategy to increase profitability. Looking for global exposure and make connections to widen my scope of opportunities. Also, really want to get back to college life having worked in a corporate set up

Short Term Goals: Want to work in a core automotive company abroad, build relations and learn. Want to work in Marketing and strategy. Also, keen on working abroad for a few years, to get the right exposure and conditioning of a global brand

Long Term Goal: Want to return to India eventually, and join the auto industry at a Mid-Senior Management Level. Will want to shift to consultancy eventually– for brand, product marketing and strategy

Extra-curricular: Seasoned debater, won National and International MUNs, Worked for NGOs focusing on education of underprivileged children, A senior diploma holder in Classical Indian Music & National level Karate player

Questions:
• Colleges ideal for Marketing and Strategy which can help secure a job in a global automotive firm
• What would be the ideal GMAT score, I am targeting 690-710 as of now
• How do I tailor my story for essays and SOPs

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