Request For Profile Evaluation - Pakistani Entrepreneur : Ask mbaMission

· Demographics: 35 y/o male from Pakistan

· Education: Forman Christian College University (one of the top universities of the country), majored in economics and sociology. GPA: 2.7
( Problem: I have a low GPA )

· GMAT score: 710

· Work experience: ( 9 - 10 Years )
Founder and Enrepreneur
I was the the founder of the Country's first Intelligent Ad Delivery System for DOOH (Digital out of home advertising) company. Dynamic Ads based on facial recognition - had a google analytics based interface for digtial outdoor media - Was selected for the MIT global entrepeneurship bootcamp in 2017 based on this startup - company was also incubated at top incubators of the country.
Founder and CEO of Urban Deli, A Bread and Bread Essentials Company. Started with my brother and brother in law and fast forward, now it is a medium sized company having 50 - 60 employees.
Prior to that, was working in the media / PR Industry.

Achievements:
A. I was among the only two Pakistanis who were selected for the MIT global entrepreneurship bootcamp in 2017.
B. Thought Leader In The Industry. Several of my articles have been published in Pakistan's top news papers and advertising publications about Entrepreneurship and Digital Marketing. For reference, please see following links: ( Cannot Post Links Because I am a new member ).
pakistantoday. pk/author/tayyab-tariq-narula/
dawn. /authors/3620/tayyab-tariq
dawn. /authors/7743/tayyab-tariq
C. Was a student leader in my university - Was the first person to initiate the student government and its constitution in consultation with university administration. ( Back then in Pakistan , there was a ban on student unions in the country due to dicatorship against which we worked aggressively for our fundamental democratic rights.) - Althought nothing related to business but just shows leadership potential in other areas of life.
D. Did several fundraising efforts for victims of internally displaced persons due to taliban insurgency, floods in 2010 and so on - Community Efforts.
E. President of Sociology Society and Winner Of University Wide Urdu Essay Competition

· Extracurricular activities: Finance Secretary of an NGO which focuses on ensuring education for street children in Pakistan. Member of Rotary Club, Lahore.

Why I want to have an MBA / Want to Change my Career despite being an entrepreneur / CEO of my family owned company ?

A. I have always been curious about learning. I want to have an MBA to learn more about business and entrpreneurship. Learn best practices in business from the best business schools as well as the potentially best peer and teacher network. Want to gain exposure. I have always been interested in Tech sector / Consulting as I love to work with innovations or solve business problems.

B. Want to settle down in North America / Europe and be strongly linked with technology / consulting sector. Want to contribute meaningfully in the new digital world. The economic conditions of Pakistan provide a bleak picture in near future as well as long term.

· Post-MBA goals: Work within consulting in the US/EU regions. Plan B: To Plan in the financial industry as an invesment or in venture capital.

· Target schools: Europe: INSEAD / HEC / LBS / IESE / University Of Erasmus, Rotterdam Business School
USA: Tuck, Fuqua, Wharton, Stanford, MIT, Ross, Kellog, Cornell, Stern, Harvard

· Additional info: I am also planning to take the mba math course from mbamath. Along with that, I might start the micromasters in finance offered by MIT at Edx.

Would appreciate your insights on:
1. Given my low GPA and my age factor (35 ), would Europe be a better destination for me for having an MBA or would USA be a better destination ? I have heard that European Business Schools are more forgiving for the age factor compared to the US Business Schools.
2. Would a one year MBA better for me or would a two year mba better for me ?
2. My chances at the target schools mentioned above. Do I have more chances at European Business Schools compared to US Business Schools ?
3. What can I do to further improve my odds at the aforementioned schools ?
4. Which schools suit my profile more (in terms of greater chances of getting in) ?

Thankyou!

Hi tayyab2022,
Thanks for posting your profile. I think you have an impressive entrepreneurial background, such as your track record starting and growing two successful companies. You remind me of a Latin American entrepreneur client I recently worked with who was admitted into the Sloan Fellows and Stanford MSx programs.

That brings me to your question around whether a 1- or 2-year MBA program would be a better fit for you. Given your wealth of experience, I think a 1-year program tailored for experienced candidates like you would be a better fit. Do look into programs like MIT Sloan Fellows, Stanford MSx, Kellogg 1-year Accelerated MBA. Columbia also has an 18-month program called J-term for applicants who don't require a summer internship. The other US schools on your list may have 1-year programs too, so do look into them. The European schools on your list like INSEAD do of course have 1-year programs too.

In general, European schools tend to be slightly older and more international student community that's not surprisingly more European-centric. If you plan to build your long-term career in Europe, you can't beat the alumni network you will gain access to by attending school in an European program.

While your undergrad GPA is low, you can offset that by having a strong GMAT or GRE test score. Some programs also accept the Executive Assessment (EA), so do look into that as well.

Also, do consider explaining the circumstances that affected your GPA in the optional essay. For example, if there were specific classes that pulled down your GPA, or if you showed improvement in the later years of school.

As you pull your apps together, be sure to weave in these significant personal and professional stories to help AdCom understand who you are, what drives you, and what you’re passionate about. From what you described above, I have no doubt you have many interesting stories to tell! In fact, the challenge will be choosing what stories to tell in a succinct and compelling way in the essays.

If you can articulate this compellingly in your essays, that would be the key to your application success. If you would like to discuss your profile in more detail, feel free to schedule a 1:1 consultation with us. Wishing you the best in your MBA journey!

Sincerely,
Debbie

With a high GMAT score and an all-round profile, it's certain that your application will be rated higher over others.