Hello,

This is Ethen and I have been part of this forum on and off for a while but finally decided to pull the trigger to seriously consider doing an MBA. It is a no brainer to understand the hesitation that comes with a 2.4/4 GPA, resulting from a fun filled university life. However, to give a holistic perspective to the profile, please allow me to share more about myself and I am hoping to get to understand my chances of getting accepted to 3 of my target schools - INSEAD, LBS and Oxford.

Summary:
Nationality: Indian
Current location: Japan
Age: 28
High School: International Baccalaureate from Singapore (34/45)
Bachelors: BA in Economics from Japan's Top University (GPA: 2.4/4 - The anchor)
GMAT: To be taken (700 seems to be a stretch but about to start the preparation)
Work Industry: Automotive, Financing: Transformation, Business Innovation & Green Transition
Company: Well-known automotive brand from Germany
Work Experience: 6.5 Years (+1 year of internship with the same company)
Position: Manager, 5 direct reports
Managerial Experience: 2.5 years
Extracurricular: Started a new restaurant with a Michelin star chef in Tokyo

The long version:

The big question is - does 2.4 GPA disqualify me from applying to top business schools?

Well, I am a 28 year old Indian, who has childhood memories of first 13 years being spent in 5 different cities in India. Then I moved to Singapore with my parents and spent 5 years in the Red Dot. Received my IB diploma from an international school. I was fortunate to have gotten elected as the high school president and became captain of the high school badminton and frisbee team. After graduating, I had to make a decision which many have made before - choosing a university.

It felt like the path less taken and I ended up in Japan to study Economics from a top Japanese University. I joined many extracurricular activity clubs, headed a drama production of 100 people and started a small tutoring business that took a lot of my time. Even though I do think I should have spent more time focusing on my classes (2.4 GPA), but the experience of running a business is like no other and thankfully it helped me land an internship at a popular Germany Automative company's Japan Office.

I started as intern trainee assistant to Senior Vice President of the company, which could not have been a better start to get a 360 degree view. Right after the year long internship, I was hired as a Project Manager for the company's flagship project which made me the first foreign staff in their domestic sales department. An immense learning opportunity as I had to manage, coordinate and learn all the other buzz words to liaison with - Sales, After Sales, IT, HR, Marketing, Legal, Procurement, Finance, R&D and more. After 2 years of being a project manager, I decided to focus my efforts in one field - Financing. Jumping through the positions in the new department, 2.5 years ago I was promoted to the youngest manager in the company at the age of 26, while having to manage 5 extraordinary direct reports ranging from 25 to 70 year old with a healthy mix. I get to work on new ideas with one of them being implemented world-wide to promote sustainable financing. My team is expected to grow and I may get the title of "Snr. Manager" in few months time, which may also not happen - only time can tell.

To add, besides the corporate life, running a business has always attracted my attention. 2 years ago, with a partner, we decided to open a new fine dinning restaurant in Tokyo city with a Michelin star chef. I cannot add much to the menu side but I have taken up the role of Business Manager/CFO to manage any operational challenges as well as keep track of finances for the small entity. If the venture is successful, the plan is add unique restaurants to the portfolio. During my MBA, I plan to be associated with the business but learning from my bachelors time, will focus a lot more on what the MBA courses have to offer.

Post MBA short term goal would be to continue the corporate journey and learn what CXO positions have to teach. Long term goal is a bit more challenging but I do like Cars and would like to setup a pure-play ZEV company in India.

I am aware that my GPA is extremely low and my GMAT may turn out to be only Avg. (680?). It would be extremely helpful to get to hear your views on my chances of getting accepted to the cliche - Top MBA Program.

Thank you & Cheers!
Ethen