Profile evaluation for ISB

@Hsw0198y ­- some thoughts:

1. The academic arc looks good, assuming Q/ V split of GMAT was balanced too. Would like to understand your work-ex and impact better but broadly, Marketing within the Automoative sector is an interesting angle. Were there any promotions?

2. It'd be crucial to have a strong narrative covering: why consulting? which domains/ sub-domains within consulting (if generalist, then what are your transferable skills)? what skill-set gaps would an MBA (and particularly ISB) help you fulfil and how?

3. Your music/ piano involvement adds a good angle to the ExtraCurriculars. Would like to understand your broader journey better, to assess peaks and troughs. Some guidelines and best practices on how to approach the ISB essay prompts are here

Hope this helps a bit. Feel free to reach out for a deeper chat.

P.S: We're conducting a Free online webinar on "Consulting Careers post MBA" with an ex-Mckinsey Consultant later this month. If it interests you, details and registrations are here

Regards,
Arvind
Founder, admitStreet | Schedule a free chat
W: https://admitstreet.com | LinkedIn | E: consultingteam@admitstreet.com­
 

 

Good, well-rounded profile overall with no such red flags. You're a competitive applicant for ISB.

That said, applying to just one B-School is not the best strategy due to the odds of randomness involved in the admission process. So you should also consider a few more schools from the T20-T30 schools where your profile maybe competitive.

The rest is just the application part of it ensuring stellar Resume, Essay and LOR material and Interview prep. All of which, a professional can help with.

Feel free to reach out, if you need our help with the same.

PS: 6 out of our 7 applicants to ISB received an admit in the last application round!

Best,
Divesh Chellani
Founder & Managing Consultant
https://Top100MBA.Club
WAPP:+912231989175

Posted from my mobile device

­Hey! Your acads are good and you have a good GMAT too. It's good that you have worked on revenue impacting marketing projects which can act as a USP in your case. On a personal front, piano can be used as an experience on one of the essays along with your research paper information. Since you have already worked in automotive sesctor, the automotive club will not add much value now (if you were in a different domain and you wanted to get into automotive, then it would have helped).

Coming to strategy consulting, majority of the students want to get into strategy consulting and some are from the consulting background already. So, you will have to be very articulative in your essays about how you intend to get into consulting post MBA and what aspects of your prior experience will help you.

Recently our ISB admissions interview panelists worked with a few candidates on ISB ding analysis and most of them wanted to get into strategy consulting and they had mentioned it in their essays. However, the argument wasn't convincing in the interviews and was one of the reasons for not getting through. That's why the right story in the essays and convincing articulation in the interviews is extremely important, considering the fierce competition in ISB for strategy consulting.

We have 50+ mentors on IvyCrackers, some of them are from strategy consulting (graduated from ISB), and some of them are ISB admissions interview panelists. We can connect you with one of them for a complementary profile evaluation session. The focus will be on understanding your profile, goals, work experience and then coming up with a broad personalized storyline for you.

Checkout our mentors: https://ivycrackers.com/our-mentors/. If you want to the have the complementary profile evaluation, then please drop a mail at hello at IVYCRACKERS.COM. You can also book your complementart session here: https://ivycrackers.com/general-assessment/

Also, by next academic year you will be having 5 years of experience so you can look at the one-year full-time MBA programs at top IIM's considering your strong academic background and experience. If you are planning Asia, then NUS can also be a good choice along with HKUST.

Thanks,

IvyCrackers­

 

Hello Hsw0198y,

Hope this finds you well.

Your academic background is decent and the GMAT score is good; happy to see that you have leadership experience at work; it will make for a strong talking point.

It is going to be crucial for your to showcase why you intend to move to consulting and the skills you possess in order to do so; hence, the narrative you put forth through your essays needs to be compelling.

The following video may prove to be of help; while the video is from last year, the content will give you an understanding of what ISB expects.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jvy7qxUKX7Q

Should you wish to discuss your profile in greater detail, please feel free to get in touch with us for a free profile evaluation session.

Hope this helps.

All the best!­

 

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Hello Hsw0198y,

Your academics, and your GMAT score are good and they are not going to be the deal breakers in your admission process.

While your 4 years of work experience adds heft to your application (which we are sure you'll back it up with a solid resume), you'll need a strong storyline as to why you want to pursue Strategy consulting post MBA, connecting your need for ISB to help achieve your goals. Especially when you have a marketing experience in automotive industry and are looking to highlight your extra curriculars in the same domain as your experience. Strategy consulting is the #1 choice for ISB aspirants, and you need to show why they must pick you over the others.

It is nice that you are learning Piano - try to think of how you are willing to contribute to the cohort with this skill set of yours (music clubs, etc.).

Therefore, there is work needed to be done in your application - essays, LOR and of course, the interview itself.

Hope this was helpful!

Team FLY is bunch of ISB alums who help potential ISB candidates with profile positioning, essay reviews and interview mocks. Feel free to book a 15 min free session for more discussion- https://calendly.com/reachusfly/15min

With warm regards,
Team Fly
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/reachusfly/

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Hey thereHsw0198y

I hope you are doing good. With your sights set on a career shift towards strategy consulting, your profile presents a compelling case for the admissions committee.  Throughout your academic journey, you've consistently demonstrated strong performance, culminating in an impressive 720 GMAT score (classic).

Your four years in the automotive industry showcase valuable real-world experience. Leading high-impact marketing projects highlights your initiative and ability to contribute directly to the company's success.  Beyond academics and work, your extracurricular activities paint a well-rounded picture. Publishing a research paper speaks to your intellectual curiosity, while leading a team in the automotive club demonstrates leadership potential.

However, there's always room for improvement. Adding specific data points to quantify the impact of your marketing projects (e.g., increased sales by X%, improved brand awareness by Y%) would further strengthen your application. Furthermore, strategically highlighting skills relevant to strategy consulting, such as problem-solving, analytical thinking, and communication, will showcase a clear career path and a strong fit for your post-MBA goals. By focusing on these areas, you can ensure your profile truly shines and positions you for success at ISB.

Want some personalized insights?  Our admissions experts would love to chat with you in a free profile evaluation call. They can offer a more detailed analysis of your fit for ISB and suggest specific strategies to strengthen your application. This free consultation can help you refine your application approach and increase your chances of admission.

Click here to schedule your free profile evaluation call.

Email: hasan@mbaandbeyond.com

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Hi,

   From the information that you have shared here, you are all set to go ahead and apply. There is always room for doing something more, you can evaluate the possible initiatives you can be a part of and get involved in those over the period.

ISB admission process has always been a very competitive process, it was never as simple as having the best grades, the GMAT and a stellar work ex. Being the best amongst equals is where you have to be to get in!

What will help you make the cut really is the strong narrative that you present, and how deep you go to establish your fit.

Though no single journey ever emulates the other completely, but there may be some parallels; here is an ISB PGP admit story somewhat similar to yours which may be useful for you.

All the best!

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