Mr. Global Energy

Hi, this is Deepak Punwani from MBA Exchange. You have a strong profile and you also represent and showcase that profile well. You seem to be ticking all the boxes for the schools on your list and GSB will be the toughest to get into (no surprises there). A lot of the future success at schools on your list will depend on execution. In particular – what makes you a great fit for each of these schools and how you showcase your leadership and decision making ability at work. Play up the international experience and what you learnt from those experiences as it will help differentiate you from other IIT applicants. our extra curricular activities are also unique and can be used to your advantage. Therefore in summary – your ‘strategy’ for application is all in place. Now the ‘execution’ has to come through. Good luck !

Hi Mr. Global Energy! This is Kate Richardson, Senior Admissions Consultant, weighing in on your profile. The big energy firm experience and exposure to several countries is a huge plus in your profile. If you’re applying in Fall 2021, then I think your amount of work experience is in range, although I do agree with the other expert that a promotion would look great to show you’re on a fast track. I also love your extracurriculars! Quite different from the typical applicant, so I’d love to dig into those more and understand why you chose those activities, how you’ve made a difference through them, and how you can bring those experiences to a b-school community. On the academic side, the IIT experience and solid GPA are of course great, and you’ve got an excellent GMAT too. That said, GSB is the most selective school, so I still think it (and Harvard) are a reach for you. I’d rate your odds better at Wharton, Columbia, and Kellogg, and I would consider Booth or possibly INSEAD too given your interests in consulting/energy and global background. Good luck!

Hi Mr. Global Energy. This is Melisa from Stratus Admissions. To start, you have clearly worked hard and have many achievements that will help your application – IIT, strong GMAT, global experience and strong extra-curriculars. These will put you at the higher end of a very competitive pool. I love that you are teaching and leading with acting – there is so much overlap with acting and the story telling of business. That said, you have a lower than average work experience for Stanford and the other programs you have identified. It is unclear from your information if you have been promoted. If you have, this could help overcome your lower work experience – make sure you highlight them and any increases in work experience you have had in your tenure. Also, your goals feel broad based on what you submitted – do you want to work within the intersection of energy, mobility and infrastructure? Or across the three sectors. Are you interested in MBB? Or boutique? And with Stanford specifically – how do you see yourself making an impact on the world in your future role. In order to show this impact, you will need to be more specific on how. While you are a strong candidate, your list of schools is very competitive and the stories you tell in your essays will need to help set you apart. I think your chances are similar across the other schools on your list – and would consider adding Haas and Booth based on your energy interest. Reach out if I can help in any other way.

Hi, it’s Jennifer Jackson from Stratus Admissions. You have some really interesting global work experience that will be very attractive to ad-coms. Very solid GPA in a hard major in a hard school, as well as a great GMAT score. You’re coming from an overrepresented demographic but it looks like you have some leadership roles in extracurriculars to help you differentiate yourself. How have any of these roles informed your career goals? Changed you? What have you learned from them? Going into consulting with a focus on the energy sector certainly makes sense based on the experience you’ve had so far, but you’ll want to really dig in to WHY you’re interested in that — it’s not enough just to show that it makes sense since you’ve worked in energy already. Stanford is looking for people who want to change the world, so show them how getting an MBA there will help you do that. Good luck!