Mr. Indian Consultant

You’re a very solid applicant for INSEAD and nearly check all the boxes: An IIT grad who does not work as a software engineer in tech. A senior consultant with a Big Four firm, a very selective job. A demonstrated passion for our global world, having traveled to 25 countries before you turned 25 and worked for clients in five different countries. Your pro bono consulting work for NGOs. So what’s not to like: Your GPA which is low. Your GMAT, which for an Indian male with a degree in engineering is low even though you are 11 points above the 709 class average. You also are on the young side for INSEAD where the average age of an incoming MBA student is 29. You would be a much better applicant if you waited a year, got your GMAT score up by 20 or 30 points, and took some kind of leadership role in an extracurricular. But we’re nitpicking here. By applying so early, you also have the opportunity to reapply if you don’t get into a school you’re passionate about. That is a an advantage as well.

This is Deepak Punwani from MBA Exchange. As others have mentioned, you have a good profile for INSEAD. But at the same time, your is also one of the most common and hence competitive profiles at INSEAD. Your promotions and international travel will certainly come in handy to increase your chances at the school. Also your goals will resonate with the school. It can be a touch and go decision and what will definitely help is if you get great recos and can show the entrepreneurial side of your profile via your ‘outside of work’ experiences. One note of caution re re-applications at INSEAD. Its one of the most re applicant “non-friendly” schools so if you think that by waiting another year, you can enhance your profile then would encourage you to do so. Good luck

Hello Mr. Indian Consultant! Krista Nannery here from mbaMission.

I’ve worked with a lot of consultants from India before but very few have your level of on-the-ground international experience. This will help you stand out in this very competitive process. Play this up and make sure the locations of all your projects are clear. Even the personal travel helps here! Make sure that’s a bullet point at the end of your CV.

You mention IoT as a goal — if you have current IoT experience, make sure that’s clear on your resume too. That’s a hot topic in b-schools these days and I find that candidates with that experience can sometimes get a little further in the process. On that note though — immediate post-MBA entrepreneurial goals can be a tough sell if you’ve never done entrepreneurship before! So be careful in how you frame that. That may be a better longer-term option, with top-tier strategy consulting in the shorter-term.

In my experience, b-schools love IIT candidates! But it’s also quite a competitive pool. This is where I worry a bit on how your GPA has converted and your 720 GMAT. While I think you may be fine at IESE and IMD, INSEAD and LBS may be a bit tougher. Can I encourage you to take the exam again? My guess is that your quant score was pretty high (49/50/51?). If I am correct, get a private tutor to help you with your verbal weaknesses (purchase the enhanced score report from GMAC), do a few weeks of tutoring, and try again.

Also as others have noted, INSEAD tends to skew older so just bear than in mind when applying and make sure you have those back-up plans.

I love that you are targeting all the European schools by the way!