Mr. Indian Mad Man

Hi, it’s Nisha from mbaMission. I used to both work in brand and be a hardcore Mad Men fan, so I like your username. I will say that without your GMAT/GRE score, it’s really tough for me to assess your odds for LBS, Stern, or any other MBA program. You’ll definitely need a high score (730+ minimum GMAT, 160s on quant and verbal for GRE) to offset your low GPA – additionally, you’ll want to address your GPA in the optional essay in a way that shows ownership and responsibility while highlighting any extenuating circumstances. Also, I see that the Extracurriculars section is blank – the candidates I’ve worked with who’ve been most successful have had passions outside of work, in any area, so you’ll want to think about how you can build this up (perhaps take the next year to do so, given that you’re early in your career and still working on GMAT/GRE).

It sounds like you’ve had impactful experience on the agency side so far (I think it’s been all agency side, correct?) – now, you’ll want to think about a post-MBA path that is both ambitious and realistic based on this experience. I have worked with a lot of clients with agency backgrounds – while there are certainly brand consultancies (such as Prophet) I’ve seen that coming out of bschool, you’ll find more opportunities on the client side in brand management or product marketing. Given your interest in tech and your success with the gaming business pitch, it seems like you’d be a great fit for a product marketing role within a tech firm. Think about the potential organizations that have relationships with the schools you’re targeting – this insight will help you make a strong case for how each MBA program will help you meet your goals with its resources in tech and marketing. Hope that this helps for now – best of luck!

Mr. Indian Mad Man – Thanks for posting your profile. Susan Cera here from Stratus.

At Duke Fuqua, I spent ~6 years reviewing applications from Indian nationals and don’t recall there being many with a brand background. This, combined with your global exposure, will allow you to stand out.

My biggest concern is your stats. Your 2.8 GPA, while not necessarily a show-stopper, will give admissions committee pause. You absolutely must use the GMAT/GRE to demonstrate that you can handle the quantitative rigor of a top program. You may also want to take another course (ideally math) and get a transcript with an A to demonstrate that you are a different student now than you were during your undergrad.

As someone who is in advertising and wants to remain in this industry, you will need to be very clear about why an MBA is needed to move forward in your career.

I recommend waiting another year (perhaps 2) so you can develop your profile and be a competitive applicant.

Wishing you all the best on your journey.