Step-by-Step
how it works one-on-one one-on-one about us about us
{{line.Caption}}
See all steps
More on the blog
People Webinars Discussions Resources Schools
Expert Help
People Webinars Discussions Resources Schools
join
Pranav Bhardwaj Hi Experts- A little of Profile Evaluation please Hi guys, I am targeting the intake for fall 2017. Currently counting 3 years of Consulting experience with the market leader in Supply Chain solutions. Expecting of hitting 720 in the GMAT. Taking GMAT in August this year. Promoted from technical consultant associate to technical consultant to Business consultant in 3 years. My college accounts for a sizable number of Indian students at Purdue, Michigan, Columbia and Cornell. Best Regards Pranav #MBA {{ 1434639240142+1-1 | date : 'short' }} mba All Replies User Picks
Shannon Lopez Hi Pranav. A few items that would be helpful for a stronger evaluation of your profile... were your grades good in school, and do you expect strong recommendations? Assuming yes to both of those questions, you would fit in the category of folks who qualify for admission to your target schools on your detailed profile. That said, we find that ~80% of applicants qualify for their schools, but schools only have space for 10-20% of their applicants. To make yourself stand out, you'll want to make sure your personal brand and story are strong. For instance, looks like you were very accomplished in a number of sports in college. Have you continued with those either competing or coaching? Or, in addition to giving blood frequently, are there other activities you're involved in which positively impact the community? I've definitely found that some of the most interesting things about applicants are the things that are so core to them that the applicants tend to overlook them as ordinary. Some examples might be the candidate whose life was changed by Hurricane Katrina but didn't give it a thought because it was just part of *his* normal life. Or the candidate who self-funded college by working 40+ hours a week in order to gain personal freedom, but, again, she never thinks to mention this because it's just so natural and normal for her. So a couple of questions I like to ask candidates to help them along the path to find what's unique: - Is there any one thing you did or that happened to you that changed you dramatically? - If I could only know one thing about you, what should that be? - If something were to be taken away from you (a thing, a talent, an experience), what thing would be the most devastating for you to lose? Answers to these questions are unlikely to come easily, but might be an interesting place for you to start figuring out what makes you different. {{ 1434969584265+1-1 | date : 'short' }}
Pranav Bhardwaj Thanks Shanon for the reply. I scored 8.3/10 in my Bachelors course (mechanical engg). I have continued playing the sports albeit at a corporate level. I am expecting strong recommendations from different places in the world. I have been involved (and a co-founder) with a small group of people who have been trying to educate people on disaster management in the Himalayan region of India for the past 7 years and another group that which goes for a tree plantation drive in Bangalore almost every weekend. Another that might sound stupid is that a couple of times a week I go on my bicycle on the Bangalore roads and collect nails off the road. The nails are more or less deliberately spread on the roads so that motorists can go to the puncture repair shops on the highways. I got inspired by a person who did a similar job and go out about 30km a week combing the roads and lanes for nails with a specially mounted magnet on my bicycle. - An instance that has changed my life dramatically would be when in the UK, I was asked to be JDA's sole representative in a meeting chaired by the client's CEO. The meeting was regarding JDA's capability and due to unforeseen circumstances, the client partner and project manager could not make it. I had to fill some really large shoes and I did well. Very well actually. I was in this room with experts from the industry who had worked in the industry for longer than I have lived. This gave my self-belief a tremendous boost. It led me to believe that a person who has faith in himself might be limited by talent or experience but whatever the person has, if utilized to the maximum (my understanding of what the customer wants from a business perspective) can enhance once chances to succeed! -If there is one thing that you could know about me, that would be that I'm a very impartial person. I am unbiased when it comes to professional and personal situations. I have been taught while growing to treat victory and defeat in the same manner. This helps me keep my feet firmly on the ground. -One thing that is very dear to me is my compassionate nature. I believe that my sense of righteousness, courage and confidence stems from my compassion. It has shaped me as a person and has oriented me towards my life goals. I think if my compassionate nature is taken, I'd probably lose everything I prize! {{ 1435117110226+1-1 | date : 'short' }}
Linda El Awar expert Hi, Pranav. Thanks for posting! I think one of the most important questions you need to ask yourself is what do you want to do after graduate school? This can really help you determine what is the right path for you to take, and then how your profile stacks up against the competition for that particular route. {{ 1435116783217+1-1 | date : 'short' }}
Pranav Bhardwaj Hi Lelawar! I have got a pretty decent exposure in the supply chain industry from the process planning to execution echelons. Supply Chain Planning and Optimization, Warehouse Management, Labour Management, Inventory Optimization, Order Promising etc are a few domains I have worked on. I also have a pretty deep knowledge about the automotive and aeronautical industries (having done my time at India's national fighter jet manufacturer). Ideally I would see myself doing strategy consulting and mould my current area of expertise with my areas of interest. In a short span of 3 years (of my career) my firm has seen 2 mergers and acquisitions. I am pretty interested in doing something in this realm as well to get a better understanding of it. This interest probably also stems from the fact that I was 11 when I first came to know about what are mergers/acquisitions while watching a documentary on RJR-Nabisco. Further down the lane I'd like to use my knowledge from the business world and set up a trust or run part-time an orphanage. {{ 1435119495202+1-1 | date : 'short' }}
Linda El Awar expert Hi, Pranav. Very inspiring that you would hope to run an orphanage! That is interesting and I am sure you have a story behind why you would like to do that. Those personal stories can really help your application stand out from the competition. {{ 1435378367184+1-1 | date : 'short' }}
Pranav Bhardwaj Hi lelawar, thanks for responding again. On a personal note, I've seen a lot of people change lives for the good and nothing beats that feeling! {{ 1435436912678+1-1 | date : 'short' }}
Shannon Lopez Sounds like you've got an inspiring story to tell Pranav! @Linda El Awar is right about that standing out! {{ 1435581747931+1-1 | date : 'short' }}