Hi all, would like to find out more about where my current profile stands and how I can improve my profile for a MBA in INSEAD.
General Info
28 Years Old, Chinese, Male
Singaporean
Fluent in Mandarin and English
Taking Japanese classes
Academic
University of London International Programmes
2:1 in Banking and Finance, graduated in 2013
Was in a martial arts club as captain while pursuing my undergrad studies and won several silver and bronze awards in inter-college competitions.
Passed CFA level 2, have not attempted CFA level 3.
Military
Completed my 2 years conscript as a commissioned infantry officer.
Was platoon commander where I constantly have more than 40 people directly under my charge.
In the reserve force, I am a key appointment holder within the battalion.
Work Experience
First Job
M&A analyst in a listed mining company. Based in Singapore. Worked there for 1 year.
Completed several deals while being involved from deal sourcing to deal execution.
Left due to change in company's strategy and acquisition was no longer a priority.
Second Job
Team Leader in transaction advisory within one of the top 5 accounting firm in Singapore.
Worked there for ~1.5 years.
Joined as a 1st year associate, promoted directly to Team Leader within my first promotion cycle due to excellent performance. My promotion was unprecedented within the history of the firm. I skipped all other associate and senior associate ranks.
Dealt mainly with valuations project, also some M&A deals and pre-IPO advisory.
As a team leader, have 6-7 other associates I worked with in the department, and I take charge of projects assigned to me. On my projects, I either worked with the junior associates or was on my own and report directly to directors and partners.
Some other achievements includes assisting my director in creation of new vertical within the firm. Appointed directly by CEO to be in a task force, as the only personnel below director level, to set up new initiative within the firm.
Current Job
Investment Associate in early stage venture capital. Based in Singapore, but travel around Asia frequently. Travel to at least 1-2 countries a month.
Worked for 2 VC firm under different mandate, a prominent and reputable early stage VC based in Japan and a relatively new early stage VC based in SG.
Responsible for deal sourcing in some countries. Responsible for managing all our inbound deal flow.
Also largely in charge of deal executions.
In charge of managing some of our portfolio companies, and all portfolio companies reporting.
Have an full-time analyst under my charge. In charge of hiring and managing interns.
As the Japan-based VC's only associate based outside of Japan, I am assisting my partner in the firm's international expansion.
As part of my job, I have judged in events and given talks in co-working spaces and universities around the region.
Future plans
I am planning to stay in current VC role for the next 1-2 years before MBA. I am studying GMAT now and I aim to obtain a minimal score of 720 next year.
My top choice is INSEAD Singapore as I wish to continue pursuing a career in VC in Asia, and INSEAD has a strong network in Asia. As a VC, network is paramount for either fund raising or deal sourcing. Moreover, my current undergrad school is definitely not ideal, and if I ever hope to raise up to partner within any fund in future, a MBA from a reputable business school is essential.
Herein lies my concern. INSEAD is looking at candidates with international experience, armed with undergrad degrees from good school. Unfortunately, I do not possess both. I can't change my undergrad degree at this point. However, does frequent travel and heavy involvement in the startup ecosystem outside of Singapore count as international experience?
Dear experts, what else can I do to strengthen my profile for INSEAD Singapore within the next 1-2 years?
Where does my profile stand currently?
And in my case, does good GMAT score help cover for my not so ideal undergrad academic credentials? If I did not complete my CFA level 3 while applying for B-school, would it hurt my profile?
Thank you very much!
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MORE DETAILS
Profile Evaluator request - INSEAD Singapore
This topic has expert replies
-
99Colleges: MBA Admission
- Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
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Hi kxy,
Following solidly go on your side:
1. Career progression in your second job
2. Working in VC industry, a hard-to-get-in industry
3. Leadership roles in military and second job
4. Working with directors and partners directly
Coming to your questions:
International experience and undergrad degree
INSEAD is looking for 'international motivation' and not necessarily 'international experience', which, I think, your profile demonstrates adequately. They consider work/ study outside home country, work in multinational company, ability with foreign languages, travel (this could even be leisure travel), and work with diverse communities too as an indicator of international motivation.
One need not have worked for long periods in a different country to showcase international experience.
Prestige of undergrad degree is mostly a supporting evidence to judge your academic prowess. The more important indicators of same are your GMAT score (with a balanced score between Quant and Verbal, which INSEAD specifically mentions) and GPA. If you do well in GMAT, you can even overcome an average GPA, because your test score provides a better commentary on your current ability (because it's more recent).
So, if you score well in GMAT and if you've decent GPA, then the prestige of your undergrad degree won't matter much. INSEAD mentions competitiveness of the institution as one of the factors, but remember, it's just one of three in judging your academic prowess. And there are many other factors outside academic stats, where you measure up well.
Short answer: Frequent travel and heavy involvement in the startup ecosystem outside of Singapore count as international experience. Your undergrad degree will be a marginal factor, at best.
Failure to complete CFA level 3 won't affect your profile. It's not a requirement, and if you do well in GMAT, then schools will get convinced about your ability to handle the academic rigor of their program.
Overall, I think, you've a strong profile, which you need to demonstrate through well-written application and a 700+ GMAT score.
To strengthen your profile, you may volunteer for deals where you get an opportunity to learn a lot and contribute toward disproportionate results. Moreover, you should continue (or even increase) your talks, as INSEAD also looks at your ability to contribute in and outside the class, and, moreover, it reflects positively on your communication skills.
Following solidly go on your side:
1. Career progression in your second job
2. Working in VC industry, a hard-to-get-in industry
3. Leadership roles in military and second job
4. Working with directors and partners directly
Coming to your questions:
International experience and undergrad degree
INSEAD is looking for 'international motivation' and not necessarily 'international experience', which, I think, your profile demonstrates adequately. They consider work/ study outside home country, work in multinational company, ability with foreign languages, travel (this could even be leisure travel), and work with diverse communities too as an indicator of international motivation.
One need not have worked for long periods in a different country to showcase international experience.
Prestige of undergrad degree is mostly a supporting evidence to judge your academic prowess. The more important indicators of same are your GMAT score (with a balanced score between Quant and Verbal, which INSEAD specifically mentions) and GPA. If you do well in GMAT, you can even overcome an average GPA, because your test score provides a better commentary on your current ability (because it's more recent).
So, if you score well in GMAT and if you've decent GPA, then the prestige of your undergrad degree won't matter much. INSEAD mentions competitiveness of the institution as one of the factors, but remember, it's just one of three in judging your academic prowess. And there are many other factors outside academic stats, where you measure up well.
Short answer: Frequent travel and heavy involvement in the startup ecosystem outside of Singapore count as international experience. Your undergrad degree will be a marginal factor, at best.
Failure to complete CFA level 3 won't affect your profile. It's not a requirement, and if you do well in GMAT, then schools will get convinced about your ability to handle the academic rigor of their program.
Overall, I think, you've a strong profile, which you need to demonstrate through well-written application and a 700+ GMAT score.
To strengthen your profile, you may volunteer for deals where you get an opportunity to learn a lot and contribute toward disproportionate results. Moreover, you should continue (or even increase) your talks, as INSEAD also looks at your ability to contribute in and outside the class, and, moreover, it reflects positively on your communication skills.
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mcbMcK
- Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
- Posts: 308
- Joined: Sat Nov 13, 2010 8:29 pm
- Thanked: 43 times
- Followed by:5 members
A few more perspectives here kxy:
Cheers,
- While your career progressions looks great the one thing you will need to defend is the too frequent job changes. You will have to do a lot of stuff here to ensure your career decisions do not come across as fickle.
- Overall from a timing perspective, you should try to put in your application sooner. I don't see the reason for waiting 2 years for sure.
- Your ECs seem to be all in the past. The recency effect is pretty important here and especially for a school such as INSEAD, ECs is important. So if you have time, work on that lever.
- You've not mentioned why you didn't complete CFA. This is a globally recognized thing; so if you can, do it and that'll help in conjunction with a good GMAT. Aim for 740; never aim 'low'
- Finally, it is never prudent to have just one school in your target list. Think of a few more to spread your risks ideally.
Cheers,
MG (Manish Gupta)|The MBA Crystal Ball Team
Website: https://www.mbacrystalball.com
Email: mcb at mbacrystalball dot com
Website: https://www.mbacrystalball.com
Email: mcb at mbacrystalball dot com
GMAT/MBA Expert
-
Donna@Stratus
- Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
- Posts: 298
- Joined: Mon Jun 20, 2016 11:37 am
- Thanked: 26 times
- Followed by:11 members
Hi- so I also agree with earlier post in that you have some strong positives to bring to INSEAD and not the least of which is your strong work experience. I think that highlighting your accomplishments and picking a recommender who can speak to your "academic" ability to perform well at work could help overshadow the undergraduate performance. The higher your GMAT, the easier this will be to forgive. I also think doing well in CFA level III can help your academic cause so consider for that reason. Good luck to you!kxy wrote:Hi all, would like to find out more about where my current profile stands and how I can improve my profile for a MBA in INSEAD.
General Info
28 Years Old, Chinese, Male
Singaporean
Fluent in Mandarin and English
Taking Japanese classes
Academic
University of London International Programmes
2:1 in Banking and Finance, graduated in 2013
Was in a martial arts club as captain while pursuing my undergrad studies and won several silver and bronze awards in inter-college competitions.
Passed CFA level 2, have not attempted CFA level 3.
Military
Completed my 2 years conscript as a commissioned infantry officer.
Was platoon commander where I constantly have more than 40 people directly under my charge.
In the reserve force, I am a key appointment holder within the battalion.
Work Experience
First Job
M&A analyst in a listed mining company. Based in Singapore. Worked there for 1 year.
Completed several deals while being involved from deal sourcing to deal execution.
Left due to change in company's strategy and acquisition was no longer a priority.
Second Job
Team Leader in transaction advisory within one of the top 5 accounting firm in Singapore.
Worked there for ~1.5 years.
Joined as a 1st year associate, promoted directly to Team Leader within my first promotion cycle due to excellent performance. My promotion was unprecedented within the history of the firm. I skipped all other associate and senior associate ranks.
Dealt mainly with valuations project, also some M&A deals and pre-IPO advisory.
As a team leader, have 6-7 other associates I worked with in the department, and I take charge of projects assigned to me. On my projects, I either worked with the junior associates or was on my own and report directly to directors and partners.
Some other achievements includes assisting my director in creation of new vertical within the firm. Appointed directly by CEO to be in a task force, as the only personnel below director level, to set up new initiative within the firm.
Current Job
Investment Associate in early stage venture capital. Based in Singapore, but travel around Asia frequently. Travel to at least 1-2 countries a month.
Worked for 2 VC firm under different mandate, a prominent and reputable early stage VC based in Japan and a relatively new early stage VC based in SG.
Responsible for deal sourcing in some countries. Responsible for managing all our inbound deal flow.
Also largely in charge of deal executions.
In charge of managing some of our portfolio companies, and all portfolio companies reporting.
Have an full-time analyst under my charge. In charge of hiring and managing interns.
As the Japan-based VC's only associate based outside of Japan, I am assisting my partner in the firm's international expansion.
As part of my job, I have judged in events and given talks in co-working spaces and universities around the region.
Future plans
I am planning to stay in current VC role for the next 1-2 years before MBA. I am studying GMAT now and I aim to obtain a minimal score of 720 next year.
My top choice is INSEAD Singapore as I wish to continue pursuing a career in VC in Asia, and INSEAD has a strong network in Asia. As a VC, network is paramount for either fund raising or deal sourcing. Moreover, my current undergrad school is definitely not ideal, and if I ever hope to raise up to partner within any fund in future, a MBA from a reputable business school is essential.
Herein lies my concern. INSEAD is looking at candidates with international experience, armed with undergrad degrees from good school. Unfortunately, I do not possess both. I can't change my undergrad degree at this point. However, does frequent travel and heavy involvement in the startup ecosystem outside of Singapore count as international experience?
Dear experts, what else can I do to strengthen my profile for INSEAD Singapore within the next 1-2 years?
Where does my profile stand currently?
And in my case, does good GMAT score help cover for my not so ideal undergrad academic credentials? If I did not complete my CFA level 3 while applying for B-school, would it hurt my profile?
Thank you very much!
-
jeffrey.adcom
- Junior | Next Rank: 30 Posts
- Posts: 10
- Joined: Thu Oct 06, 2016 9:11 pm
- Thanked: 1 times
- Followed by:1 members
Negatives
1) Excluding the mandatory military experience, your cumulative work-ex is below par. It should be atleast 5 years.
2) Frequent change of jobs: This indicates inability to adapt and triumph in alien and difficult settings.
3) Average time spent in each job is very less. Adcoms look at steady linear progress in a role, at one firm, which is a proxy for leadership abilities.
4) Undergrad is UCL? You are right. Which campus?
Recommendations
1) Spend two more years in the current job. Aim to get promoted to the next tier.
2) Complete CFA
3) Aim for atleast 750 in GMAT.
4) See if you can get to work in a different international location for atleast a year.
5) Build a list of atleast 5 schools. Focusing on just one school isn't a great strategy.
1) Excluding the mandatory military experience, your cumulative work-ex is below par. It should be atleast 5 years.
2) Frequent change of jobs: This indicates inability to adapt and triumph in alien and difficult settings.
3) Average time spent in each job is very less. Adcoms look at steady linear progress in a role, at one firm, which is a proxy for leadership abilities.
4) Undergrad is UCL? You are right. Which campus?
Recommendations
1) Spend two more years in the current job. Aim to get promoted to the next tier.
2) Complete CFA
3) Aim for atleast 750 in GMAT.
4) See if you can get to work in a different international location for atleast a year.
5) Build a list of atleast 5 schools. Focusing on just one school isn't a great strategy.
Top 5 MBA admissions consulting since 2006 |> 95% success rate| Stellar Value
Blog: https://jeffrey-adkom.blocked/
Blog: https://jeffrey-adkom.blocked/
Hi all,
Thanks for the valuable feedback and critique! Will take all of them and improve my profile accordingly.
One of the big negative was the frequent job change, I will have to explain it in my application. However, my current job will definitely be the last role pre-MBA. A promotion is unlikely as the next ladder up is partner tier in my firm.
Will read more about other b-schools to build a list of my desired schools.
Will also work on my EC to include non-work related activities.
Thanks for the valuable feedback and critique! Will take all of them and improve my profile accordingly.
One of the big negative was the frequent job change, I will have to explain it in my application. However, my current job will definitely be the last role pre-MBA. A promotion is unlikely as the next ladder up is partner tier in my firm.
Will read more about other b-schools to build a list of my desired schools.
Will also work on my EC to include non-work related activities.
-
Edison@VeritasPrep
- MBA Admissions Consultant
- Posts: 171
- Joined: Thu Jan 28, 2016 3:09 pm
- Thanked: 21 times
- Followed by:3 members
Thanks for sharing.
In addition to the above advices, highlighting how selective the requirement were for your roles, and the complexity/scale of your responsibilities would help distinguish your profile. You may also want to present how good and irresistible the opportunities were. Thus, it was very logical to change jobs. Your ability to detail why INSEAD is your first (or only choice) including how it fits in terms of your development and career goals would also help your application.
All the best!
In addition to the above advices, highlighting how selective the requirement were for your roles, and the complexity/scale of your responsibilities would help distinguish your profile. You may also want to present how good and irresistible the opportunities were. Thus, it was very logical to change jobs. Your ability to detail why INSEAD is your first (or only choice) including how it fits in terms of your development and career goals would also help your application.
All the best!
Veritas Prep | Veritas Prep Admissions Consultant
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