Q) As the son of a diplomat, I did my schooling in four countries. My Engineering degree is from a tier-2 college in North India with a mediocre 61%. I was fascinated with the power of technology and ventured on my own in 2016, creating a FinTech product that was adopted by leading banks in India. The company was acquired by India’s leading payment service. As of now, I am in charge of the company’s growth strategy. I want to continue in Strategy or pivot into Consulting. Which school - Haas, Kellogg, Ross, or INSEAD is better suited for my profile?
Atul Jose (MBA Admissions Consultant, F1GMAT): As someone who has created several entrepreneurial narratives for MIT and Stanford MBA Application, I can assure you that you are among the rare few who have the record to show it.
Although Business Schools are not technically looking for records of entrepreneurship (they just need to see examples of entrepreneurial thinking to understand your resourcefulness), your experience would be valuable for a Consulting career in FinTech or Strategy Consulting or lead Product Development in a Technology Company.
Since your passion lies in Technology, Haas would be a better fit from the four schools you have shortlisted (Haas, Kellogg, Ross, and INSEAD).
INSEAD – known for its consulting prowess, will value your international exposure. As long you position the motivation for the ‘Why MBA now’ question in unambiguous terms, your chances are strong for all the four schools.
Kellogg and Ross are below your potential.
In place of the two schools, if I were you, I would consider MIT and Stanford as the top two target schools. Haas the third and INSEAD fourth.
Read: MIT vs. Stanford MBA
Motivation
For entrepreneurial applicants, who failed or switched to a traditional career, motivation is easy to understand. For someone who has the experience and currently holds a Strategy role in a leading company in India, the motivation should be carefully crafted.
Before you write the ‘Why MBA’ Essay, ask yourself:
1. What is lacking in your current role/responsibility?
2. Is working for an international brand the primary motivation?
3. Have you been stereotyped into a role?
4. What is the growth path in the current company?
For Flat Organizations
The growth path will be limited, although the pay would be at par.
For many applicants, a pay-based incentive loses its sheen in 5-10 years. The responsibility to manage a large team and guide them to a strategic direction becomes a bigger incentive than titles.
For Entrepreneurial applicants who had a good exit as you had (less than 5M USD), the high of achieving the goal is often followed by a steady title in a known brand. This could be a double-edged sword for a creative person. Creative not in the traditional sense but entrepreneurial candidates who brainstorm and create MVP on the weekend. They look at the market problem and, instead of strategizing excessively, execute fast. Such freedom could be lacking in a known brand where strategic directions are decided top-down.
Understanding this quality will prevent a lot of heartaches as post-MBA roles would also be in larger brands where such freedom is lacking.
Consulting offers that freedom within the framework of the customer’s problem. You are free to come up with unique paths after considering the budget, competition, and market potential.
Product Development also can happen with serendipitous encounters with a customer problem. Even then, if the direction is not aligned with the company’s core strategy, such projects are tough to green light.
