REAL LIFE STRATEGY TIPS TO

A TOP B-SCHOOL ADMIT 

OUR APPLICATION PROCESS
OUR MBA CONSULTANTS

Arun Jagannathan - Admissions Coach

Founder and CEO at CrackVerbal, Arun brings to the table expert insights into the value of an
MBA. Much of this knowledge he accrued over the years, as a mentor to hundreds of students
who walked the MBA path and made transitions to their post-MBA careers. He also brings with
him a plethora of information specific to individual programs given his extensive network
among the B-school community, including admissions committee members at top-B schools
across the globe. Arun provides guidance to MBA aspirants on forums such as BeattheGMAT,
GMATClub, and Quora.

Rahul Chowdhury | MBA Mentor | Kellogg School of Management

Rahul has more than 10 years experience in creating and running $ 100 Million+ businesses.
He is a 2013 graduate of Kellogg School of Management and currently works as a Marketing
Manager for the Billion $ brand ‘Lysol’ based out of New York. Prior to Kellogg, he was a Brand
Manager growing ITC’s INR 450 crore confectionery business and spearheaded the team
responsible for ITCs entry into the ‘Chewing Gums’ industry. Rahul is closely involved in the
Kellogg NY chapter and is also an active admission panel member for Kellogg. He is the winner
of multiple national case competitions/paper writing competition and has represented Kellogg
in Ivy league Marketing competitions.

Aruna Prabhakarn | MBA Mentor | Wharton School of Business

Aruna is a Wharton alumnus with 12 years of work experience in the healthcare industry. Her
track record includes advisory and execution for change management initiatives, Vendor
selection strategy for population health, Digital design, business process improvement and
transformation. Aruna also has significant start-up experience as a product development
manager for ZeOmega's Jiva platform developing care management workflow solutions. 

Namratha Shetty | MBA Mentor | Said Business School

Namratha Shetty graduated from Saïd Business School, University of Oxford (UK) in 2013,
and has a B.E. degree in Electronics & Communications. She strongly believes in the motto
– ‘Persevere to the end’, and used to be a National-level swimmer representing Karnataka.
Namratha has a total of 8.5 years of experience across the FMCG (3 years till date) and
Technology (5.5 years) industries, with nearly 6.5 years in the Marketing function.
OUR MBA CONSULTANTS

Shrikant Singh | MBA Mentor | Indian School of Business

Shrikant is an alumnus of ISB Hyderabad and IIT Kharagpur. He has 4 years of work
experience in Analytics pre MBA and is currently part of the Amazon India Business team
as a Sr. Category Manager. A travel junkie at heart, Shrikant has a special affinity to Goa
and visits the place once every quarter. He loves using humor to teach his students as he
believes it aids in their learning process and is always on the lookout for new
opportunities to engage his class.

Akshay Yadav | MBA Mentor| Haas School of Business

Akshay is currently a student at the Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley. He started his
career in the telecom industry after completing his undergraduate degree in engineering
and then started his own venture, an environmental non-profit related to solid waste
management in Bangalore. He is passionate about technology, sustainability, and energy
and is exploring these areas at Haas. He also enjoys teaching and mentoring, trekking,
biking, and cooking.

Sannidhi Jhala | MBA Mentor | Indian School of Business

Sannidhi is an ISB Alumnus with 6 years of experience in multiple FMCG functions such as
front-end Key-Account management, Supply chain operations and back-end
Manufacturing. Sannidhi is also a trained soft skills coach for associates in India and
Nepal. Sannidhi majored in Marketing and Strategy from ISB and has extensive industry
knowledge to guide future MBA aspirants on the path of Marketing and Strategy
management

Sudhanshu Dutta | MBA Mentor | Judge School of Business

Sudhanshu is an alumnus of Judge School of Business, Cambridge and works as a Principal

Consultant with TechnoPak Advisors. He has 7+ years of experience across FMCG and
agricultural product companies, in geographies such as the Middle-east, Africa and East
Asia, in supply chain management and logistics. At CrackVerbal, he leverages his diverse
knowledge and experiences to inspire clients to find the careers and B-schools that best fit
them.
SUBHANKAR DAS
B -SCHOOL:  MIT SLOAN
GMAT SCORE:  710
WORK EX:  10 Years +
UNDERGRAD: VTU, Karnataka
USP: Over 10 years work experience, pivotal role in the
first company.

WHY MBA?
One fine day I asked myself what I'm doing in my life and daily I followed the same routine, I felt I
won't grow if I continue with my current role. Ten years after college I felt I wanted to do an MBA

APPLICATIONS 101
1. You need to be very clear with whatever you need to do. Once you have a good story then,
clarity of thought.

2. You need to compensate for your weakness.

WHAT MADE YOU STAND OUT IN THE APPLICANT POOL?

I always wanted to get into IIT, but never did. So I always felt I should aim for a big school. I feel if
I had gotten into an IIT, it would have made me do the same thing every day but because I didn't
do that, I had a varied background like joining a start up. I taught in engineering colleges;
mentored interns and gave talks, etc. so that gave me good exposure and made my profile look
good. Also, the brand names which I have been associated with are good and the score helped
too, so it was a combination. It is very important to have a clear line of thought. Since I'm from a
semiconductor background which is not very common and to add to it 30% of employment from
MIT is for Product Managers and that's exactly what I want so it worked out for the best.

HOW DO YOU FEEL CRACKVERBAL HELPED?

A couple of brain storming sessions with my personal CrackVerbal mentor was very helpful. I
thought I wanted to do Consulting but I was guided the right way to the right course by
CrackVerbal and I realized a Product Manager kind of role is better. CrackVerbal trains you for the
next application as well and not just leave it at consulting for one particular program. They were
kind enough to review my MIT application though I had only signed up for my INSEAD
application.

Click Here To read his entire MBA Journey

SREEJIT KURUP 
B-SCHOOL: IIM LUCKNOW
GMAT SCORE: 760
WORK EX: 12+ Years
USP: 12 years of work ex in a management oriented role.   

WHY MBA?
I felt I needed a better understanding of how the various departments functioned, for instance,
the sales department’s responsibilities and why they are stakeholders in the business etc. This is
what prompted me to do an MBA.

APPLICATIONS 101
1. Essays essentially revolve around your past work experience, whatever questions there are, try
to relate it to your work experience.

WHAT MADE YOU STAND OUT IN THE APPLICANT POOL?

I had 12 years of work experience and a good GMAT score. Considering I was also playing a
management role in my company. I guess that made me the exact applicant who would be the
right choice for an MBA.

HOW DO YOU FEEL CRACKVERBAL HELPED?

I used CrackVerbal’s help for the GMAT as well as Applications. Their mock interviews definitely
helped me with my final interview. Thanks to the mock interviews, I knew what sort of questions
to expect, which is not easily done on your own. In fact I even recommended some of my friends
to CrackVerbal after I learnt how critical they were to my final interview prep.

Click Here To read his entire MBA Journey 

SREEDHAR AVULA
B-SCHOOL: IIM Bangalore
GMAT SCORE: 680
WORK EX: 5 Years 
UNDERGRAD: Sri Venkateswara University
USP: International Exposure for 4 years  

WHY MBA?
My experience working overseas made me meet people from all walks of life. I would often come
across people with a Management orientation. My work too, apart from being technical required
me to speak to customers, this not only helped my profile but it also helped my company. With
this I found that I developed a penchant for Marketing and tilted more towards Management. I
discovered that GMAT would be the ideal route to work in Management.

APPLICATIONS 101
1. Be well prepared with your profile and make sure you follow current affairs pertaining to your
industry. It’s vital that you stay up-to-date while applying for an MBA. 

WHAT MADE YOU STAND OUT IN THE APPLICANT POOL?

Since I began my career in the Nuclear industry, they asked me about my opinion on how the
industry is fairing. In the interviews, a large part of what they ask you tests how well you can take
a stand on a subject and how comfortable you are with your profile. They try to see how quickly
you can think on your feet. I guess that’s where I won. 

HOW DO YOU FEEL CRACKVERBAL HELPED?

I needed help with my essays as the deadlines were at the end of August and it was the first time
I had thought about my essays. I had taken the assistance of CrackVerbal for this as well. It
usually takes 4-6 weeks to introspect and write one's essays, however, I had to do my best in 20
days and this was possible thanks to the help and advice I received from CrackVerbal. Even the
brainstorm sessions and inputs were quite helpful. The application services of CrackVerbal were
very good. I even applied to ISB on 15th September. I received interview calls for 3 out of 4
schools and I think the application services definitely helped me in this regard.
DEEPANSHU SAINI
B-SCHOOL: INDIAN SCHOOL OF BUSINESS
GMAT SCORE: 720
WORK EX: 4+ Years
UNDERGRAD: BITS Pilani 
USP: Diverse profile and a Good GMAT score.

WHY MBA?
Since I worked for “travelocity.com” as a Business Analyst. I was the bridge between the
technical teams in India and the various Business Operations teams abroad. I felt like I could
take on more by getting into a more management-oriented role. I guess that was the sole
reason why I wanted an MBA

APPLICATIONS 101
1. Elaborate your profile and diversify it before you think about doing an MBA 
.

2. Ensure that you are to the point on your applications and don’t write something that you
are not.

WHAT MADE YOU STAND OUT IN THE APPLICANT POOL?

I was promoted to a Project Manager role during the time I was awaiting the announcements
from ISB. I was also involved with a lot more social initiatives in Bangalore. I had tied up with
the Ministry of Health, to set up a co-operative in Bangalore for people with disabilities who
make handicrafts. I feel my social initiative was what made me stand out.

HOW DO YOU FEEL CRACKVERBAL HELPED?

My CrackVerbal experience has been remarkable! I knew a lot of things before but I wasn’t able to
articulate them well and convert them to essays. CrackVerbal literally gave “words” to my
“thoughts”. The way he interacted the first time, it was incredible! Just after listening to my story,
he was able to chalk out my strengths and my weaknesses and he precisely pin pointed what to
write in my essays and what not to. I was very comfortable working with CrackVerbal. We had no
hassles and we were able to understand each other immediately.

To read his entire MBA Journey - Click Here

ADITYA PRIYADARSH
B-SCHOOL: ESADE
GMAT SCORE: 700
WORK EX: 4+ Years
UNDERGRAD: Manipal Institute of Technology
USP: Got into VM Ware after interning and also was
actively doing community service.

WHY MBA?
Intuition! My passion for being an entrepreneur in a novel yet diverse market with significant
growth potential established the MBA as an attractive track. The lack of vital insights around
starting and leading a business was an alarming factor that I had to address. My mission
needs leaders not managers! The exposure to the analytical, functional and ethical aspects
of doing business amidst an extremely diverse cohort that an MBA provides is critical for me
to be able to lead my venture well.

WHAT METHOD DID YOU USE TO SHORTLIST B-SCHOOLS?

For me, diversity was a major factor along with the focus on Entrepreneurship and CSR
amidst a good alumni base. I analyzed the FT rankings and figured which schools fit the bill.
The European schools with their diverse cohort and small class sizes immediately caught my
attention. Spain with its ?tapas? and the glorious ?fiestas? was a European country that I
had always wanted to explore. I figured that an MBA in the Catalonian capital would be an
experience I could not afford to miss. 

WHAT MADE YOU STAND OUT IN THE APPLICANT POOL?

My application was extremely straight forward and delved right into prior work experience,
my goals and a test of fit with the program. I feel that?s what made me stand out.

HOW DO YOU FEEL CRACKVERBAL HELPED?

A weekend at CV was like a holiday at the beach. I savored every bit of CrackVerbal’s classes. The
support and personal attention that I got from the prep team, and the assistance that the support
team extended while scheduling and re-scheduling my mocks were all extremely valuable. CV has
an amazing setup with a lab that could help students practice what they learn. The classes were
perfectly sized that fostered interaction, and helped make studying fun. I would recommend CV
to all those who dream of making it to their dream schools.

Click Here To read his entire MBA Journey

NIKHIL NAIR
B-SCHOOL: SAID BUSINESS SCHOOL
GMAT SCORE: 690
WORK EX: 4+ Years
USP: International work experience

WHY MBA?
My first job was at a solar company in the Middle-East, I worked for around 2 years there. I returned
to India and joined a social enterprise called Selko that provides solar energy systems to rural areas.

Usually, people take up an MBA because they are frustrated with their jobs, but that wasn't the case
here. I loved my job! Honestly, I never wanted to study after my undergraduate degree. But as I went
on, I started to realize the value of an MBA as I started meeting people who were graduating from
various schools abroad. I discovered that the resources available to the students, in terms of
courses, labs, student initiatives, are phenomenal. Reading more about the programs made me
decide to pursue my MBA, as I started to see how the resources at some of the schools could help
me leverage my experience.

WHAT METHOD DID YOU USE TO SHORTLIST B-SCHOOLS?

Having a clear idea of your goals make the choosing of schools easier. I was lucky enough to work in
a space that excited me, so I used my interest and future goals as a filter to decide on the schools I
should apply to. One part of choosing a program is the GMAT score. The MBA at Stanford sounded
exciting, especially due to its focus on social enterprise, but I realized their average GMAT average is
a lot higher, hence my chances were extremely tight. I applied a couple of filters to the schools. I
wanted a school that was good at marketing, a school that was oriented towards social
entrepreneurship and a school that's in general focused on entrepreneurship.

HOW DO YOU FEEL CRACKVERBAL HELPED?

CrackVerbal is a team of very friendly people. Arun and the other instructors would dissect each
problem and explain the simple and logical approach. As a team, CV is pretty flexible too. I took up
online classes and required additional resources at different times, and they have been very helpful. The
support system provided to students is impressive! CrackVerbal can help provide you the guidance, but I
do think a lot of the GMAT is to do with your efforts. That was a very insightful chat Nikhil!
Congratulations on your admit and thank you for taking out the time to share your experience with us.
We wish you the very best!

Click Here To read his entire MBA Journey

YACHNA KHARE
B-SCHOOL: DARDEN SCHOOL OF BUSINESS
GMAT SCORE: 730
WORK EX: 5+ Years
UNDERGRAD: Engineering from Punjab University
USP: A lead software engineer from Adobe set for her MBA
journey  

WHY MBA?
When I joined Adobe, it was dealing with recession. I saw Adobe changing its strategies and
its product line. In fact, Adobe has been re-running its business for the past 4 years. This
experience gave me a lot exposure and I was inspired to move towards Product Management
whether at Adobe, Google, Apple or Microsoft. But to get into such companies I realized that
an MBA is important. On the whole, I wanted to learn a wide spectrum of things! 

APPLICATIONS 101
 1. I had several extra-curricular activities that I regularly participate in. For instance, I go for
Jazz lessons regularly and have performed shows in Delhi. Reading is also on my list of
activities, and I write regularly on my blogs. My advice is to reveal your true self to the Ad-
Comms and don’t ever try to fake it.

HOW DO YOU FEEL CRACKVERBAL HELPED?

CrackVerbal helped me a lot during my mock interviews. I was given a list of questions from
which I would prepare for my interview. It laid the foundation of my preparation. It helped me
to sort out the stuff I am good at and also highlighted key factors in my profile.

As my actual interviews lasted for hardly 20-25 minutes, I had very limited time to talk about
my entire life. CrackVerbal helped me to zero in on what exactly I should share with my
interviewer.
NILADRI CHAKRABORTY
B-SCHOOL: KENAN-FLAGLERBUSINESSSCHOOL ($ 40K
SCHOLARSHIP)
GMAT SCORE: 750
WORK EX: 5+ Years
UNDERGRAD: PSG Tech, Coimbatore

WHY MBA?
It was a very personal decision for me. While I was working with Goldman, the environment
was a very business oriented one. Although I work on developing software, my role involved
a lot of understanding Finance related work too. So as I progressed through my 5 years at
Goldman, I realized I’m more interested in the Finance aspect as opposed to the plain
technology aspect. I felt getting into the Finance sector would be a lot more exciting to me
and I thought the MBA is the way to go

HOW DID YOU GO ABOUT CHOOSING YOUR MBA PROGRAM?

I started thinking about the programs while I prepared for the GMAT. I knew I wanted to get
into Finance and I wanted to study in the US in the East and North-East coast as there are
plenty of opportunities for Finance there. I was very clear about that.

I started by trying to talk to friends who are in an MBA program, though I don’t have too
many friends doing an MBA. I then started seeking out profiles from the schools alumni
groups where I could access their email ids and then began conversing with people who
seemed approachable.

HOW DO YOU FEEL CRACKVERBAL HELPED?

The first thing I loved about CrackVerbal was how forthright they were about results. They
didn’t promise a high score, instead they simply said they would teach us what we need to
know and it’s up to us to make it happen.

The second thing was how CrackVerbal taught me how to talk to someone who is not from
my background. I think it’s easy for us to get carried away and sprinkle our essays with
technical jargon, but it won’t help in telling your story to the panel. This was a major eye
opener  

Click Here To read his entire MBA Journey

SAMVIT ROY
B-SCHOOL: SCHULISH SCHOOL OF BUSINESS
GMAT SCORE: 690
WORK EX: 3+ Years
USP: Already in the marketing domain

WHY MBA?
I always wanted to enter the marketing domain but that left me with two options - a Masters
in Marketing or an MBA in marketing. After I spoke to a lot of people, including family who
knew me well, they suggested I opt for an MBA since it’s more generic and a Masters
program would be too focused and limiting for me.

APPLICATIONS MANTRA!
1. I think keeping aside 3 months to write your essays alone would be helpful since it’s your
entire life story which you are writing!
 2. Aim at the Round 1 deadline instead of delaying it for later as you would be at a loss
otherwise 

HOW DID YOU GO ABOUT CHOOSING YOUR MBA PROGRAM?

I would keep speaking to the application services team at CrackVerbal that guided me
through the process. I selected Manchester Business School, Pepperdine, Illinois, Atlanta,
and a few others. In Canada it was Schulich School of business and Rottman. 

HOW DO YOU FEEL CRACKVERBAL HELPED?

CrackVerbal’s Admission MBA helped me plan out my application process and answered all
the questions I had regarding the admission process. The best part about working with
CrackVerbal's applications team was that I was made to write my own essays and though
the first draft and the final draft had the same substance, the final draft was amazing
compared to the first one. It was a really great experience. I had also consulted with others
outside of CrackVerbal and they would simply ask me to provide points so they could write
the essays. But at CrackVerbal, my essays were completely transformed and it was a brilliant
experience. 

Click Here To read his entire MBA Journey

AKSHAY PHADKE
B-SCHOOL: BOSTON UNIVERSITY 
GMAT SCORE: 720
WORK EX: 4+ Years
UNDERGRAD: From Chartered Accountancy to an MBA

WHY MBA?
I have interacted with people from various functions like HR, Supply chain and I realized that
there was more to just number crunching and financial reporting. I wanted to understand
how these numbers influence and impact the other functions and dynamics of a business.
This was when I had decided to pursue an MBA. 

APPLICATIONS MANTRA!
I knew I had an advantage in terms of my profile and I decided to use it as my biggest
strength in my MBA applications. I focused more on my experiences at work as a Chartered
Accountant rather than the tasks I have accomplished. This approach really helped me
differentiate my profile and my advice to all my fellow MBA aspirants is to work on a
strategy to differentiate and strengthen your profile. Also, figure out your short-term plan,
but don’t sound clueless on your post MBA goals. B-schools want you to showcase why and
how the MBA will help you. 

HOW DO YOU FEEL CRACKVERBAL HELPED?

I worked with CrackVerbal on my applications for Kenan Flager and Fuqua School of
Business. The Admission Consultants at CrackVerbal helped me create some great stories
that I could showcase on my MBA applications. After working on two schools with
CrackVerbal, I understood the structure of approaching a B-school application. This made it
very easy to craft my application to Boston University. So, yes the constructive feedback
from CrackVerbal on my previous applications helped me replicate it on my application to
Boston University.
 DO YOU NEED HELP WITH YOUR
MBA APPLICATION PROCESS?

AVAIL OUR EXCLUSIVE MBA APPLICATION OFFER!

* Hurry! Offer ends on 7th September 2017*

GOT QUESTIONS? 
Call Us At 9008177800
Email: vijay@crackverbal.com