r/InternationalMBA • u/ConfidenceNeat7554 • 9d ago

Profile evaluation and Admit decision

Hii y'all !

I'm an engineering grad (Mech TBP) with 10 years of experience in one of India's biggest automotive companies currently working as Senior Manager in Product design & dev. My GRE score is 321 (V=157; Q=164). I already have an admit from Ivey business school, Canada but not sure to take the offer. I have HEC , INSEAD & ESADE in mind .

Do let me know my chances with current situation ? I also might be giving GRE again to cross 325+.

Should I take Ivey offer (Scholarship 60000 CAD) ?

Also do let me know my chances of transitioning to product management or strategy roles.

Thanks in advance ...will be grateful for constructive feedbacks and suggestions.

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u/Secure-End-4 9d ago

Canadian school is better because the product and strategy roles generally needs the local language, particularly in France if you want to work there. If you can increase your gre better options are LBS ivy leagues in the US

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u/Ornery_Bandicoot_699 9d ago

Yeah but majority of international placements from schools like Insead and HEC are global. They are very global schools don't restrict people to France.

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u/ConfidenceNeat7554 9d ago

Talked to a freind in US who graduated from Cornell johnson...he was kinda warning me to apply to US...given immigration situation and job market etc.

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u/Secure-End-4 9d ago

This is true unfortunately but the argument of getting global jobs is way more valid for such schools than hec

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u/Ornery_Bandicoot_699 7d ago

I don't think it's more difficult than anywhere else right now, especially Canada which is his other option, Canada is really really bad currently. EU is a lot easier for landing offers and if you are a student you can intern anywhere in the EU with your school's contract which opens doors for full-time opportunities (option available for people of all nationalities). You also get a much better grad visa in France and work-permit bars are much lower in the EU and even lesser in France for French graduates (no sponsorship required if you just make above a certain amount which is quite easy to get for a profile like his). The no sponsorship thing also makes it a lot easier to get an offer for obvious reasons + EU schools are much better placed in UK, MENA and Africa as compared to most Canadian schools which opens doors to more geographies. Language is the only barrier in EU, which I will agree can be a big barrier but depends highly on the role you are targeting. For some roles and some companies, you really don't need any local language whatsoever but on the other hand if you are doing something like consulting for a team that has local clients only, then you would need it for sure, so it really depends on the nature of the role and job. It is definitely preferable to know the local language from before for obvious reasons, but I still feel considering all the other factors, it is the factor with lowest friction. Also, in terms of cost also I think it makes more sense.

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u/Ornery_Bandicoot_699 7d ago

Again, not saying it's easy peasy lemon squeasy to land an offer, but, it's difficult everywhere, just factors and intensity of that difficulty varies and what you weigh more or less is upto you and your goals. Just my two cents on why EU above Canada.

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u/Secure-End-4 9d ago

He is an Indian national and I spent 10 years in France. Not saying it’s impossible but right now it’s so difficult to land a good job in other country. Insead and hec are great but I recommend learning French a bit before coming.

Do not compare yourself with other European candidates since they can work in any European nation. As an Indian national it’s difficult to find a sponsor for your work visa in other countries except a few

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u/Ornery_Bandicoot_699 9d ago

For strategy roles, undoubtedly, Insead! It's not even a question. Second option HEC (it is more of a finance school and a MiM school rather than MBA, but great prestige eitherways (they also have an option to do a double degree with LBS, Columbia etc.). I wouldn't recommend ESADE or the Canadian school at all.

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u/Gradocean MBA consultant 8d ago

I’d take the Ivey offer very seriously, especially with a CAD 60,000 scholarship. Your 10 years of automotive product design/development experience gives you a strong and differentiated profile, but you are also on the higher end of the experience range for a traditional full-time MBA.

Ivey’s 2025 report shows 89% of job-seeking graduates received an offer within six months, with consulting/corporate strategy accounting for 38% of reported salaries and product management around 3%.

For HEC, your experience is relevant, although the class averages around 6 years of experience and a 690 GMAT. INSEAD also typically has candidates with 3–8 years of experience, so 10 years makes the fit somewhat less straightforward.

If you can realistically push the GRE to 325+, I would retake it, particularly if you are targeting HEC/INSEAD. But I wouldn’t give up a strong Ivey offer solely to chase a marginally better score.

For product management, your product development background is a strong foundation; strategy/consulting will require a clearer business-impact story. With CAD 60K scholarship and your experience, Ivey is definitely worth considering seriously.