Sumeet Jadhav
ISB
Background
B.Tech in Electrical Engineering, NIT Surat; 5.5+ years at L&T Defense
Target Schools
ISB
GMAT
655 (Focus Edition)
Post-MBA Goal
To build on his defense and manufacturing experience and move into broader business and leadership roles
Sumeet Jadhav completed his B.Tech in Electrical Engineering from NIT Surat in 2019 and went on to build over 5.5 years of experience with L&T Defense.
Working on the shop floor, Sumeet was involved in the manufacturing of defense systems for the Indian armed forces. Alongside his core responsibilities, he also contributed to digital transformation initiatives, gaining exposure to how technology could improve manufacturing operations.
His journey also included an entrepreneurial experience through a startup venture. Although the venture did not succeed, it gave him valuable lessons in ownership, decision-making and learning from challenges.
With a 655 GMAT Focus score and a competitive engineering background, Sumeet needed to make sure his application communicated more than just his academic credentials. The key was to bring together his defense experience, digital transformation work, entrepreneurial exposure and career aspirations into a clear and authentic ISB story.
Sumeet had previously applied to leading Indian business schools and received interview calls, but was unable to convert them. This made him realise that getting an interview call was only one part of the process — presenting his experiences effectively and communicating his story during the interview were equally important.
For his ISB application, he wanted a more structured and personalised approach.
ISBAdmit helped him identify the strongest parts of his profile and understand how his experiences could come together into a compelling application narrative. Instead of relying only on his GMAT score or engineering background, the focus was on what made his professional journey different.
Profile Positioning
Sumeet's experience in defense manufacturing was one of the most distinctive aspects of his profile.
The strategy was to look beyond his job title and identify the experiences where he demonstrated ownership, problem-solving, technology adoption and impact.
His involvement in digital transformation initiatives also added another dimension to his profile, showing his interest in using technology to improve traditional manufacturing environments.
Building the Application Narrative
The next step was connecting the different parts of Sumeet's journey.
His engineering education, defense manufacturing experience, digital transformation work and entrepreneurial exposure were brought together into a narrative that showed how his experiences had shaped his career aspirations.
The objective was to make his application feel like one connected story rather than a collection of unrelated achievements.
Essay Storytelling
Sumeet was encouraged to draw from a broad pool of experiences across his professional, academic and entrepreneurial journey.
Instead of forcing his experiences into a predetermined template, the focus was on identifying stories that genuinely reflected his decisions, challenges, contributions and learnings.
This helped the essays retain his own voice while making his experiences clearer and more meaningful in the context of his ISB application.
Application Refinement
Once the core stories were identified, the application was refined to ensure consistency across his experiences, career goals and overall narrative.
The focus was on making sure that every part of the application contributed to a clear understanding of who Sumeet was, what he had learned through his career and why ISB was the right next step for him.
ISB Interview Preparation
After receiving his ISB interview call, Sumeet had limited time to prepare.
The preparation focused on understanding his application deeply and being ready to discuss his experiences beyond what was written on paper.
Multiple mock interviews helped him improve the structure and clarity of his answers, control his speaking pace and become more comfortable expressing his thoughts.
He also prepared for deeper questions around his resume, defense experience, entrepreneurial journey and real-life situations, helping him approach the interview with greater confidence.
Sumeet shares his experience of preparing for the ISB application, building his story and preparing for the ISB interview.
Sumeet successfully secured admission to the Indian School of Business (ISB).
His journey demonstrates how a strong professional background can be presented more effectively when the application connects experiences, achievements, challenges and future goals into one coherent story.
Indian School of Business
Outcome: ISB Admit
What stood out for me was the clarity and direction I received right from the beginning. Instead of focusing only on my GMAT score, the team helped me understand my unique strengths and how to present them effectively.
The essay process was very organic. I was encouraged to think deeply about my experiences and build my own story rather than being given a template. The interview preparation was extremely valuable, especially understanding my mistakes and improving on them.
The mock interviews gave me the confidence I needed for the actual ISB interview. Overall, the guidance helped me convert my profile into a strong application and secure my ISB admit.
Every applicant has a different journey. The goal is to identify what makes your profile distinctive and build an ISB application that reflects your experiences, strengths and aspirations.
