Sherilynn Tellis reached out with her MBA applications already in progress, deadlines looming, and a nagging sense that her essays and goals weren’t resonating. Her initial ambitions—investment banking and asset management—felt disconnected from her consulting background and leadership in the construction industry. Within just a few weeks, she transformed uncertainty into purpose by applying a structured, high‑velocity process. The result: admits to both the Indian School of Business (ISB) and Oxford Saïd Business School. Below is a deep dive into how Sherilynn charted this unique path to MBA success.
Starting with Misaligned Goals
When Sherilynn began her MBA journey, she envisioned a transition into investment banking and asset management. Those roles, however, did not tap into her proven expertise in consulting, strategic problem solving, or leadership in a male‑dominated construction environment. Early drafts of her application essays revealed the disconnect: she struggled to articulate why those goals made sense given her experience.
“I wanted to work in investment banking, but Jatin pointed out there was no connection to my story. It was a tough pill to swallow, but it changed everything,” Sherilynn recalls.
Recognizing this misalignment was the critical first step. Rather than forcing her background into an ill‑fitting narrative, Sherilynn and her mentor reframed her aspirations around roles that leveraged her true strengths:
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Short‑Term Goal: To work as a generalist consultant at McKinsey, Bain, or BCG—using her strategic mindset to solve complex business challenges across industries.
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Long‑Term Goal: To transition into entrepreneurship, launching a boutique consulting firm focusing on real estate innovation and women’s empowerment in construction.
This pivot anchored her goals in her existing leadership and problem‑solving achievements, ensuring that every component of her application—from essays to recommendations—spoke to a coherent, authentic trajectory.
Crafting Strategies for Different Schools
Aligning with ISB’s Employability Focus
ISB prioritizes candidates who can make an immediate impact in India’s dynamic business landscape. To demonstrate Sherilynn’s employability, we:
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Linked Past Roles to Consulting: Highlighted how her consulting engagements and construction leadership directly prepared her for global consulting assignments.
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Quantified Business Outcomes: Emphasized her ability to deliver results—such as achieving top client satisfaction in large residential projects and optimizing multi‑vendor collaborations.
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Demonstrated Cultural Agility: Showcased her experience working with cross‑border teams, underscoring her readiness to navigate ISB’s diverse cohort and Asia‑focused consulting opportunities.
“For ISB, we had to be very high on employability. Even before the interview, we tied every career switch in my story to a deliberate step toward consulting,” Sherilynn explains.
Emphasizing Global Impact for Oxford Saïd
Oxford Saïd values candidates with a global mindset and a passion for societal impact. Our approach included:
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Highlighting Sustainability Practices: Sherilynn’s award‑winning collaborations with international vendors underscored her commitment to sustainable construction methods.
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Showcasing Women’s Empowerment: We wove her long‑term vision of empowering female leaders in construction into her narrative, aligning with Oxford’s emphasis on responsible business.
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Underlining International Leadership: Sherilynn’s ability to lead multi‑cultural teams during complex projects demonstrated her adaptability and her capacity to contribute to Oxford’s global community.
“Preparing for Oxford was about showing my global adaptability and the societal impact of my achievements,” she notes.
The Framework That Made It Possible
Sherilynn’s rapid transformation rested on a clear, multi‑layered framework:
1. Tailored Guidance for Every Step
“It’s a multi‑layered process, and having Jatin break it down into clear, actionable steps made all the difference,” Sherilynn says.
We mapped out each phase—goal refinement, network building, essay drafting, résumé overhaul, and interview prep—assigning specific deliverables and deadlines. This approach turned overwhelming tasks into manageable sprints, allowing Sherilynn to focus on quality rather than quantity under tight time pressure.
2. Amplifying Strengths Through Résumé Transformation
Sherilynn’s initial résumé concealed her strategic impact beneath technical details. By reframing her bullets, we brought her leadership to the forefront:
| Original Bullet | Reframed Bullet |
|---|---|
| Negotiated charter contracts and generated desk revenue. | Independently generated ₹1.8 crores in annual desk revenue and negotiated India’s first long‑term customized charter contract worth ₹1.6 crores. |
| Collaborated with international architects and vendors. | Spearheaded collaborations with global architects and vendors—including Toshiba Japan—reducing project timelines by 28% and winning national and international awards. |
Each revised bullet conveyed Sherilynn’s capacity to lead, innovate, and produce tangible results—qualities key to both ISB MBA admit and Oxford MBA admit committees.
3. Building the Consulting Mindset
Becoming a compelling consulting candidate required more than goals realignment; Sherilynn immersed herself in consulting frameworks:
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MECE Structuring: Breaking complex problems into mutually exclusive, collectively exhaustive components.
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Hypothesis‑Driven Analysis: Crafting data‑informed recommendations, such as streamlining procurement processes to save time and costs.
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80/20 Prioritization: Focusing on the highest‑impact initiatives within operational constraints.
These methods infused her essays with credible strategic depth and underpinned her performance in mock case interviews.
4. Empowering Authenticity in Essays and Interviews
Writing essays that truly capture one’s essence is challenging, especially under word limits. Sherilynn’s process involved:
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Hook Development: Each essay opened with a vivid anecdote—such as orchestrating an emergency operations task force during monsoon‑related delays.
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Strategic Story Arc: The body linked her actions—data‑driven decision making, team motivation, stakeholder management—to measurable outcomes.
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Program Connection: Conclusions tied her experiences back to specific resources—ISB’s Leadership Labs, Oxford’s Responsible Business Initiative—demonstrating genuine fit.
For interviews, five mock panels refined her delivery:
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Behavioral Questions: STAR‑formatted stories on leadership, resilience, and innovation.
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Case Drills: Scenario planning and structured analysis of business challenges.
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“Why This School?” Pitches: Concise, passionate articulations of her alignment with each institution’s ethos.
By interview day, Sherilynn spoke not to impress, but to connect—turning conversations into demonstrations of mutual potential.
The Emotional Investment: Pushing Boundaries
Behind the polished essays and strategic pivots lay significant emotional labor. Sherilynn describes moments of self‑doubt and fatigue:
“I had to re‑steer myself multiple times, especially when feedback felt harsh. But knowing I had a support system kept me going.”
Key supports included:
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Daily Mentor Check‑Ins: Rapid feedback and encouragement prevented stagnation.
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Peer Accountability: Sharing progress with another applicant sustained momentum.
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Mindfulness Practices: Short daily reflections helped manage stress and maintain clarity.
This blend of tactical guidance and emotional reinforcement enabled Sherilynn to navigate her transformation with resilience.
A Story of Triumph: The Final Results
Sherilynn’s disciplined, high‑impact efforts culminated in two exceptional outcomes:
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ISB PGP: Admitted to India’s premier MBA program, recognized for its leadership curriculum and strong consulting placements.
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Oxford Saïd: Accepted to a globally renowned MBA, lauded for its focus on responsible business and global impact.
Her success validated the power of structured guidance, authentic storytelling, and unwavering commitment.
Sherilynn’s Advice for Future Applicants
Sherilynn distills her experience into actionable insights:
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Commit Fully: “This process demands intellectual, emotional, and mental investment. Be prepared to push yourself.”
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Focus on Clarity: “Every essay, every word needs to reflect who you are and what you bring to the table.”
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Leverage Support: “Having a structured system and someone to guide you makes all the difference.”
Her journey underscores that top MBA success is not a matter of luck, but of deliberate strategy, hard work, and self‑discovery.
Ready to chart your own unique path and secure your ISB MBA admit or Oxford MBA admit? The Global MBA Accelerator framework can guide you every step of the way—Contact Us to begin your transformation today.
