From CA to Investment Banking at JP Morgan: How Durva Cracked HEC Paris & ISB with a GMAT 655

Join Durva as she shares her inspiring journey of securing admission to HEC Paris and ISB, two of the world's most prestigious MBA programs, with a GMAT Focus score of 655 (90th percentile) . Born in India and raised in Muscat, Oman, Durva moved to Mumbai to pursue her Chartered Accountancy and Bachelor's from Poddar College. After completing her CA and articleship at Deloitte, she pivoted into Investment Banking at JP Morgan, where she worked across cross-geographical teams (Hong Kong, Singapore, US, Canada) and was promoted to Associate, leading and mentoring junior team members. A secondment to JP Morgan's New York headquarters further solidified her desire to move from executing financial strategies to formulating them. Beyond her demanding work hours, Durva spent her weekends giving back to the community, distributing meals with the Robin Hood Army, mentoring underprivileged students, and actively participating in JP Morgan's Toastmasters club. In this candid conversation with Arvind from admitStreet, Durva reveals: 1) How she navigated three GMAT attempts to achieve her target score 2) Why she chose HEC Paris (flexible 16-month curriculum, diverse cohort, MBAT tournament, internship opportunity) and ISB (practical case-based learning, strong Indian presence) 3) The power of attending Adcom networking events and how they remembered her 4) How admitStreet's structured approach and authentic mentorship helped her craft a compelling narrative 5) Her experience with HEC Paris's unique interview format (10-minute presentation + two alumni interviews) and ISB's WAT + panel interview 📖 Read the Full Success Story Article: https://admitstreet.com/blog/how-durv... ⏱️ Timestamps: 0:00 - Introduction 1:42 - Background & Motivation 17:23 - Application Strategy 28:46 - Working with admitStreet 35:17 - Interview Experience 45:24 - Advice for prospective Students In this video, you'll learn: 1) How a CA/Investment Banking professional can pivot into consulting/strategy via an MBA 2) How to navigate multiple GMAT attempts and improve your score 3) What makes HEC Paris unique (16-month program, MBAT tournament, internship opportunity) 4) How to prepare for HEC's presentation-based interview and ISB's WAT + panel interview 5) Why attending Adcom networking events can make a difference in your application Ready to start your own MBA journey? 👉 Contact us: https://admitstreet.com/#contact About admitStreet: admitStreet is a premier MBA admissions consulting firm founded by Arvind Kumar (HEC Paris MBA alum). We help candidates gain admission to top global MBA programs (HEC Paris, ISB, INSEAD, LBS, Ross, Yale SOM, Duke Fuqua, and more) through personalized, authentic, and high-impact guidance. #HECParis #ISB #MBAAAdmissions #GMAT655 #JPMorganToMBA #CAtoMBA #InvestmentBanking #SuccessStory #admitStreet #MBAJourney #EuropeanMBA #IndianMBA