hopefullygold wrote:
Hi Linda,
You seem to have given a great deal of honest and high quality advice on applicant profiles, so I was wondering if you could take a quick look at mine.
GMAT: 770 (50Q, 47V, 6.0 AWA)
Education: Summa Cum Laude (3.9+ GPA) with dual degrees (BA/BS) from top public university (Mich/Cal/UVa)
W/E: Expected 2-3 years at top bulge bracket investment bank in Chi/SF
EC: Involved in arts/theater for 2 years in college, founded and ran own univ. course, leadership positions in several clubs but nothing overly "outstanding"
Community Service: volunteered for 3 weeks at an orphanage in Latin America, currently mentoring underprivileged kids in local community
Essays: Probably going to hire an admissions consultant so they should be decent/good.
I am looking to apply in around 2-3 years; I am current a graduating senior in UG. I had a couple of questions i was hoping for your take on:
- What are the biggest areas of weakness in my app? I'm somewhat concerned about being an overrepresented investment banker.
- In my free time over the next few months, what would be the best thing for me to work on? (Campus visits/ECs/Essays?) Considering that once I start work, I won't really have time for ECs due to 100-hour weeks, which may be an issue.
- What would be an honest assessment of my reaches and targets at this point?
Thanks a lot in advance. I really appreciate your insights!
Hopefully Gold,
Thanks very much for the feedback.
I don't see any weaknesses in your profile to this point in time. As an investment banker, you will face the challenge of time management. Make time to continue with your extra-curricular activities and by doing so you will distinguish yourself from the other bankers who don't carve out the time.
It's way too early for essays. Some interesting extra-curriculars sound great. Make sure you have some fun! If you can fit in a few campus visits, that would be helpful, but not as illuminating as visiting when school is in session.
To date, your profile is competitive at the elite programs including
Harvard,
Stanford,
Wharton,
Chicago, etc. Just keep up the good work.
And when the time comes, please consider
Accepted.com for
MBA admissions consulting.Best,
Linda