raptr wrote:
Hi Linda,
Can you please evaluate my profile?
Age: 27
Gender: Male
Caucasian, Eastern European
GMAT: 710 q50, v36, 5.5awa (in 2007)
Undergrad: Bachelor of Science from small Liberal Arts school in the Northeast (USA)
Full scholarship
GPA: 3.95, highest in business school
Dual major: Economics & Accounting
Postgrad: Master of Science in Finance from the London School of Economics (UK)
GPA: Postgraduate Merit (Average was 63/100). For reference, anything above 70 is “highest honors” or “distinction”.
Work experience:
Pre-master:
- 1 year in Big4 M&A tax practice (New York City) as Associate. 3-month rotation in Toronto
After master:
- 7 months at a top-tier global investment bank as M&A Analyst (London, UK)
- (will have) 2 years at a fairly young management consulting firm (New York City) as Junior Consultant. Focus is on strategic and operational work. We compete with top firms in both but we’re not established yet. Will relocate in London or Sydney in Dec’11 and work there before potential MBA start date. Also, should be able to get recos from Top15 B-school graduates
Extra-curriculars are OK. Member of MENSA, alumni rep for LSE, captains rugby team on weekends, running a small import-export business on the side, set up a small community in NY to keep in touch former classmates which eventually grew to include more people; some volunteer work.
Post-MBA: Management consulting / strategic management in industry / corp development
Where does the above place me, assuming I do well in essays and interviews? Are HBS and Wharton even options? Hoping for Top10 but not too well-informed.
I’d appreciate your thoughts.
While your current employer isn't large and renowned, that probably means that you have been able to take on roles that far exceed the traditional responsibilities of a 27 year old in an established firm. Your academics are also a strength. I do feel that HBS and Wharton are possibilities, but a MENSA member and full scholarship recipient can probably boost his GMAT relatively easily, so I would recommend you try to do so. The 710 is fine but it isn't pulling its weight with the rest of the application, and a 730/740 could do a lot more for you. The extracurriculars that are the most interesting for these top programs are the rugby captaining and the communities you are building among LSE alumni and former classmates. These will best demonstrate your interpersonal abilities.
As always, I do recommend applying slightly lower down in the rankings as well, just to improve your chances in case some fluke of nature causes a sudden surge in management consultants from Eastern Europe with 740 GMATs applying
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25 Jun 2011, 13:45
