MBA Admissions Consultant
Joined: 18 Apr 2013
Posts: 2226
Given Kudos: 3
Location: Chicago, IL
Re: Profile Eval-Big 4 Accountant Turned Social Entrepreneur
[#permalink]
06 Aug 2014, 12:09
Hey there,
Thanks for your post! You've definitely included enough to get the conversation started so let's see what we've got here!
Academics
First off, amazing GMAT! Well done! Your GPA isn't stellar but I'm not terribly concerned with it. Your major GPA is amazing but, the flip side to that coin, that makes me worry a bit more about your GPA for the earlier years. A 3.95 major GPA had to balance out something pretty rough to land at a 3.25. But I get your point about the sports and premed. Like I said, not going to sink the ship. Also, as an African American candidate, you have that going for you!
Experiences
I honestly don't really care that you left the Big 4. It does you the benefit of having that name on your resume (so it says, "look, I was good enough to get in") and then you can say you struck out due to fit. That's perfectly fine and nothing to be worried about. Moving to a smaller firm, like you said, can really give you some great experiences and leadership opportunities.
But, what will set you apart, is going to be your company. It's clear that your nonprofit side is doing well and you can point to some clear impact. What is less clear, however, is the paid side. What kind of revenues are we talking about here? How "on the side" is it? Help me understand what we're talking about here in terms of size and scope.
Involvement
You have this covered in the above and that's something I REALLY like. It ties to your story. You're passionate about nonprofits but you're helping them in the way you know best. Great story.
Goals & Schools
I'm not sure I agree with short term goals here for two reasons. One, schools don't love people exiting to nonprofits because you don't get paid as much and that hurts their rankings. Secondly, and more importantly, nonprofits aren't really known for establishing best practices. If you want to learn this stuff and learn it well, go corporate.
From a school perspective, the schools you've listed are great. Go ahead and apply to HBS. The worst that can happen is they'll say no and you have an interesting profile. Also, have you considered the consortium? It's a great way to apply to a ton of schools without any incremental effort. It lets you add more options without more work!
I hope this helps - let me know if you have any questions or if you want to chat more!
Bhavik