education:

- 3.5/4.00 GPA humanities double-major (Top 10% from top Canadian university i.e. McGill/University of British Columbia/University of Toronto, graduated with top distinction) including 2 commencement awards for highest graduating senior in Foreign Languages and Literature

- MA in International Relations/Area Studies from Top Ivy (HYP) with master's thesis; 5 summer grants for research project including year-long post-graduation overseas research project with full funding

- presented working papers at several conferences throughout Europe; while in grad school, departments editor of one journal, editor in chief of another with visilibity in NYC/DC

work and internship exp:

- while in grad school, two 2 month internships overseas at the UN/OECD/World Bank/OSCE/Red Cross; one for policy, second for research

- finance management program at market leading F500 in Europe (i.e. Google/Microsoft/P&G/Unilever/Johnson&Johnson/GE) with next role likely in corporate strategy finance (1 year WE so far, will be applying within 2-3 years from now); assume positive contributions and likely 1 promotion by time of application

community activities

- trustee for local nonprofit ($3 million USD budget) for socially disenfranchised that assists with employment and developing roles within community - my responsibilities: maintaining financial budgets and strategic planning (3 years exp at point of application)

- treasurer for international human rights organization; responsibilities include fiscal oversight and budget planning (3 years exp at point of application)

qualifications/tests

- fully CPA/CIMA/CMA/ACA/ACCA qualified at time of application
- all 3 levels of CFA qualified
(partial qualifications on both so far)
- GMAT 760 Q50/V44, 6.0

personal intangibles(?)
- East Asian Canadian
- native English, professional proficiency (with certification) in 3 European languages, conversational French
- since college, lived/studied/worked in 6 foreign countries for a total of 9 years at point of application

schools
looking mostly at joint MBA & Kennedy School MPP degrees

- Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, Kellogg, Dartmouth, MIT
- Yale (strong nonprofit program)

why MBA?

interested in joint degree as would like to pursue consulting for 2 years with a public sector focus and transition to international development or public-private partnerships.

In addition to appraising my chances, could you kindly: i) suggest how I can strengthen my candidacy as I will be applying within 3 years' time; ii) interpret how much age will be a negative factor for the aforementioned schools was I will be 32-34 at the time of application; and iii) suggest any safety schools that I might want to consider, given the cutthroat competitiveness of the schools I've listed.

Many thanks, and happy new year!

hi Linda,

many thanks for your reply and for your insight, it's greatly appreciated. I will be applying when I am between 32-34 years of age, which would mean I will have 3.5-5.5 years of experience at the time of application (assuming R1). If I understood you correctly, age will not be a major detriment for Harvard and Stanford if I am within the desired ballpark range of 4-6 years of work experience at time of application?

As for being 32-34, this can be attributed to the fact that: i) in the 1990s, Canadians spent 5 years in high school [1 extra year]; ii) I spent 6 years in undergrad (switched majors twice in order to find my "true intellectual passions") [2 extra years]; and iii) my MA program was 2 years long and spent 1 full year on the fellowship program overseas [1 extra year], so that would explain the 4 year gap in a nutshell.

I have no actual gaps in my academic/employment history, but needless to say, these unconventional factors aren't nearly as compelling as, say, serving in the military for 4 years. How detrimental would the aforementioned be to my application, and is there a way that I could mitigate this problem with a logical/original/persuasive narrative, such as stressing my international experience (i.e. speak 5 languages, spent 5 out of 8 summers abroad working/studying/living abroad while an undergrad/grad student). Or if there's anything else in my candidacy that I should focus on within the next 3 years...

Once again, many thanks!

Dodger,

Thanks for the additional information. That explains it. Officially the school look at amount of full-time work experience, not age.

In terms of how to present your educational path, emphasizing your international experience is definitely a great way to go. That is something the schools will appreciate. In terms of how to narrate it, that will depend on a lot of things including questions you are responding to, what you have done between now and your application, and what you wan to do after your MBA, for starters.

My advice: apply as soon as you are ready, and the sooner the better.

Best,
Linda
_________________

Linda Abraham
Accepted.com
labraham@accepted.com
310-815-9553

JUST PUBLISHED! MBA Admission for Smarties: The No-Nonsense Guide to Acceptance at Top Business Schools

Follow Accepted on Twitter
Friend Accepted on Facebook
Subscribe to Accepted's Blog