KarlMartell wrote:
Hi!
So here's the profile:
Personal: Eastern Europe, Male, 26 years
Undergrad: European-type diploma (5 years) with highest honors, Computer Science with some Econ/Business thrown in. The university is respected in this country, but is unknown globally.
Internships: have worked for 9 months at GE (strategy, marketing) and 6 months at BCG during my last 1.5 years of undergrad - that includes summer and winter internships as well as kind of a co-op arrangement where I've been working full time while scheduling my classes and thesis writing around it.
Full-time work experience after graduating: was hired by BCG as a Junior Associate (typical for this country) after graduating 6 months ago, has just been promoted to an Associate, which is the earliest time-to-promotion possible. Consistently top-ranked (reason for being promoted so quickly).
GMAT: 760 overall with 50Q/42V (90%/96%), 5.5 analyical writing and 8 IR <- took it in the summer 2013
Other: 1 year of military service in an elite paratrooper unit before undergrad. Intramural weightlifting champion in my university, currently volunteering as an assistant coach. Serving on the "social committee" at BCG, which is responsible for organizing all sorts of team building events, outings and the like.
Post-MBA goals: Corporate development / corporate strategy, preferably at a tech firm. I'm well aware that it's difficult to get sponsored for an H1B visa by a normal company (meaning not a professional services firm), which is why I'm also considering consulting and even banking if necessary. I hope to be able to negotiate a transfer within BCG, but not sure if that is going to be an option - obviously a sponsorship+internal transfer would be my top choice if that's available.
Specific questions:
1) Am I competitive at H/S? Or should I just target the rest of the M7 (which ones)? I'm also going to be 28/29 at matriculation, while H/S prefer younger candidates.
1') I'm considering Haas in addition to the M7 due to it's strong ties to the West Coast tech firms - amirite? Or is Columbia/Booth/Kellogg/MIT better for tech anyways? If I don't get tech because of the visa issues, would I be at a disadvantage for consulting/banking from Haas?
2) Should I aim for 2 or 3 years of full time work experience? At the European offices both ways are common (unlike the US where the pre-MBA MBB track is usually 2 years). 2 years is obviously faster and preferable, but many post-MBA jobs seem to require at least 3 years pre-MBA experience.
3) Should I be clear in communicating that I want to stay in the US after graduation? I've heard that some schools tend to avoid this type of candidates because it's difficult to find employment for them.
Thanks a lot!!!
Hello hello!
Karl, I like your profile. And I like that GMAT! That is some awesome stuff there!
1) You have a shot, and I would urge you to try. It will depend on your goals and essays and volunteer work etc. etc. But with those grades and that GMAT, you are off to a mighty good start.
1) b) Haas is a very good option. Not only is it good in Tech, but for the West Coast they have the strongest Finance placements. Soooooo... perfect!
2) It's up to you. Decide when this time approaches. I think in your case 2 can be enough because 1) you are in the right industry 2) you have one year of military experience which we can count as well if we want 3) Even if internship time is not "counted" it still counts! So it means something, and can give you extra weight. But like I wrote, I'd start thinking about this in the summer before applications so you can see where you are at work, how quick you are developing, etc. etc.
3) If you are going to a top school, it will not be a problem for you to find a placement in the US for the most. Even moreso because you are European
So basically, everything looks nice and rosy from here!
Best,
Jon