Profile Evaluation - Feeling undifferentiated
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22 Oct 2012, 07:18
Would love any thoughts on my profile - whether the schools I'm looking at make sense and how I could make myself stand out. I'm worried that my undifferentiated story, no-name undergrad and age at application (will be 28) will make things difficult. Thanks in advance!
1) Background/Experience: 27 y/o white male - grew up on a farm in the midwest. 2.5 years of Big 4 Accounting (Audit, promoted to Senior Associate), networked like crazy to get to M&A at a top middle market investment bank (Baird, HW&Co., Piper Jaffray) and spent 2.5 years there, will have 2 years of middle market private equity experience ($1+ billion fund, currently only a few months in). Top rankings at each and should be able to get very good recs from partners/founders/b-school donors.
2) GMAT: Will be taking soon - shooting for 720+ based on practice exams
3) Undergrad: Lower tier (100 - 200 ranking on US News) state school, 4.0 GPA, triple major in Econ, Accounting, and Finance, graduated in 2007.
4) Extras: One year of varsity football (walk-on), officer of student investment fund and member of several clubs in college. After college, was a board member of non-profit with ~$3 million budget and member of a special committee that led a merger with another major non-profit. Board member of a professional organization. Other volunteer work through United Way.
5) Designations: CPA
6) Schools: Reach: Harvard, Stanford, Wharton. Target: Kellog, Booth, Columbia, Tuck. Others: Not sure - maybe Haas, Yale
7) Goal: Transition away from standard LBO into growth equity, with a particular focus on consumer businesses in emerging markets.