Intern
Joined: 25 Feb 2014
Posts: 45
GPA: 3.35
WE:Consulting (Consulting)
Profile Evaluation for European MBA
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13 Jan 2015, 20:28
Hello there,
First of all, thank you for taking the time to evaluate my profile. My main question is:
How will quitting my consulting job after 3 years to teach English and get involved with start-up's in Europe affect my chances at top European MBA's?
Stats
New York University '12, Economics major, 3.4 GPA
GMAT yet taken, but aiming for 700-730 (got a 2140 on my SAT's so figured that is a good range to aim)
2.5 years at a boutique supply chain/cost-reduction consulting firm
Native fluency in English and Mandarin Chinese
Current Age: 24
Plan to apply either Fall of 2015 or 2016
Background/personal story
My focus is on international and global experience. Born in Taiwan, I moved to the East Coast when I was in elementary school. Always traveled back and forth due to family so I grew up with a very international-oriented focus. I attended NYU and studied abroad in Shanghai and Tokyo. I had a Marketing internship at a global fruits company while in Shanghai and also wrote an Economics paper on Chinese domestic consumption oversaw by a McKinsey consultant. In Tokyo, I had a internship with a consumer insights boutique that wrote reports for Western companies about the Chinese market. In addition, I've also had a CPG Marketing internship in Taipei.
For the past 2.5 years, I've worked very closely with high level stakeholders of 5 well known American companies, and have just been promoted to a Senior Associate Consultant
Post B-School Goals: International business role with base in Europe
- example 1: corporate strategy or marketing role at a European multi-national looking to expand into Asia or America
- example 2: Operations or Marketing at a start-up in Europe
- example 3: Management consulting in Europe
Why Europe?
Clearly, I have many experiences in Asia and America. From a personal growth perspective, it is my goal to have a holistic understanding of societies in Asia, America, and Europe. Given that Europe is a hodge podge of such a varying mix of cultures, societies, political and economic systems, I view it as critical for my understanding of development of societies. Some questions that I want to solve by experience living in:
1. what does the transition from a planned economy to a market economy look like?
2. how does Northern Europe achieve such prosperous, harmonious, and happy societies?
3. how did traditional Southern European powers decline?
Sure these are all questions that can be answered on paper and on the internet, but I'm a boots on the ground type of guy.
Ultimately, I can not pinpoint a concrete business idea or job/industry/role that this experience will bring me in the long run, but it's clear to me that when I am immersed in a foreign environment, my brain is engaged. I have creative parallel ideas and insights shooting off left and right. If I had to guess, the end product 20 years down the line will probably something related to my home - Taiwan. Maybe it will be leading a Taiwanese company into the European/American market, or bridging cultural connections between the Taiwanese and other countries, or maybe something related to Education.
What I plan on doing in Europe
- Teaching English - it's a very close way to learn and understand a society as it's direct interaction students, parents, schools, other educators, etc. In addition, it will certainly bring more experience to my least polished profession skill - presentation skills. Most English teaching jobs I believe do not require more than 20 hours a week, which means I can ...
- Be involved in a start-up - I don't plan on finding a "job" at a start-up as it would complicate the visa situation since I'd be getting paid. If I offer to help out at a start-up for free, given my experience, I find it hard to imagine start-up's would turn free help from an experience business consultant down.
I would basically combine teaching english, which gives me experience to be close to the people, and start-up, which gives me experiences to business activity and actually participating in the market.
Bringing it all back
I think it is useful to separate this move into:
1. Impact on my personal development:
2. Impact on my business school admission profile
There is zero question that I will benefit tremendously from an intellectual, future goal discovery, and experience collecting perspective. However, I look at business school, especially a European one, as quite an important part of my future as it will give me:
1. Formal degree that opens the European and global business door
2. Rock solid European networks
3. Formal education on European business
These are pretty hard to come by without an MBA, especially for an Asian American with little ties to Europe.
How will this move, which takes out 2-3 years of formal business experience as an American consultant working with high brand name clients, impact my probability at landing an acceptance at schools such as LBS, Insead, IESE, and HEC?
Thanks for your help,