DavideGMAT wrote:
Hi everyone!
I am writing this post because I have quite an unusual background for a MBA prospective and before applying I would be most grateful for any feedback on my chances of getting into one of the Bschools I am aiming to.
Here are my stats:
Nationality: Italian.
Age: 29/30 on matriculation.
Education: 1) BSc in Civil and Environmental Engineering at top Italian university. 2) MSc in Environmental Engineering at the same institution, graduated cum laude - which seems to me to be equal to a 4.0 GPA - and the fastest MSc student ever to get the MSc in Env Eng at my institution. Visiting Researcher at a top UK university in my research field (i.e., water science). 3) PhD in Environmental Engineering at the same Italian university: I published 10 papers until now (in slightly less than 3 years) on peer-reviewed, impacted journals (acceptance rates are less than 10%) and my supervisor (who can be one of my references) openly regards me to be one of his best students ever; my co-supervisor is from the University of Washington, where I spent 8 months carrying out some research on a joint project during my PhD.
Work experience: 1) During my PhD, I began work as a teaching assistant in environmental pollution at a top Italian university. 2) In a few months I will get my PhD and be a research fellow in water and wastewater treatment. The main reason for doing this is that I am trying to show the AdCom that in my field I am the "excellence". 3) Even though I am quite sure that this won't count as work experience, in the last 3 years I also worked on 2 projects as project engineer.
Extracurricular stuff: During my studies, I have been scoutmaster for 6 years and regional supervisor at FSE (Fédération du Scoutisme Européen), member of a local Rotaract club and IWA (Internationa Water Association). I volunteered at a local futsal club for 2 years . I have been mentoring 3 BSc students from Italy and I am currently mentoring a BSc student from India.
GMAT: 690 (Q45V39) (AWA 5.0, IR 6), still wondering whether I should retake it since at the first and second GMATPrep I scored 740 and 750, respectively.
English proficiency: Took FCE in 2011 (Grade A awarded), CAE in 2012 (Grade A awarded) and TOEFL in 2012 as well (113/120).
References: Good, though sort of unilateral. I can get my Italian PhD supervisor to be one of them and there are there is also my UW supervisor who has offered to write a reference letter.
Career objectives: My long-term goal is to go into consulting or pharma/energy industry, either in Italy or in the UK. When I got my MSc, I thought that science problems were something that really raised my interest. Gradually, I started looking at problems involving people since my field has a lot to do with public utilities, so I matured my decision to get an MBA and start solving bigger problems that involve people. This is why I genuinely believe that doing an MBA at a good school will push me into the right direction.
B-Schools: Oxford and Cranfield would be my first and second option, followed by SDA Bocconi.
My major concern about my profile is that I have been in university for a long time and my work experience is, at best, weak. Anyway, I hope that some other elements will compensate this weakness.
Please comment, I really need some guidance!
Given your target programs, I don't recommend you retake the GMAT.
I share your concern about your work experience. However the only way to find out if the schools will basically count your academic project management as equivalent to business project management is to apply. Your other credentials are above average for these programs.
I have to ask you though, why not finish your PhD, get a job and then apply to the MBA? You could get into a much better program (in terms of ties to consulting) if you beef up the work experience.
Best,
Linda
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06 Apr 2013, 19:13
