JonAdmissionado wrote:
MBAGuy1397 wrote:
Hello!
I am applying to the following schools in R2: Dartmouth Tuck, Cornell Johnson, Emory Goizueta, Toronto Rotman, and UNC Kenan Flagler. Tuck is my top choice, with Cornell coming in second. I'd also like to add that I am a re-applicant at Tuck. I would be highly appreciative if you give an overview of my chances at my target schools. Also, if there are any schools you could suggest based on my profile that are not on the list, that we be welcome.
I'd like to give you a brief overview of my background, as I believe that is what sets me apart. I am an Indian citizen, but I have lived in over 7 countries, including Sudan, Venezuela, Brazil, Spain, Singapore, and a few more. My father was a diplomat, so we traveled a lot. I finished my high school at the American school in Venezuela and then went to a top liberal arts school in the New England area (think Bates, Colby, Grinnell).
1) I have roughly 5 years of work experience, starting at a boutique management consulting firm in Boston, moving onto a sustainability-focused equity research role in India, then a hedge fund internship with the 3rd largest fund in Asia, and most recently I have started my own investment advisory business focused on family offices and high net worth individuals.
2) The GMAT is an interesting part of my application because even though I was a double major in Physics and Economics at a top liberal arts school (and have written papers on Einstein's field equations) I am not too hot at timed math. So I took the GRE instead and scored the following: 161 V (87%), 158 Q (71%), and 5.5 AWA (98%).
3) I went to one of the rank 20 "little ivy" liberal arts schools in New England (think Bates, Colby, Grinnel) and double-majored in Economics and Physics, with a GPA of 3.13. I had a bad first year because of having to come up with money for tuition. Being from India, education tends to be expensive in the US.
4) Most of the leadership work I have done has taken place outside a formal setting. I have started my own initiatives in India, such as providing free tutoring to underprivileged children, teaching western cooking to local house maids to increase their employability, working with local slums to reduce open defecation, and also fighting for animal rights in Mumbai. In college, I was part of the debate team and also coached novice debaters and was the treasurer of the cinematography club.
5) I do not have any additional certifications.
6) The post-MBA goal, in the short-term, is to grow business to incorporate more institutional investors as clients. The long-term goal is more imaginative, if we can use that word. In the long-term, I would like to either sell my business and directly serve as a Chief Investment Officer (CIO) at or have my business consult for organizations that are involved in areas that I deeply care about, specifically scientific education and wildlife preservation. In this regard, opportunities are ubiquitous in scientific education via working at or consulting for university endowments. However, I believe a significant need exists for social-minded investment professionals in wildlife preservation. For example, the efforts of individuals such as Kevin Richardson, a South African lion conservationist (aka “the lion whisperer”), and Big Cat Rescue, a Florida based wildlife sanctuary, are constantly hampered by an inability to secure long-term funding. I think if they were supported by social-oriented investment advisors or officers, these organizations would have an opportunity to become self-reliant – allow their current cash to generate future funding.
Thank you very much and a happy new year to you!
Hello there,
Well I have to say your profile is a bit tough. On the one hand you have a great education and come from a diplomatic family with vast experience, and what seems to be very good jobs (I could use more info here to be honest), but on the other hand your GRE is so far below range, that I don't think you will have much chance at the schools you mentioned.
I don't exactly what your situation is, what your goals are, what the timeframe looks like, and all of this would help me advise you better, but in an ideal situation you would NOT be applying to more schools till you retook that GRE. I mean you have a good profile, so why kill it by applying with a GRE which is basically lower than the range they accept? It seems to be a bit unrealistic, and I think you can do much better if you are willing to retake. Also, since your Quant was particularly low, you will need to think about other than the GRE/GMAT what else you can do to PROVE that you have good quant skills.
Now this may not be exactly the answer you are seeking, but I do hope that it helps. And if you have other questions, or would like to further explain your specific situation, feel free to do so,
Best,
JF
Hi Jon,
Thanks for your swift reply. I'd be happy to provide more clarity on the items you've mentioned.
My first job out of college was as an analyst at a boutique management consulting firm that specialized in the pharmaceutical industry. But toward the end, I realized that I was more interested in finance and equities research, but also felt a desire to work in a capacity that made a social impact. So, I joined the subsidiary of a bulge-bracket investment bank that produced equity research, but with a focus on environment, social, and governance (ESG) issues. It was very non-traditional position, where we focused more on the macro-economic picture rather than the fundamental financial metrics of a company. After two years of this, I decided that I wanted to move to the buy-side, but there is a shortage of good investment management firms in India.
I ended up coming across an investment management internship offered by the third largest hedge fund in Asia, with $5.5 billion under management. They received over a thousand applications, mostly from candidates with MBAs from top programs, but after five months of interviewing I was offered the position. During this internship, I was exposed to the fund's clients, which were mostly endowments and foundations. I came to appreciate the endowment model of investing and decided that I wanted to work in these types of organizations after the internship. But, there aren't many endowments and foundations in India, so I decided to carve my own path by setting up an investment advisory that consulted for family offices and trusts, the closest I could get to endowments and foundations. This is my work history in brief.
You also asked what my goals are. I have actually mentioned them in my post in point 6. I don't want to re-post the entire part here to clutter your inbox, but I think I have written them fairly comprehensively. And, in terms of the GRE, I do agree it's low, but I was under the impression that it is not that much lower. My verbal percentile is 87, quant is 71 and AWA is 98. I agree the math is on the lower end, but do you feel that it is that detrimental to my chances? As indicated, I double-majored in economics and physics, so I am solid on the math. I have also won departmental awards in mathematics. The issues just comes down to timed math examinations. If I write about this in my optional essay, do you think it would reflect well? I'd also like to refer you to the following website which shows average GRE scores at top programs, and mine appears to be at the average or above, particularly the verbal and writing scores.
https://poetsandquants.com/2014/04/29/gr ... he-gmat/2/.
Lastly, I would like to add that I flew from India to do the applicant initiated interview at Tuck and it went very, very well. So you may take that into consideration as well in your assessment.
Thanks once again and looking forward to your feedback!
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01 Jan 2015, 21:27
