MBA Admissions Consultant
Joined: 26 Dec 2008
Posts: 2457
Given Kudos: 2
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Re: Profile Evaluation Request
[#permalink]
18 Apr 2012, 18:20
Ah yes, the Asian American male.
You probably know this, but there's a ton of guys who are applying who will be very similar to you. The so-called "model minority" -- the guy who checked all the boxes, did all the right things, listened to his parents... but whose profile is clearly "within the lines" (seems more driven by doing what you're supposed to be doing, rather than forging a more unique path, or pursuing interests beyond what every other Asian-American guy/gal is doing).
- Branded educational background? Check.
- Analytical (practical) major? Check. (because God forbid you choose something like English Lit to horrify your overly neurotic Chinese parents who have prescribed a path of "medicine, engineering, banking, law, accounting, or dentistry... in that order.").
- Strong academics and test scores? Check. (I mean, it's sorta expected, right? Great at school, bad at driving).
- Practical job/profession in something analytical? Check. See "analytical major".
- Academically oriented extracurriculars? Check. Mostly dealing with education: tutoring, mentoring students, committees at school, teaching, etc. It's like politics, social advocacy, arts/media, military, volunteer firefighting, and professional level athletics or anything outside of education is a "no go" for Asian-Americans. So all the essays end up being about the same thing: the importance of education, blah blah blah.
- Bi-cultural narrative? Check. The whole "I want to reconnect with the motherland, economy's booming, country is opening up, blah blah blah".
- Only thing missing is playing piano or violin.
All half-kidding aside, keep in mind that the biggest risk you run into for these b-schools is getting lost in the mix. You need to find a way to show that you're not like all the other model minority Asian-Americans who colored inside the lines or who come across as completely pre-programmed (or if you did, finding a way to get the adcom to see you as an individual, and a dynamic and interesting person -- so yes it can become a personality contest as well).
For schools like HBS and especially Stanford, I'm not surprised they dinged you to be honest -- while there's not a ton of Asian-American guys/gals who broke the model minority straitjacket, there's enough who have that applied to these schools - and they tend to have more success with admissions.
For the other schools, again I think you have a shot, but just know that it'll come down to how well you execute your apps as well as a bit of luck. You're the color red, and you're trying to convince the adcom that your "red" is better than the other "reds" out there who on the surface seem to be of a very similar hue of red to the point where it can become an eenie meenie miney mo sort of choice.
Now, if you hate the model minority bullsh*t or hate being pigeonholed that way -- then going forward (regardless of b-school applications), I think you know what you need to do. Take more risks. I see way too many guys like you each year, trying really hard to do the best you can, when it's not a matter of work ethic, and more a matter of perspective, attitude and courage to DARE TO BE DIFFERENT.