Profile evaluation request
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07 Oct 2015, 07:53
I am a 28 yo, white, male, US Citizen that graduated from George Mason Univ with a BA in Biology and a minor in Chinese language and culture; 3.5 GPA cum laude.
750 GMAT (48q45v); 8 IR, 6 AWA
Fluent in Mandarin Chinese (highest level of language certification)
I did a year abroad during undergrad and another year abroad after I finished undergrad in a non-degree program. I also took a single undergraduate class in research design before starting and not completing a MA in Political Science, I completed 6 credits with high marks.
I have about five years full-time work experience in various fields:
- 6 months as Head Translator (Chinese to English) at a Chinese company providing services for international students applying to Chinese universities; I also worked with the marketing team to design and execute online marketing events
-1.5 years at a smaller US based finance firm working on staff in cash management
-2.5 years managing the back-end operations, manufacturing, and logistics for a very small company importing products from China (official title is VP of Operations)
-1 year as a quality control inspector working on the ground in Chinese factories managing a 6-person team; was responsible for physical inspections and quality troubleshooting.
I have recently started a small import/export business and hope to be profitable by the time I submit my application.
Outside of preparing everything for my business my extracurriculars are kind of weak. I workout, play basketball and journal. I am an enthusiastic amateur chef and I travel as much as possible.
My letters of recommendation are also sort of up in the air. I could get a letter from my current boss that I do logistics for that should be pretty good but the second letter Im not really sure who to turn to. I could get one from the finance firm but that role didnt have any leadership qualifications. I could get a letter from a peer while I was working as a quality inspector and I feel like that would be the best route to go since it can tell my story a bit more fully.
Since I am located in China, I have been thinking I could teach a Chinese class to other expats to showcase leadership, motivation and altruism but I sort of feel like that is too little too late.
Short-term MBA goals: Apply education to my own enterprises to build capital for future projects and begin a career in china-oriented consulting.
Long-term MBA goals: Work with an international team with the Chinese gov'ts backing to transform the tourism industry of one of China's fastest developing cities.
I am unsure of a few things:
-How competitive my pool is. Obviously there are a lot of white/male/US citizens but I imagine not as many that speak Chinese, though there are plenty of Chinese students that do that on their own. -How my extra classes will help if at all.
-How it looks that I have an undergrad background in Biology and have never used it; to be fair I would have double majored in Biology and Chinese but the Chinese major wasnt offered until the following year.
-How my transcript is going to look. I took calculus through calc II (but got a C+ in that one) but dont have a single finance, accounting, or econ class under my belt, though I do have some statistics.
I would like to get into a top 5 school applying R2 but I think that might be too much of a stretch.
I plan to apply to:
Stanford, HBS, MIT, Columbia, INSEAD, Wharton, Booth, and CEIBS as my backup
Should I maybe revise that list to more realistic options? To be honest I fluctuate from rationalized optimism to gut-punching anxiety. Am I even in the running?
Any input would be greatly appreciated!
Thank you and good luck to everyone else!