Profile review/Advice needed (760, non-standard background).

Thanks a lot for the input guys! I really appreciate it!

So to sum it all up - I'm obviously going to have a better shot in a year or two from now.

However, I really don't mind putting effort in sending out some applications this year, it would be a worthwhile experience organizing it all if nothing else. The question is, which schools should I try applying to without hurting my chances with them in case I don't get in this time? Meaning basically which of them are reapplicant-friendly. For example I've heard that Harvard/MIT/INSEAD are not, while Wharton is (afaik the Wharton admission rate in the reapplicant group is even higher than in general). What about other schools, like Kellogg, Booth, Tuck, Darden, Duke, LBS, IESE, Berkeley?

By the way, I've also read that Wharton is comparatively unexperienced-friendly, and that they assign an above average weight to the GMAT and GPA. Would this all make applying to Wharton a good idea for me?




With all the school and freelancing I didn't really have much time to spare. I'm an amateur athlete (running, biking, weightlifting, crossfit etc), even was my University's powerlifting champion in my sophomore year. No club participation or volunteering per se, it's somewhat less popular in Russia than in the West. Though there are definitely some opportunities here that I could pursue to fill the gap, that's really a great advice! Thanks! Any good ideas for a meaningful extracurricular that I could reasonably manage while working full time and studying?

My main hobby(-ies) is anthropology, history and sociology (verging on political science), I've even considered pursuing that for a major. Hence my penchant for travelling (US, Africa, Central Asia, Siberia). I'm seriously thinking of writing a book somewhere down the road.


There's just one semester of actual study left, the last one is going to be spent on a thesis. Should I include a transcript for the first 4 years with an application, or just self-report an expected GPA?


There's a lot of breadth in the job, some examples would be
[*] Working in a team on a large analytics project, doing a full cycle for my assigned area - from gathering the data, to structuring & analysing it, to doing presentations and pitchbooks. Or, focusing on a functional area instead.
[*] Being responsible for one of the industries GE operates in, doing continuous analytics, looking for important trends etc, identifying strategic opportunities/threats and pitching them in regular reports.
[*] On a more commercial side I assist GE's overseas businesses in connecting and dealing with local (Russia/CIS) clients, participate in client meetings, sometimes act as a point of contact in general (both for the local clients and the businesses in need of support).


Yep, the intern title is definitely not doing me a favor. I hope to explain this issue in one of the essays potentially. It's not the "the guy who operated the copy machine for three months" kind of internship that people often think of.

Hey there,

You're quite welcome - we're happy to help!

I'm going to structure my response in the same order you've posted your questions. Let me know your thoughts!

1) From a "practice" perspective, I would recommend against it with some level of conviction. Simply because any practice you get can easily be offset by a consultant if you choose to apply in later years and there are some significant risks. You'll have to find recommenders, manage the process, and "use up" your current experiences. It takes a lot for recommenders to complete thorough recommendations and prepping them is no easy task either. It is possible you could use up their goodwill this round and leave yourself in a less than ideal situation next year. Even if you don't tell them why you're applying this year (e.g. for practice) it is still likely to annoy them. By using up your current experiences I mean when you reapply, you have to talk much more about what you've done SINCE you applied. At that point, you can't rephrase your story. You can't revisit and talk about experiences in another light. Effectively, you're limiting your next year's applications to what you do between this round and the next. If you apply R1 or R2 of this year and R1 or R2 of next year, that's only 6-9 months.

Yes, Wharton does like their reapplicants, as do Booth, Darden, Duke, etc. (not all, for example, Tuck isn't a huge fan). However, you can't really bank on this. Keep in mind, they look positively at reapplicants who were already a stone's throw the previous year(s). Therefore, while statistics say one thing, your experience may, and probably will, be different.

In a nutshell, reapplication should be viewed as a last resort for those who didn't get in a previous year, not as an opportunity for practice, does that make sense?

2) I love CrossFit! Personally, one of my favorite workouts is "Cindy" - after the first 15 minutes you really start feeling it, eh? Half an hour and simple but brutal. Let me ask you this - what do you WANT to get involved in. When it comes to extracurriculars, there isn't a "right" answer. For example, a lot of people lately have been doing activities that are socially beneficial. But if there is nothing in your story to support it then doing it in the year before applying will seem like a blatant play. It'll be seen right through. So my suggestion would be find something you could get involved in that's athletic or anthropology/history/sociology related. If you wanted to start your book now, that may be fun and unique too! It really comes down to a) what makes sense b) what are you passionate about and c) how can we play it into your story!

(By the way - if you don't have time because you're freelancing, that's a solid reason and wouldn't impact your candidacy - a lot of people have to work to make ends meet or pay for school, etc. It's definitely fine.)

3) If you look at my point 1, the natural answer here from me is "neither" because I think you should apply when you're ready. However, if you do choose to apply this year, we'd have to get in touch with each admissions office to see what they'd prefer. Some have policies, some have preferences. This really isn't a huge deal because your GPA is great!

4) Your work experiences are on the right track and definitely speak to ambiguity, quantitative rigor, working with other cultures, etc. What would help your story is to get some definitely leadership experiences under your belt. Be it an initiative, workstream, or team. There are a lot of ways to show leadership and ability to manage and you could take the ones you have to spin them that way but it'd be a stretch. Getting some concrete examples makes your candidacy interesting to an adcom. Not to mention, this is one of the key things they're looking for!

5) If you can't get it changed, we can explain it in the optional essay. There's a slight culture component here that can be explained.

I hope this helps - so what do you think?

Bhavik