Hi
amitheone2022,
Thank you for sharing your profile. It’s a long post, but you will get lots of clarity, so please stay with me
Starting with the stats, your undergrad GPA is quite low, but your strong GMAT score and CFA certification can compensate for this. However, you have a genuine reason for your low GPA, you should explain it in your optional essay, and AdComs will understand. You can also include any other academic achievements to demonstrate your academic excellence.
Your work experience appears to be qualitative. I can see aspects of leadership and initiative. You will need to go into further detail about your experiences and illustrate how working on different projects has enhanced your leadership abilities and how you have handled problems (if any) when things go wrong. And, your current work experience at one of the Largest Private banks will boost your work profile if exhibited in a compelling manner.
You should emphasize your interest in badminton in your ECs. I suggest taking on various leadership responsibilities in the club to assist you in showcasing your leadership abilities. Your post-MBA goals appear generic, you should read
this article. It will assist you in crafting a realistic post-MBA goals essay and communicating your post-MBA goals to the AdComs.
In terms of your desired school, you have a chance at LSE, Imperial, and LBS in the UK, as well as Columbia, Fuqua (in EA rounds), Yale, and NYU in the US. In addition, you can apply to IESE in the EU. However, the list of schools is improvised once you have completed your 'Branding for MBA'- Branding is how you present yourself to business schools. It is critical to determine which schools have the most conversion potential. It is the preliminary work that we perform with all of our applicants.
Your GPA is on the lower end, but if you have a 750 GMAT, your low GPA will not be a major issue, and it cannot be a deal-breaker. People with GMAT scores in the 650s are still admitted to top business schools. So, concentrate on what you can do now, namely your GMAT, and bring out the best in the rest of your application. You can also include any academic certifications or courses to showcase your academic achievements as I suggested above.
Overall, you have a strong profile and a decent chance of admission to top business schools if you prepare outstanding applications. What’s going to matter most in your profile is how you connect the dots and create a compelling narrative. As you already have a high GMAT score, you should begin working on your applications. Starting early will benefit you since you will be able to recognize your shortcomings and gaps and improve on them. Most successful candidates improve their profile significantly because they began much earlier. This will make your chances very strong for the intake you are eyeing. If you’d like, we are happy to get on a call with you sometime this week to discuss your profile in length and further chances for the schools. Feel free to
schedule a call with us at your convenience.
Cheers!
Neha Hadke
Strategy Manager
TestimonialsMeet our Panel of Consultants. Email:
neha@mbaandbeyond.comamitheone2022 wrote:
I would like to apply for MBA in 2024, and would appreciate any advice
Chinese born and raised in Hong Kong
Male
28 years old
3+ years studying /working overseas
Certified FRM
Passed CFA level 2
GMAT 750 (Can retake for higher since I'm going for 2024 admission)
Language Spoken: Cantonese, Mandarin, English, and some Japanese
Work Experience:
-close to 6 years of working experience in total
-Spent 4 years in a well-known French investment bank working as Equity Derivatives Structurer and Equity Derivative Sales, and was publicly recognized for achievements at APAC level.
-Currently working as a Structured Products Specialist at one of the largest Private Bank in the world
-The team is very well-regarded both in terms of media coverage and internal evaluation, spent almost 2 years here and not planning to leave for now
Education:
- Bachelor of Economics at a top local university in Hong Kong (QS ranking no 34 in 2022)
- a low 2:1 (roughly translates to 3.0-3.1/4.0)
-1 semester academic exchange at LSE with GPA 3.85 (not sure if that helps at all)
Extracurricular:
-Some mentorship to aspiring university students
-Badminton player at a semi-competitive level
-Joined student club as a committee but didn’t take up leadership roles
Target Schools:
-UK: Imperial, LSE, LBS (Oxbridge maybe a stretch?)
To be honest I'm slightly tilted towards UK schools as I have relatives living in Central London who I can rely on ( ie much lower financial pressure vs being elsewhere)
-US: Columbia, Chicago, MIT, Wharton, Yale, Stern (Harvard, Stanford probably no chance)
I have just started researching US schools and the targets may be completely unrealistic here. Your insight is highly appreciated!
-EU: Really no idea except being able to name a few, feel free to suggest any as you see fit
Career goal post MBA:
-To further my career and work as an investment strategist or structured products sales at top private banks in US / UK
Please provide your insights on my target schools and any other suggestions!
Do you think my low GPA is a deal breaker? (esp. when I have no excuse for it, I took too many part-time jobs and internships, purely time management issues)
Do you envision any particular strategy to maximize my chances?
How important is GMAT really? Does a mediocre GMAT (somewhere close to 700) really kill an application even if the candidate has a stellar CV?
Thank you so much for taking the time!