Profile evaluation for Johnson (Cornell), HBS, LBS, Tuck, NYU Stern, CBS, Yale, Berkeley Haas, Duke Fuqua, Finance: Investment Banking background, from Mexico

gmatclub

Comments 2 comments

3 months ago

Hi
Priyanka here from ARINGO. Speaking about your profile, your profile looks solid for top MBA programs, especially given your finance background and international exposure. A degree from Purdue University with minors in Economics and Computer Science shows strong analytical ability, and 2 years in IB in New York is a strong brand signal. Moving back to Mexico to work as a Financial Manager at a well-known family office adds depth and maturity to your story and clearly supports your goal of moving into investment management post-MBA.

That said, your GPA is on the lower side, so you will need to offset this with a strong GMAT/GRE score, clear career goals, and strong recommendations. What will really matter is how well you explain why you moved from IB to a family office, what impact you’ve had, and how an MBA fits into your long-term investment career.

I’d be happy to offer you a free profile review for your target programs to see where you stand and how to boost your chances, happy to help!
No pressure, no strings - just helpful insights on where you stand and how you can strengthen your chances.

Feel free to connect- Click here
You can also email me your CV at: [email protected]
Good Luck!

MBAandBeyond

2 months ago

Thanks for sharing your profile, @rlealdor. You bring a strong, globally credible finance profile: Purdue (Industrial Eng + Econ + CS), NYC Investment Banking, and now a prestigious family office role in Mexico. That combination works well for Investment Management–oriented MBAs and differentiates you from pure IB candidates.

Your main constraint is the 3.0 GPA, which puts pressure on execution, test scores, and storytelling. Use optional essays to explain context briefly (not excuses). Highlight Purdue rigour + quantitative coursework + work performance.

Cornell, Tuck, Fuqua, Yale, Stern, and Haas- These schools value finance depth, international exposure, and leadership trajectory. Your FO role helps a lot. Need a good GMAT score.

Stretch (but not impossible)- Columbia, LBS, and Harvard. You’ll need a high GMAT (730+ / GMAT Focus ~695+), clear leadership impact, and a compelling IM narrative.

What’s working well: NYC IB + Family Office = strong IM credibility, cross-border exposure (US → Mexico), quant background + CS minor helps with markets/analytics and clear post-MBA goal (Investment Management, not vague “finance”).

Leadership signal: In essays, show decision-making authority, capital allocation input, and stakeholder trust at the family office, not just execution.

You can also explore other schools like Darden, Fuqua, Oxford, and IESE (if Europe is flexible; great for long-term IM careers).

Questions to sharpen your application:
1) What investment decisions have you influenced at the family office (asset class, size, outcome)?
2) Any portfolio-level impact (returns, risk reduction, strategy shift)?
3) GMAT status, have you tested recently, and what’s your realistic target?

We’d love to learn more about your academic background, extracurricular activities, work experience, and personal journey so that we can provide a tailored profile evaluation and an honest school assessment. Feel free to book an evaluation session.

Cheers!
Shantanu Sharma, INSEAD Alumnus
Founder and Admissions Consultant, MBA and Beyond