Hey Jeff, it's always good to see another folk from Vietnam. I'm happy to give my two cents.

1. It seems that your WE is on the lower side as most B-schools have a median WE of 5 years. Although there are definitely outliers, who have less than two years of WE, these outliers tend to compensate for their low WE by excelling at other factors of the application (elite GMAT score; elite undergrad; strong brand and quality of the work, i.e. having big names (Big4 & MBB) on resume; strong leadership in extracurricular). I saw you list 1.3 years in your WE, which means you'll have 3.3 years by the 2025 intake, which is still on the lower side.

2. What's your role at IFC? Merely mentioning "working" is vague. You should highlight your strengths, either leadership, collaboration, innovation, etc. Furthermore, to what extent do you "helping a startup fundraising and some other projects in the past"? Are you in charge of hosting events, inviting sponsors, budgeting after securing the funds, etc.? The more specific, the better.

3. You also mentioned, "Previously worked for an international PE firm but not really well known". Again, what did you do?

4. Your extracurricular sounds solid, as you mentioned you've shown leadership.

5. Goals: You are correct in that an MBA will help you do two things - either help you pivot your career fast, or help you check the box, i.e. some senior positions require an MBA. I know you have a year to think about the whole process, but here are some questions about the goal: You don't necessarily need an MBA to "hone your personal skills". Other than the reason that an MBA will help you climb the ladder, you can specify how an MBA can help you make a greater impact when you combine an MBA and your WE at IFC. Also, considering you will stay on the same path, you may want to consider a 1 year MBA instead of a traditional 2 years.

6. To address your concerns/questions: Sure, having a big brand will help you, but only to a certain extent. To quote another fellow gmatcluber "So, what matters the most is the quality of work, leadership skills, how you present it to the school, GMAT scores, LORs, interviews, and other factors. Everything plays a very important role in the B School selection process. "Brand" Names play a negligible role in the overall process. If you can prove that working with diverse clients makes you a better leader or helps you towards your goals, go with the 2nd option." In other words, you are correct with the "substance over form".

7. Unfortunately, I don't think I've gained enough experience to speak to your choice of schools. But the best way to find out whether your schools are suitable for you is to speak to current students or alumni. It's super easy to reach them via the school's website, or even via the gmatclub. It's best if you can look for someone who shares your profile background and goal, or as they call it, a "twin resume".

8. On a personal note, I wouldn't worry too much about all of the aforementioned, except for the GMAT, as you still have the GMAT is a gateway to get your MBA. When you're done with the GMAT, then worry about the rest, because I know things might not go as you plan. I once thought it'd take me only 3 months to cross that 700 score (as I'd seen so many success stories like that). But it took me way longer than that.

Anyway, sorry if this is such a long post. But hope you find some of my suggestions helpful. Slay the GMAT and best of luck on your journey!

Hi, thanks so much for sharing your two scents. It is super insightful for me!
Regarding my role at IFC, the nature of work is impact investing and my team has managed to close a really impactful transaction recently. As a supranational org, IFC is pretty hierarchical and given my entry level I do not have much room to showcase leadership or create strong impacts (things are pretty much standardized and specialized in IFC). I do have some innovation and even attempts to take on responsibilities that are beyond my scope (e.g. deal sourcing which is my boss' responsibility but not really successful so far)
That's why I'm trying hard to pull off my freelance jobs to hopefully showcase entrepreneurship/leadership/networking skills and some uniqueness in my profile (I sourced the deal and now work independently with my client in this deal). I'm basically involved in all steps of fundraising from financial strategy, building pitch deck to engaging potential investors and supporting DD process.

Quite a few folks from VN this year! - here is a nice discussion in the HBS's admit's profile: https://gmatclub.com/forum/decision-tra ... 52925.html

Hi my fellow countrymen @Jeffrey_VN, @PeachSnapple1, I am applying for 2024 intake as well so it would be great to connect to help one another out. @Clover159 also from VN and is planning to take the GMAT in the coming months in case you guys need a study group or something.
@PeachSnapple1 Watched your story to 740 GMAT, really impressive and I think it'd make a hell of a story for your essay.
All, I have connected to some wonderful VN folks at HBS and would like to share their advice/ connections if you like.

Kudos on starting early and connecting. Good luck everyone 👍