Can I get into these schools? (770 GMAT, 7+ years wk exp)

Question

Hi all!

I was hoping to get a few opinions about which schools I can realistically apply to. This is my profile:

770 GMAT
Australian male from immigrant family, late 20s
Graduated with First Class Honours from an Australian university (bachelors' degrees in accounting & law) & completed CFA program.
Around 7 years' work experience with boutique investment research firms.
Extracurriculars: Writing for various publications; running a blog with 5000+ monthly views
Goal: To break into the tech or media sector.

I had originally been looking at local programs with the ultimate goal of making my way overseas, but after speaking to a couple of people who advised me to 'think big', I'm looking at applying straight to a US or UK school and working in the US/London off the bat. For my essays, I would emphasise my interests - my writing has focused on tech & media - and a 'realistic'-sounding post-MBA goal (secure a consulting or corporate strategy role in my target sectors). How are my chances at the following (ideally with a scholarship - the Australian dollar has tanked

)?

Wharton (great all-round school)
London (ditto)
MIT Sloan (tech focus)
Berkeley Haas (1. West Coast/tech focus & 2. I like the 'artsy' vibe)
UCLA Anderson (safety school if I can't get into Haas)
Wild card: Tuck (very well-regarded, but location would make it difficult to network)

)? Wharton (great all-round school) London (ditto) MIT Sloan (tech focus) Berkeley Haas (1. West Coast/tech focus & 2. I like the 'artsy' vibe) UCLA Anderson (safety school if I can't get into Haas) Wild card: Tuck (very well-regarded, but location would make it difficult to network)

MG4MBACrystalBall · Answer

Dear Elementary,

Consider the following points:
 
  The stats for your profile are pretty good - great GMAT, CFA charter and just a bit over the average work-ex. It will be good to understand however the nature of your work in the investment research firm. Do you work on Equity research side or something else? What kind of sectors/geographies do you cover? Is it on the sell side or buy side? Those things will be important when it comes to the top schools that you are vying for.  
  The decision to apply to US/EU schools is a prudent one since it is very difficult to make the transition otherwise. There aren't very many roles in Media consulting out there frankly. Tech consulting is hot but make sure you are not aiming for something that ends up discounting your experience to a big extent. The post-MBA plan is something that you'd do well doing a bit more research on so that your not-so-common profile gets the premium it should get 
  Finally, for reasons mentioned  here , I will refrain from providing a school specific assessment. But with the rightly articulated goals, the top schools could definitely be within reach for you.

Hope this helps.

Cheers,

Elementary · Answer

Thanks, Manish - much appreciated!

To respond to your points:

Investment research has been a mix of equities and managed funds, at a couple of boutiques;
I have experience researching almost every sector EXCEPT media and tech - as you point out, they're not big in Australia;
Plan is to rely on my extracurriculars to highlight my interest in tech/media;
I'm researching post-MBA roles at Amazon (and similar companies), which seem like the best fit.

Thanks again. :-D

MG4MBACrystalBall · Answer

Ah, so you aren't really thinking of consulting then but to get into the sector(s) itself. That might actually be tougher unless you have a strong network to rely on. So I'd say again, do as much fact finding as you can on this topic - rest is anyways more or less covered in your application.

All the best

All the best

AugustAcademy · Answer

Elementary,

I think you have a good profile with a fair number of leadership achievements.

Your main challenge would be to tie your background to your stated career goals. How exactly would you explain the transition - do you have any stories from your background that will help you demonstrate interest and capability in the chosen post-MBA roles?

If so, then by all means target the schools that you've stated.

Good luck,
Karthik

CriticalSquare · Answer

We don't get to say this too often...but you're in a really, really good spot! Great GMAT, great GPA, solid pre-bschool careers, some interesting involvement activities, and hailing from a country that doesn't send too many folks into the top MBA programs. You're set up for a run to all of those programs!

That said, be careful with your story. Whether media / tech makes sense will depend on a) what you've been up to and b) how the school will realistically help you. So the key for your goals will have to be specificity. I'm at A, the school is B, that will get me to C and C will want me because of A and B, which will lead me to D. Talk to people in the industries you're interested in. Stalk people on LinkedIn. Make sure you can point to proof that the path you're interested in has been blazed before!

Hope that helps!

Can I get into these schools? (770 GMAT, 7+ years wk exp)

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