Early bird needs advice from "been there done that" folks!

Question

Hi,

So this is my first post on GMATClub! I have finished my sophomore year at a top-ranked US public school as a double major (Electrical Engineering with Finance) and have a 3.65 GPA. I've been shadowing the forums for a while now and though I still have a while before MBA applications, I felt it's never to early to start working in the right direction - so I'm on here for advice! Again, I'm not looking for a "recipe" on how to get into HBS (dream: to get into the 2+2 program) or any other top program (after working a few years i.e.) - but more of a "you're completely off-track/you're on the right track but doing this or focusing on this would be good" been-there-done-that advice!

So here's my current profile (after two years of college):

GPA: Slightly over 3.65 (average for the engg school is sub-3.0 but I still think it's low for 2+2)
GMAT: Haven't taken it yet - but if it's an indicator of anything, I had a 2290 on the SAT
School: Large, Public (consistently top 2-3 in the US)

Other factoids:

* Interned at a major entertainment company (Fortune 500) last summer in their new technologies department. Did a project on my own and was called back this year. It was a great summer and got a good recommendation letter out of it too!

* Interning at the research lab of a Fortune 500: Top 50 company (technology) this summer.

* Started and currently president of an on-campus business student organization. Club grew from nothing to over 60 members in less than 6 months. Is now a prominent business club on campus.

* Vice-President of an engineering society on campus and treasurer of another one

* Been on two major engineering research teams and contributed significantly. Might get a great recommendation out of one of them! Continuing one of the projects and taking a role as a research assistant on a public economics project this coming year.

* Taking the CFA Level 1 either this December or next summer (I don't know if this affects anything)

* Won a bunch of national olympiads at high school level and am currently learning French as a fourth language. (Again, I don't know if this affects anything)

* Am an international student and spent four years in another country (other than my home country) before coming to the US

* Heavily involved with a community service group for autistic children and we're planning an international community service trip for this December.

Since I'm doing a double major, I will probably take 4.5 years to graduate - so I have two years before I apply for the 2+2 and several more before I apply for regular admissions. I would really appreciate any advice, suggestions, comments - anything, really!

In terms of what I want to do in the future, I am very interested in management consulting and large public enterprises. More than that, I want to do something that makes a difference (but then again, who doesn't!) Thanks for reading this long post and for your comments!

PS: Right now, my focus is HBS 2+2, but other schools I am interested in (after working for a few years) are Stanford, Wharton, Chicago, Kellogg, Duke, UVA. Though this is probably going to change considering I have a few years left!

golantrevize · Answer

You seem to have a solid profile, and it's great that you are thinking about B-school admissions early. 
I would suggest going through the essay questions for the schools and some sample essays( you will find them in many B-school app books). Then try to build experiences in the next couple of years that you can write about. Continue your involvement in the autistic society and the club, and try to take on more leadership roles. B-schools look for depth, rather than breadth, when it comes to community involvement and extra-curriculars.
Try to do the best you can to up your GPA, you have it in your hands now to change things. People who are out of school can't ! 
Come to think of it, search for a thread on gmatclub named - what I would have done differently - where people talk about things they regret. You might get some useful nuggets there !

FacePalmist · Answer

Thank you for the advice, golantrevize! I'll certainly look at that thread. I have been working on my GPA (up from 3.4-something last summer) and I'll continue doing so!

Just some questions - do you think internships, high school achievements (major national ones), foreign languages or designations such as the CFA would help with 2+2 admissions? What about research and getting published?

Also, an HBS counselor I talked to mentioned that they look for leadership in "non-traditional" settings too. Any suggestions on where I can show this? Maybe somehow in my research? (I like working on research projects but I can't see myself being a researcher twenty years from now) Thanks again!

losttraveler · Answer

Anything you can speak to and make blend to your "story" can help. Can or have you used those foreign languages to help with your volunteer work or any business related work? If you can tie all the pieces together then everything can add-value.

FacePalmist · Answer

Thanks for replying, losttraveler. I think what you said definitely makes a lot of sense. I have, in the past, used a regional language for a community service project.

Continuing on the "tie all the pieces together" note, I feel that because I have multiple interests, my resume almost looks like a laundry list of unrelated things. I'm quite involved in theatre but at the same time I am the president of a business club, play a sport (not varsity level - but local club level) and am involved in hardcore engineering research and community service. From what I know, schools like HBS like "extraordinary leadership" and depth. My profile, I feel, shows more breadth than anything else - which worries me.

Also, I feel that though I have done decently so far, there isn't really anything that helps me stand out and that'll really impress the admissions officers.

Last question - so I have an offer to voluntarily work on a project by a top 3 consulting firm (MBB) for six weeks this winter. But I have also been planning an international community service trip for winter break. I could postpone the community service trip (since we're still in the planning phase) to next summer to do the work at the consulting firm. It's not quite an internship but it's a large public project that I will work on an actual team with. Do you think it's worth doing - from a HBS 2+2 and general experience point of view?

Thanks again for taking the time to reply - other opinions will be highly appreciated too!

golantrevize · Answer

Hmm....is consulting part of your long term goals? Then yes, you should do the internship. If you do get a chance to do that international community service, do that too next summer; it will add some international + social responsibility flavor to your app. Also, you might end up getting some good stories to write about (culture shock? ) . And yes, you can potentially highlight some of your research experience too. Maybe you worked on some cutting-edge technilogies to help solve a long-standing problem. The way I look at it, try to gain as many diverse experiences as possible, not forgetting the depth aspect of it. Make sure you commit to these experiences. At the end of 2 years, or whenever you apply, you will have a wealth of experiences to choose from, and then you can cut and pare. Write about the ones that fit into your story best, at that point in time ! You really are in a good position now! Make the most of it.

golantrevize · Answer

Just a clarification - I'm NOT a "been there done that" guy. I'm just another applicant. Instead of worrying about what to write on your essays when the time comes, as I am doing now, it's much better to plan a couple of years ahead of time. That's why giving you my two cents !

FacePalmist · Answer

Thanks for responding, golantrevize! I am interested in consulting in the long run. The thing is - it's not really an official internship - it's more like "working with them" on a project. Do you think it adds weight to my application (it's a voluntary position on a Bain/BCG/McKinsey public project in a developing country). Again, how much it helps my candidacy for HBS (2+2) isn't the deciding factor on whether I do it or not, but it is something I would want to know!

Thanks for the encouraging words! You mentioned checking out the "what I regret" thread. I haven't been able to find it - it'd be great if someone could link it here!

Also, for current applicants and then "been there done that" people, if you were in my shoes right now - what would you do? Thanks again, y'all!

Early bird needs advice from "been there done that" folks!

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