HBS 2+2 Profile Evaluation Thread

Looking for some criticism on my application thus far for senior year applications (rising junior)

About myself:

Ivy (Not HYP, one of the ones with small grad school representation)
~710 GMAT (from practice tests, will study until I take it closer to senior year)
Going into the military as an officer upon graduation w/ Army ROTC
low income, immigrant, and first gen (I only mention this as Harvard gives low income under the second bullet point on their website for who they prefer)
3.8 GPA Poly Sci and English concentrator
Internship at a law firm, this summer I am doing one at a 3 letter intelligence agency with Army ROTC
Very good letters of rec from professors, I will ask the lawyer I interned for to give me one too
Does my application have a chance, assuming I keep my GPA up and score around what I did on practice tests for GMAT? What would you recommend I focus on doing to help it more?[/list]

Also, I didn't see too much representation for Military candidates on either Harvard or Wharton's respective deferral program. Would this hurt me, as opposed to doing something in the private sector? I'm only asking because I can choose either active duty or reserves, I am fine with either looks best for B school.
Thanks

Based on my experience i would suggest bringing up your GMAT score to 730 if possible. Your stats look good otherwise. Remember that HBS takes a holistic approach to their selection process and a well crafted essay and good interviewing skills are key! best of luck to you

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_________________

First of all, thank you for taking the care to read this little paragraph and for your advice on this.
Could you please evaluate my profile for these programs?

Demographics:
* White Male
* Spanish
* Age: 23

Relevant Academics:
* Grad: Master in Finance (LSE/Oxbridge/LBS/HEC): expect GPA 3.7/4.0
* 1 Year Exchange program US (Ivy League/MIT/UChicago/Stanford): GPA 3.7/4.0
* Undergrad: BSc in Economics at Target uni in Spain (GPA 8.5/10 - Top 5% of Class)

Relevant Work Experience:
* McKinsey & Company (full-time Business Analyst) starting Jan 2021
* Top Tech (Google/Facebook/Amazon/Apple) - 6 month Business Analyst Internship
* Top Strategy Consulting Boutique in Spain (Summer Business Analyst)
* Past internships in Strategy Consulting and in Corporate during Bachelor

Extracurriculars:
* Start-Up Founder: EU200k valuation at seed-round
* GMAT: 710
* Participated in various university Clubs
* Semi-Finalist in a Mobile World Congress Start Up Competition
* Languages: Fluent in English, Spanish, Catalan and Intermediate in French

Recommendations and Essays
* I think they could be strong

Goals:
* Access a top Managerial role in Tech Corporate with the MBA on which I can make use of the knowledge I acquired in McKinsey + Corporate Finance knowledge acquired in my MIF

What do you think about my chances? Is my GMAT too low or I would be fine?

Posted from my mobile device

At the end of the day, you don't lose anything by applying (aside from the application fee and time spent, of course). Schools may even look upon it favorably if you don't get in but end up reapplying in 3-4 years.

That said, your GMAT is a little light for these programs. You want to be in the 720+ range, 740 is average for HBS.

For some schools, there are particular applicant qualities or focus areas they are looking for. HBS 2+2 admits are over 60% STEM majors, and this year HBS has stated a preference for those 1) planning to work in an operating company (tech, manufacturing, consumer goods, retail, industrials, etc.); 2) from a lower socio-economic background (first generation in college, lower income family background, less family exposure to graduate school); 3) going into a technically demanding role; or 4) pursuing entrepreneurship. It doesn't appear you check any of these boxes?

Just some thoughts. Best of luck!
_________________

Hi ,

I have been following your posts and they are pretty great with loads to learn.

I request you to please evaluate my profile for HBS 2+2 MBA

Background :
Indian Male
Age 21

Academics

Currently 3rd year in BBA with specialisation of IT.
Top college in the country
CGP - 7.99/10.0. i.e 3.45/4
10th and 12std 80%.



Academic Certification

- Entrepreneurship in emerging economics from HarvardX online 92%
- Google certification in Digital Marketing 91%
- Udacity Digital marketing NanoDegree
- Hubspot Academy certification in Inbound Marketing, Content Marketing and Business Blogging.
- Sololearn certificate in SQL fundamentals


Internship experience

- 2018 Startup company (E-commerce) . My role was to create a social engaging app content . Successfully created it and received positive response.
- 2018 Startup company (Education online service) . Sales Intern ...Led a team of 3 . Went on to make a record breaking sales of 1 Lakh rupees in a month . Over 100+ students registered and created a customer base of 400 students. Promoted to city Operations head intern - lead a team of 20interns across City . Conducted seminars in 7 Educational Institutions , brought in sales of 70,000 rs .
- 2018 Non-profit Social Enterprise company . Marketing Intern - lead a team of 25 volunteers in Global UnConvention event . Brought in sales of 700+ registrations . Handled operations for the event as well . Resulted in a successful event, felicitated by the CEO .
- 2019 Educational online company . Selected as Student Brand ambassador for University . Launched student programmes. Mentored 25+ students in getting internships and career development . Conducted 7 seminars .
- 2019 Non-profit social enterprise . Marketing Intern Lead 25 volunteers in Global Unconventional 2019. Its a social platform for startups across industries to network , invest and etc. Devised social media strategies for company which brought in 60% increase of digital traffic . Managed all operations for the event .

College activities

- 2018 Founder and management head of clubs . Initiated clubs in college which had 200+ members . I lead a team of 30 members . Conducted 2 zests which had 150+ registrations and 500+ people attending it.
- 2019 International Cell Head - elected as Head . Lead a core team of 20 and 50 volunteers . Guided and mentored 30 international students in academics . Conducted International cultural events which had 100 registrations and 300+ people attending .
- 2019 Placement Cell Coordinator - Instrumental in data entry and analysis . Coordinated with Fortune 500 companies to conduct campus placements . Appreciated by companies for smooth and efficient flow of process.

Projects

- Inter Government Connectivity --- Successfully developed a mobile application for Indian Government which functions on a higher security factor and provides an environment of their own with my team.
- Created an ideology to reduce child trafficking through use of technology which had AI . Still under development with few success factors . Indian Police City Department appreciated the efforts and plans to implement it .

Sports

- District level Bronze Medallist Boxer .
- School Silver Medallist Boxer
- District level Cricket player .
- City Marathon runner
- Participated in over 20 tournaments in more than 4 sports

Community service

- Clean India Active member from 5 years
- Volunteered in an NGO which aims to develop Leadership and Team skills to underprivileged children through the medium of sports and music. Helped in conducting tournaments ,teaching the kids and end to end tasks for 3 months. The event saw a total development of over 500+ underprivileged kids .
- Volunteered to run 5kms sponsored Cancer Walk and got the highest sponsors with over 4,500 Rs and also was felicitated with Gold medal .

Extras

- Participated in 3 Model United Nations , 12 college fests across city .
- Wrote a research paper with a college faculty member


I am yet to give my GMAT and I'm expecting a score of 730.

do let me know what my chances are for HBS 2+2 .

Regards,
Gagan .

.

Hi @deathmatching (start up idea for funeral plot roommates?)

I'm sorry it cracks me up a little bit that you've not yet graduated college and you're thinking about career switching LOL.

I really am enthusiastic about your profile. And I don't think leadership is a problem you have quite a bit identified in your leadership through the extracurriculars. Leadership does not always imply people management but rather initiative.

I really don't think your GPA is going to be a deal-breaker either. It could potentially be a helpful story discussing the dynamic and what you learned from that group project hell situation. This could add depth to your profile and you might include it in your optional.

If I had any concerns it would be that your overrepresented as an Asian male. And especially so with a tech background. But I don't think that that is anything grave.

I just think it's really important for you to do a terrific job with your essay so that it really differentiates who from the pack and really helps them **feel** something for you. And of course I think it would be wise to work with a consultant on picking out anecdotes that would be stand up for your recommendations.

Go for it!

="deathmatching"]Hi, I looked into deferred programs last semester and am interested. I am applying to HBS 2+2 program and would appreciate review of my profile. I am particularly curious to know if there's anything you think I should focus on in my essay that wouldn't be covered by the rest of my application that could be helpful for HBS to know.

Work Experience
- 3 Month Software Internship at one of Facebook/Google/Amazon/Apple
- 3 Month Software Internship at one of Facebook/Google/Amazon/Apple
- 3 Month Software Internship at one of Lyft/Uber/Dropbox/Slack
- 3 Month Software Internship at a Consumer Bank
- 3 Month Product Management Internship at Silicon Valley tech company (not name brand)

Extracurriculars
- VC Scout ($25M seed stage fund) - manage 2 people
- University Tech Advisory Committee - Was the Chair of the committee and managed 7 other people
- University Senate
- University SGA
- Hackathon Organizer

Academics
- Undergrad School: Top 50 State School, Computer Science
- GPA: 3.75
- GMAT: 770 (50Q, 44V)

Demographics
- Asian American
- Male

MBA Goal
- Transition from my technical background to entrepreneurship.

Concerns
- GPA is low, HBS deferred average is 3.8. GPA would be a 3.85 but took a class over summer that tanked my GPA. Course was not difficult but our group had communication issues which caused problems.
- Not enough leadership which is hard to do in a college environment.[/quote]

Posted from my mobile device
_________________

Hi ,

MBAPrepCoach

I request you to please evaluate my profile for HBS 2+2 MBA

Background :
Indian Male
Age 21

Academics

Currently 3rd year in BBA with specialisation of IT.
Top college in the country
CGP - 7.99/10.0. i.e 3.45/4
10th and 12std 80%.



Academic Certification

- Entrepreneurship in emerging economics from HarvardX online 92%
- Google certification in Digital Marketing 91%
- Udacity Digital marketing NanoDegree
- Hubspot Academy certification in Inbound Marketing, Content Marketing and Business Blogging.
- Sololearn certificate in SQL fundamentals


Internship experience

- 2018 Startup company (E-commerce) . My role was to create a social engaging app content . Successfully created it and received positive response.
- 2018 Startup company (Education online service) . Sales Intern ...Led a team of 3 . Went on to make a record breaking sales of 1 Lakh rupees in a month . Over 100+ students registered and created a customer base of 400 students. Promoted to city Operations head intern - lead a team of 20interns across City . Conducted seminars in 7 Educational Institutions , brought in sales of 70,000 rs .
- 2018 Non-profit Social Enterprise company . Marketing Intern - lead a team of 25 volunteers in Global UnConvention event . Brought in sales of 700+ registrations . Handled operations for the event as well . Resulted in a successful event, felicitated by the CEO .
- 2019 Educational online company . Selected as Student Brand ambassador for University . Launched student programmes. Mentored 25+ students in getting internships and career development . Conducted 7 seminars .
- 2019 Non-profit social enterprise . Marketing Intern Lead 25 volunteers in Global Unconventional 2019. Its a social platform for startups across industries to network , invest and etc. Devised social media strategies for company which brought in 60% increase of digital traffic . Managed all operations for the event .

College activities

- 2018 Founder and management head of clubs . Initiated clubs in college which had 200+ members . I lead a team of 30 members . Conducted 2 zests which had 150+ registrations and 500+ people attending it.
- 2019 International Cell Head - elected as Head . Lead a core team of 20 and 50 volunteers . Guided and mentored 30 international students in academics . Conducted International cultural events which had 100 registrations and 300+ people attending .
- 2019 Placement Cell Coordinator - Instrumental in data entry and analysis . Coordinated with Fortune 500 companies to conduct campus placements . Appreciated by companies for smooth and efficient flow of process.

Projects

- Inter Government Connectivity --- Successfully developed a mobile application for Indian Government which functions on a higher security factor and provides an environment of their own with my team.
- Created an ideology to reduce child trafficking through use of technology which had AI . Still under development with few success factors . Indian Police City Department appreciated the efforts and plans to implement it .

Sports

- District level Bronze Medallist Boxer .
- School Silver Medallist Boxer
- District level Cricket player .
- City Marathon runner
- Participated in over 20 tournaments in more than 4 sports

Community service

- Clean India Active member from 5 years
- Volunteered in an NGO which aims to develop Leadership and Team skills to underprivileged children through the medium of sports and music. Helped in conducting tournaments ,teaching the kids and end to end tasks for 3 months. The event saw a total development of over 500+ underprivileged kids .
- Volunteered to run 5kms sponsored Cancer Walk and got the highest sponsors with over 4,500 Rs and also was felicitated with Gold medal .

Extras

- Participated in 3 Model United Nations , 12 college fests across city .
- Wrote a research paper with a college faculty member


I am yet to give my GMAT and I'm expecting a score of 730.

do let me know what my chances are for HBS 2+2 .

You have a ton of stuff here and it's ALL very impressive but yet at the same time I'm not really sure if I know who you are yet and that would be my concern with the essays and recs.

You're really going to need to find a way to communicate who you are inside. Demonstrate altruism empathy well-roundedness all those things are going to help separate you from the other bazillions Indian IT applicants.

I think your profile is really well-built it's now it's time to stop and reflect really think about what all these things to say about you what your values are really who are you. How are you going to communicate that to them. What is the quote "so what" of all of this. What should we take away from it.

I would really like it if you had expectations of a higher GMAT score. I just can't tell you how astronomically high the GMATs are for people with your profile.

My best advice would be to work with someone good and also shoot for deferred schools that are beyond HBS with a 730.

Gagan1106



Posted from my mobile device
_________________

I've always had entrepreneurship in mind and will probably switch regardless of an MBA, I just think an MBA would complement my tech background pretty well. Do you think this will be a cause of concern that I want to switch?
Good note about the group project situation. Definitely did get some takeaways from it and always good to focus on the positives of a situation.
Thank you!

No! Not a concern,
I'm just pointing out that it's kind of funny that you are thinking about a switch at this tender age when really at this age most people don't even consider their trajectory very well set. So what I'm saying is it's absolutely fine.
you're so young it wouldn't even be considered switch you know what I'm saying?

sincerely curious about how you came up with your screen name ?


_________________

deathmatching
You don't necessarily need to explain away one single bad grade, but the same time sometimes it's fun to use the optional essay as a way to provide value-added content. If you don't include it there then it might be something to include in your interview and potentially even your main essay. The idea is you want them to know that you're someone who has has a taste of adversity in the area of teamwork/leadership - it would deepen your credentials a little bit. That said I don't think you should make out like you have a lot to excuse or anything - it's a tender balance.

_________________

Hey, MBAPrepCoach please review my profile for HBS 2+2.

Basic: 19, Male, Indian, applying for 2020-21 admissions year. Will be 19 while applying, 22 while joining. Can speak 5 languages.

Background
Currently founding and running a small consulting startup that strategizes for CSR wings and offers consulting and strategy to startups especially in the social sector.
Work experience (all done during college years):
Research Internship at IIM Ahmedabad (Indian Business School) 2 months
Internship at Center for Innovation Incubation and Entrepreneurship 2 months(Incubator/Accelerator/Investment Fund)
Project Associate at a startup that makes tactile solutions for blind children 8 months
Business Development Internship at a start-up 3 months

Extra curriculars:
President of the Treasury of the Students' Council
Convener of flagship Strategy Consulting event
Vice President of Consulting Club
Hold a couple of team lead positions on finance and participation teams in college fest organizing committees with 2000+ participation.
Maintain two blogs on economics
Won some B-School competitions, nothing too impressive. Also won some debates.

Three research projects sent to publishing.

Some community social work such as zoo clean ups, underprivileged children scholarship test organization, teaching disabled children, tree plantations etc.

Undergrad school/major: IIM Indore, BA (Foundations of Management) [Takes 120 from 20,000 applicants]. Ranked 4th in the country.

Stats

GMAT Score: 760 in practise tests so far. Assuming 720-something in the real thing.

Undergrad GPA: 75%

Posted from my mobile device

Hey

please evaluate my profile

I have applied for ISB YLP 2020

Name- nishanth s
Age-21
Indian citizen

Education -
10th-93.6%(state board)
12th-90%(state board)

Currently in pre final year -MBBS(KIMS,Bengaluru) with a 66% aggregate(approx 3.2/4,after conversion)



Awards and achievements (those mentioned in the application )

1)best outgoing student in school
2)winner of state level TT championship- team event (conducted by University )
3)runner up in national level street and stage play competitions (team event)
4)completed two internships at Plexus Md
5) co author of a research paper ,published in international journal,two other will be published shortly


Extra curriculars

1)Represented University in cricket(national level competition)
2)State convener for Karnataka State -Indian medical association- Medical students network
3)music- plays flute - classical and non classical concerts
4)have organised few fests heading PR and finance teams
5)volunteer at CRY for 3+ years

Hobbies- dancing, public speaking, photography

Yet to take GMAT

Would be happy hear back from you

Thank you

Posted from my mobile device

Nishanthhonna

Hi ,

I have been selected for ISB YLP 2019 .


As far as I see you have a good profile .

GPA - is below average and this could hamper your chances. Ideally ISB looks for 3.4+.

Extra Curricular are outstanding . It looks like you have been actively involved in sports . Considering your participation level you do have a + point.

Internships - you have noted 2 internships . Here the quality matters. What was the depth of your involvement .
REMEMBER ALWAYS QUANTIFY of the work you have done.

Its very tough to say whether you stand a chance for ISB YLP as of now.

I recommend you to get a score of 740+ to stay in competition. ISB looks for leadership and uniqueness which cannot be brought out in your profile .

Your essays need to be very strong.

Hi,

Please evaluate my profile for Harvard 2+2. I am planning to apply in year 2021

Basics: Indian Male, Age 21

Education:
Class 10: 10/10 CGPA
Class 12: 88%
Engineering Entrance Exam Rank: Top 1.2% in India
Undergrad: Top 20 Engineering College, Major in Mechanical Engineering,Minor Specialization in Management, CGPA: 8/10 (Top 15% of class)
GMAT: Expected 740

Professional Work Experience:
1. 5 month Operations Internship at Amazon IN (Saved $125k for Amazon India Operations). Received a placement offer for 2021
2. 7 months experience with my own education based startup. Startup generated revenue by monetizing supply demand mismatch in skill development (Had to close due to some reason)
3. Planning a 2 month Internship in winter 2020. Would like to know if a research internship at a top B-School would be better suited given I already have experience as a corporate intern

Extra Curricular:
1. Part of Marketing Team of our college that organizes funds for Techno-Cultural Fest of our college. Generated sponsorship $10k and collaborated with media partner XYZ(can't reveal) with a reader base of 13 Million
2. Joint Head of Photography and Video Editing Club of my College. Organized Events with a gathering of 200+ individuals
3. Class representative of Mechanical Batch of 2021
4. Have undergone online courses related to Strategy, Finance and Analytics.

Community Involvement:
1. Organized Blood Donation Camp at my College in collaboration with National Service Scheme (NSS)
2. Taught underprivileged children in collaboration with National Service Scheme (NSS)

No international experience yet, but I am learning German and hoping to get a research internship at a European B school or Ivy League B school during winter 2020

After MBA Goals:
Consulting, Strategy

I have around 10 months till I apply for Harvard 2+2. I would highly appreciate if you could tell me how to improve my chances of landing an invite

Hi there, kudos to you for all that you have accomplished and for getting out ahead of your 2+2 application! In terms of things you can do between now and then, I would focus heavily on getting the best GMAT score possible and view 740 as the absolute minimum you will need to be competitive. I would also do everything in your power (in a crazy, uncertain job market) to secure a full time job upon graduation with a strong, recognizable company. To your question of whether you should diversify away from corporate internships, my opinion is no - HBS is looking for future business leaders, so will highly value experience in this setting above all else. Good luck!


_________________

Hi everyone, I'm in my senior year of Engineering at one of (if not the) best Engineering schools in Canada (think Waterloo, U of T) thinking of applying to these programs now and perhaps again after a few years if I'm not successful.

**MBA Info**

* ***Why I want an MBA:*** Being in the tech industry, I'm interested in pivoting to tech consulting at MBB or VC in the future.

**Background**

* ***Work experience:***
* *I've done internships at big and small tech companies (including one each at all of Facebook, Airbnb, Pinterest and Stripe) in Software Engineering and Product Management roles.*
* Heading to a tech unicorn (think Lyft, Uber, Stripe, Pinterest, Robinhood) as a Software Engineer after graduating from college.

​

* ***Extra curriculars and other experience:***
* Volunteered at local food bank for the better part of a year now.
* I do website design and maintenance for the Innocence Project in my area (this is a social cause I'm passionate about because of some family history here).
* Founder of college startup which generates $300 of revenue a month.

* **Undergrad school/major:** Electrical and Computer Engineering major at Tier 1 Engineering school in Canada
* **Race/nationality:** Pakistani-Canadian (born in Pakistan, grew up in Canada)
* **Gender:** Male

**Stats**

* ***GMAT Score:*** 740
* ***Undergrad GPA:*** So this is where I'm confused. My school isn't on a 4.0 scale, but we have percentages instead. 1st and 2nd year I did not do so well and got averages in the mid-60s. I did have extenuating circumstances because my father suffered a heart attack during this time and it was a major burden on my shoulders. So much so that, when in the middle of my 2nd year he was no longer able to work, I withdrew from school for one year in the middle of my 2nd year to work for a year to pay the bills. Came back and in 3rd year I got averages in the mid-70s, which is a Good standing at my school. In 4th year I got averages in the mid to high 80s, which is an Excellent standing.
* Not sure how much my circumstances matter, but being from a family with limited means and being a first-generation college student coupled with some bad cards dealt to me led to poorer performance for the beginning part of my undergrad.
* I'm hoping that my upwards trend in my undergrad performance is a good signal for them, coupled with my GMAT score, which I'm willing to write again to get an even better score.

​

I'd appreciate any feedback you all have, including things I could do to make myself more competitive in the time that I have before applications now, and perhaps things I could do to make myself more competitive in 3-4 years out of college if I apply again as a regular applicant.