I believe I have a UNIQUE PROFILE – please evaluate

Question

Jon, huge thanks in advance for any feedback on the below. I feel I have a peculiar and interesting story to tell, but would like to understand any potential weaknesses in my profile, especially for applications at my desired B-schools.

Age:  23
 Citizenship:  India
 GMAT score:  710
 TOEFL:  110/120

About Me:

Education: 
- Currently a 2nd year Bachelor in Finance & Accounting student in a top business school in Poland  
- Golden Key Academic International Honors for Academic merit, Dean’s List.
- Semester abroad (during time of application) at University of Mannheim, Germany.

Story: 
- After completing school, worked for 3 years in my own NGO: for education of underprivileged kids in India.
- Afterwards, I moved to…Ukraine. Launched a startup (a small consulting firm focusing on business plans). Was invited to TEDx conference in Ukraine as the youngest and only foreigner speaker. Lived in Ukraine for nearly 2-3 years.

Other details:

- Summer internship at German Stock Exchange, Frankfurt in Summer 2015.
- Founder, NGO. Active since 6 years, more active recently.
- Co-founder, an Indie Apparel and Art Company based in Poland. (Since 2015)
- Founder/Editor, a major online youth newspaper in Russian language, biggest in CIS countries.
- Winner, International Essay Competition on Diplomacy & International Relations, organized by Russian Center of Science and Culture and Rossiskaya Gazeta

Languages: 
 English, Hindi, Urdu: Native/Fluent
 Russian: Advanced Proficiency
 Ukrainian, Spanish: Conversational
 German, French: Beginner

Why MBA/Masters?:  After some work ex in social sector and start ups, I am looking forward to breaking into top positions in Finance industry. 
 Career interest:  Banking/Management Consulting, with later focus on Private Equity.
 Career location:  Highly prefer in being in Europe (London) for next 5-10 years, with somewhat interest in US possibly.

Applications:

R1 for all the schools below in year 2015.
Interested in starting immediately after Bachelors.

Aiming for:

Harvard Business School 2+2 program MBA
Wharton MBA
Stanford MBA
INSEAD MBA
London Business School MBA
MIT Sloan MBA
NYU Stern MBA
London Business School Master in Management/ Master in Finance
HEC Paris MBA / Master in Management / Master in Finance 
UC Berkeley MBA
University of St. Gallen Master in Management

I'd request you to evaluate my profile, and suggest which schools I can break into?

Admissionado · Answer

Well, you are right that your profile is pretty unique in terms of your international experience that's for sure!

So, the first thing I would question as an AdCom member is: is now the right time for you to apply? I mean even if they count your three years in an NGO as work experience, they will be asking themselves, "okay, so why doesn't he go work in finance first and then come to us?" And I think in fact that your chances will be higher if you do decide to work for a few years between your BA and MBA (if that is what you want to do). If your goal is absolutely 100% to break into finance, and you are unable to land a job/internship in your business school now (which would be your best option), then you may want to consider doing a Masters in Finance instead of an MBA which will provide you with the technical knowledge you need to land a good finance job.

Now between your company, your newspaper, and all your activities you definitely have a super-interesting candidacy, and even an MBA could be right for you, but right now I wonder how you will put this all together, how all these things you have mentioned add up to you following a finance path.

Let me know your thoughts,
Best,
JF

aFocus5 · Answer

Jon, thanks so much for your kind words and enthusiasm. As an applicant, one tries to differentiate themselves as much as they can, and I reckon that my profile might garner more attention from Adcom.

Thanks for your questions too. Valuable feedback! I have felt the need for an MBA since I started my undergrad - unlike typical Bachelor students, I have some work experience under my belt. My pitch is not there yet, but I am trying to hone it further.

1) Is now the right time to apply?: My work experience is somewhat vague, that's true. I am specifically referring to working in the social sector in India. In terms of strategy for applications, I am applying for HBS 2+2 precisely so that I can work for 2 yrs in between, and I shall apply for deferred admission at Stanford GSB as well. Then there is Yale Silver Scholars program, but since it is for College Seniors, I do not think that my lack of a 'defined and formal' industry experience shall be hurdle there, possibly might be an advantage.

As for other programs, I do sincerely believe that right now is the time to apply for me. MBA is an opportunity for career change as well. I have worked in an entrepreneurial role in social sector and in my own journalistic endeavor - but lately I find myself more attracted to Finance and Consulting, actually a blend of both, with more emphasis on the latter. My ideal role post-MBA would be Consulting with prime focus on Finance. It is for this precise reason that I do not want to limit myself to doing Master in Finance and sticking purely to Finance industry. MBA could give me huge leverage when it comes to making a career change.

2) It can be noticed that the list of programs I intend to apply for is pretty decent in length. To extrapolate, I am hard set on starting immediately after undergrad, as I would like to jump from academic environment to professional work field quickly. Having worked in social sector and journalistic endeavor, I believe that I earned some invaluable skills and learning, and now is the time to make transition to another industry. Both of these were my own initiatives, and although I am quite happy about it, I realized that I was quite limited when it comes to making bigger change and impact. If I pictured a successful version of myself in 10 years, I would be a senior exec and in charge of major deals and transactions in a global firm in Private Equity. I have the drive and I am already studying finance, but I need more exposure to other key areas to build upon my leadership and self-initiating skills. I would aim to develop my competencies and skills, plus a deeper knowledge of my target industry, through MBA and post-MBA work experience.

Since realistically I won't be able to submit all these applications in R1 - which business schools would you recommend? Please give any other feedback and tips regarding application strategy, as you find fit.

Thanks again,

Admissionado · Answer

Hey there dude,
No problem! 
Well if you think it is the right time for you then you should for sure try. Now I think the three programs at Yale, HBS, and Stanford could make sense given your work experience, and current state as student, but they are gonna be a bit of a long-shot even despite your interesting profile. GMAT is key at these programs, and your 710 is great, but they are also gonna have a lot of 770s to choose from, so keep that in mind. INSEAD I fel is really not for you as they tend to take far older and more experienced students (so you can save them for later if you need).

aFocus5 · Answer

Often I came across some info from B-schools that recently they're keen on younger students as well. What's your opinion on HBS 2+2 program and Yale Silver Scholars for me? Furthermore, are there any other b-schools that you'd recommend?

Admissionado · Answer

True that. But most important for MBA programs is your post-MBA employability. And you have only been self-employed, and have been off the job market for a while, which doesn't necessarily help in this sense. As for the Yale and HBS programs, I think you can try them, but you have a unique situation that you had worked beforehand, and you should just write the programs to ask about your potential to fit (anyhow, it's always nice to be in contact with the programs).

Hope this helps,
JF

I believe I have a UNIQUE PROFILE – please evaluate

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