mrswabs wrote:
A bit background of myself:
- 27, Asian Male
- Major: Mathematics (in a global top 50 school)
- GPA: 2.59/4.3
- GMAT: 720
- Professional designations: CFA Charterholder/CPA/Certified FRM
- Work experience: 6 years, with a year in a half in PwC assurance, 2.5 years in two real estate private equities, and 2 years in the corporate finance team of a major real estate developer (current company)
- ECA:
- guest speaker in my alma mater a dozen times giving career and interview tips to current students
- was invited as an interviewer in the undergraduate admission interview of my alma mater
- as a volunteer, taught underprivileged high school students personal finance knowledge and interview tips
- a regular member in toastmaster's club (won best speakers and best evaluators award)
My profile definitely reads "finance professional" but I would often consider myself an entrepreneur instead. I remember when I was only 14 years old, I tried to pitch to the owner of a toy shop I went often a business plan, a plan to increase his revenue and how I could be of help to execute; in return I would take $15 a day helping him out. Eventually that worked out. I was "hired" and the business thrived - I made him on average more than $150 extra a day in that summer (while I was only getting $15, so that's a really good deal for him). Couple years later, I wanted to get my own computer as I did not have one, but my modest family didn't want to pay for/couldn't afford it. Then at 16, I started off a consulting business on a trading card game in which I was once top 8 in tournaments in my country. The business ended 8 months later as I needed to focus on my public exams. But nonetheless, working only weekends, I made around $1,600, enough for me to get a computer with the rest invested in stocks through my dad's account.
I was admitted to one of the top schools in my country but ended up with low GPA, which is attributable to a handful of reasons. The first is that the school is very stringent in giving out good grades. Often times you will result in a C+ or even a C if you get a mean score. So while I was not performing well, it wasn't as bad as it (2.4 in a 4.0 scale) looks. I am fairly sure that is above 50th percentile but I do not have anything official that supports it. Second was that I was bad in accounting and finance while in school. There are no excuses. That is why I tried to make it up by hustling CFA/CPA/FRM (and some other less reputable exams) after my graduation. The third is that I actually have ADHD (diagnosed a couple years ago), which made it difficult for me to stay focused on a single task/reading. I was not aware of that until I sought advice from medical professionals. With the proper treatment I have undergone, things got much better (otherwise I wouldnt be able to get through all the professional exams)
I tried building a resume and career coaching business while I was still in school but it didnt work out. Then there we go my six years of professional career, most of which are dull and boring. Though, the experiences with the private equities are definitely interesting as I got to meet with and deal with a lot of people such as bankers, vendors, buyers, lawyers, etc. all around the world (mostly in southeast Asia though). Until recently, I started another business on the side and capitalised on a rare (riskless) opportunity that made $100k+ in a couple months. My plan was to leverage on that and start another business as a seller on Amazon, but the virus ground everything to a halt. My suppliers in China weren't able to deliver. With the spare cash that I am looking to deploy, I believe one of the best investments I could make at my age is investing in myself so I figured an MBA is a good one.
As nontraditional as my story might sound, I highly doubt if anything would even out my lousy GPA. That's why I would like to hear opinions from others before committing too much (such as hiring a consultant). So folks, any thoughts on my odds? My goal is to be admitted to top 25 schools in the US if that's possible.
Hey mrswabs,
Thanks for the post! It sounds like you have a number of different layers to your story, I think the challenge here will be for you to bring everything together to submit an effective application, i.e. identifying the reasons for an MBA, your desired industry post-MBA, etc. The reason folks go and get an MBA is that it results in a complete career 360 and gives them a chance to set a new course forward (like folks going from low-paying corporate banking jobs to making 3x as much in IB). Are you looking to move into a new career field or are you looking at the MBA as a chance to take two years to resent during the pandemic?
I think the optional essay would be an effective way to normalize your GPA and show admissions how you have taken the steps to develop your finance skills despite being diagnosed with ADHD. Your GMAT is good, but I'd like to see it about 20 points higher. All in all, I think you can be a competitive applicant at a number of top 25 schools with the 10-25 range being most realistic. With a very effective story and stellar recs, I think a place like Duke would appreciate the depth of your application and history of entrepreneurship.
Feel free to reach out at
scott@personalmbacoach.com to discuss your candidacy in more depth to try and figure out if business school is the right move.
Regards,
Scott