Leo95 wrote:
Hi,
Thank you for the time to evaluate my profile.
Background: Male, 22 year old (too young?

)
Nationality: Indian
Undergrad: graduated in 2016, from a UK Russel group (tier 1) in aerospace engineering (grade - 2:2. stretched myself too thin

). Also won a scholarship for all 3 years of UG studies
GMAT: not yet written (exam due in Jul 2017)
Work Experience:
started and successfully ran an internet-based company in London (during undergrad) for 1.5 years -> had to stop and return to India due to visa and personal issues
started a food and beverage company in india -> still going strong (almost 7 months)
internships
currently working on starting an internet-based company
currently working on starting a fashion photography studio
currently preparing for CFA level 1 and GMAT
Community:
started a sports club during undergrad studies, part of leadership of 2 other societies during undergrad studies, volunteered at a local non-profit organization during undergrad studies
promoted from a teacher to a board of director at an Indian non-profit -> still going strong (8 months)
Post-MBA goals:
get into IBD (M&A, haven't decided on the market sector, mostly tech) in the US as an associate, alongside start an internet company -> after - either progress asap to an MD position or move into venture capital (after 1-3 years of M&A exp)
Other:
online courses from top-institutes in finance, accounting, digital marketing, and business strategy (through coursera)
extensive travelling (almost all of EU, a few ASEAN countries, and India) -> self-funded
involved in combat sports (wrestling and mma)
learning russian
Kind Regards
* would love to be a part of the web chat
At a young age, you are already building a differentiated and compelling resume. You are still a good bit younger than the average Wharton accepted student (usually in the 26-28 range), so it's best to be strategic about how you use these next few years (I would wait several years to apply). It's awesome that you are studying for the CFA. If you are worried about your GPA, passing CFA exams and achieving an excellent GMAT score will help you prove that you can handle a high-stakes testing environment like Wharton. Of the CFA and GMAT, the GMAT will be more important to AdComs, so if you are stretched then, that's where I would recommend you putting your studying hours. If you can handle both, though, more power to you.
MANY, MANY Indian applicants apply from the tech field. What you have going for you, though, is that it sounds like you are much more entrepreneurial than most and, as a result of working at start-ups, you've gotten some cool leadership and people/project management experience that other Indian tech applicants who are at larger (though potentially more prestigious) companies won't be able to write about. You should definitely continue to reach for new "growth" opportunities at work so that you can continue to differentiate yourself in this way.
What is interesting to you about Investment Banking? It seems like a departure from your historic work experience and education. It's possible that IB could be sell-able in your application (I'd need to know more about your background and your long-term career objectives to know for sure) but you need to be able to make your interest in this field credible and genuine (vs. merely an interest in lucrative & prestigious employment). Along with consulting, IB is a very common application essay topic. This doesn't make it BAD, necessarily, but it does necessitate the need to put together a differentiated application package. Depending on your prior work experience, espousing interest in tech or entrepreneurship or data analytics may be more sell-able -- you may appear more imminently employable in those fields than IB. Wharton wants you to be imminently employable in the field you chose.
Most top US MBA programs, including Wharton, are between 30-40% international. That means that all the top applicants from China, India, Pakistan (all countries outside of the US), are vying for less than half of the spots. For Indian men coming from tech, the odds are especially tough. You simply must make sure that you are putting together the best possible application strategy, flawless essays, and that's in addition to checking the important boxes of GMAT, GPA, work experience. If you feel like a free consultation with a consultant might help you hone in on your Wharton application strategy, free free to reach out via the link below.
https://admissionado.com and we’ll get into it. Oh and take your time and really sink into the request form, the more stuff you say about your profile, the meatier the chat.