Hi
jasukhera,
Thank you for your post and for sharing your profile. I would like to understand your profile better, but from what you have described in your post, you have great academics and professional experiences. I think your profile is competitive for all the schools listed. The challenge, of course, will be your age. However, if you can clearly articulate why you require an MBA and you have written a strong application (qualitative component), your probability of admissions increases exponentially. You can reference
this article to put together your list of top 10 universities.
You mentioned that you are not keen on an EMBA, which makes sense. Have you looked at MIT's and Stanford's Sloan Fellows MBA program? It's a one year program for managers who want c-suite executive roles. The programs are offered by top Global universities and are comprised of peers who have been working in an industry or another (there is no industry specific requirement) and have at least 8 years of experience (8+ years w/e for Stanford and 9+ for MIT). This allows you to not only learn from world-class faculty but also be around and learn from peers who have the same/similar work experience and can teach you new perspectives, not to mention network.... To put it in perspective, Kofi Annan earned his MBA from the MIT Sloan Fellows program.
I am happy to continue the conversation. If interested
click here to coordinate a free 30-minute consultation.
Good Luck on your applications and GMAT!
jasukhera wrote:
Hi
My name is Junaid. I am 38 years old and I would appreciate your input on the below:
1. Choice of schools
2. Next steps
My brief background is as below:
Undergrad: LUMS Pakistan (B.Sc. (Hons) Economics): GPA: 3.07/4.00
Graduate: LUMS Pakistan (MS Computer Science): GPA: 3.59/4.00
Graduate: Johns Hopkins USA (Masters in Finance): GPA: 3.86/4.00 - Went on a Fulbright scholarship
Professional Experience
3 years: Entry-level Investment banking in Pakistan
8 years: Private Equity: Currently heading the private equity portfolio (USD 1 billion + size) of a large family office in UAE. Global investment mandate. Report directly to CEO. Title: Manager Investments.
Certifications:
CFA charterholder
GMAT score: Will be re-taking 1st week of October and targeting around 730. 1st attempt was very low. 660 (Q 48: V 34). I had 730 in GMAT Prep practice test.
Schools considered:
Wharton (My ex boss is a Wharton alum and has good insights on the process)
NYU
Chicago
Columbia
Stanford (Chairman of one of the companies I invested in sits on the Graduate School Board. I know him well so will use him for one of the recommendations)
Darmouth/Cornell
Why I want to do an MBA now?
I want to relocate geographies and continue in the same career path. Most of my peers in I-banking/PE have Ivy league MBAs so I think it will matter a lot going forward.
I am not keen on an executive MBA. I am aware I am at the upper end of the age bracket and it might be a long shot in some schools.
Any advice/feedback will be greatly appreciated.