MIT MFin - Profile Evaluation

Question

Hi Guys,

Thanks in advance for giving your insights.

I am 22 yrs old (Male)
Nationality: Indian

Educational Background: 
(1) Bachelor in Commerce with Honors from a well known University in India. (GPA : 9/10) - Top of my class
(2) CFA Level 2 cleared. (above 90th %ile in L2)
(3) 2 out of 3 levels cleared of Chartered Accountancy ( Indian equivalent of CPA )

Work ex. :
(1) Almost 18 months now with a BB bank (think JPM,GS,MS,Citi) but not in the core transaction team but rather as a parallel support team to the transaction teams on a global level.
(2) 2 internships during college

Extra curriculars:
(1) Average Extra curriculars in college - including member of finance club
(2) No showable NGO / Volunteering experience (just 1-2 months, and in COVID times don't think i would be able to garner some more in the coming months)

Just in the exploring stage right now so haven't given GMAT yet.
But i can expect a score of around 90-95th %ile.

Just targeting MIT Mfin, as I want to return to India and employers here don't attach much value to a overseas masters (MS/MFin/Msc) - have seen people from LSE, Oxford, NUS, Duke not getting jobs here or were over qualified.
but still Harvard and MIT have some recall value.

Cheers

MiMEssay · Answer

Funkyformit ,

I would like to start off by saying that you have a pretty competitive profile.

To commence your profile evaluation, I would say that your academic background is quite strong. Your GPA of 9 not only displays your academic prowess but also opens a lot of opportunities and doors to top business schools for you. You haven’t mentioned the college name but as you are targeting MIT it is imperative that the ranking of your college be notable.

It is great to see that you have cleared CFA level 2 and also Chartered Accountancy levels. Not only do these showcase your strong inclination towards the field of finance but also goes on to further authenticate your strong academic skills. 
Coming on to your work experience, you have a big brand names attached to your profile which speaks for itself and vouches for your capabilities. Here, talking about the kind of projects you have undertaken, the impact you created and your career progression with major learning takeaways would definitely showcase the quality of your work and establish you as a strong candidate. On the note of your internships, there are no details presented so commenting on it wouldn’t be accurate.

Further, on the note of extracurriculars, you must be cognizant of the fact that schools seek applicants having a holistic profile. Extracurriculars are a great way to showcase your skills like leadership, networking, communication skills, etc. Here, accounting for the same, your involvement in the finance club definitely showcases a proactive attitude and also the breadth of knowledge you possess in the field. However, you do need to take up some CSR work and volunteering activities as MIT values candidates who utilize their skills for the betterment of society. Due to the ongoing pandemic, there are various NGOs and organizations that are up and running and could definitely benefit from your expertise and help. So, I would suggest you get enrolled with an NGO or non-profit organization. 
You haven’t given your GMAT yet but as you wish to apply to MIT, I would suggest you to score at least a 750+ with a minimum of 50 in the quants section.

Given your school choice, MIT falls under the dream category which means that it has a very stringent acceptance rate of only 8-12%. Hence, your chance of getting into the program is around 40-50%. On this note, when applying to International B schools it is never a good idea to place all of your eggs in one basket. Hence to hedge your bets wisely, you should apply to a good mixed bunch of 6-8 schools. Therefore, you should also consider applying to schools such as

Dream: NYU Stern, Princeton, USC Marshall, UC San Diego.
Competitive: Duke, Fordham, Vanderbilt, Washington etc

To address the problem of unemployability of foreign school graduates, it is never a good idea to finish your program and return straight to your home country. One should always seek for placements in the country they graduated in and gain at least 2-3 years worth of experience. Once you have international experience in your profile, you would be a highly valuable asset and employee to any organization in not just your home country, but anywhere around the globe. While having a good brand name is 50% of the work, the rest 50% depends on how you utilize the various resources and gain invaluable experience through projects, internships, exchange semesters and placement opportunities at these B Schools. Big4 companies are frequent employers at these schools, hence I don’t think that a Master’s from these schools diminishes your chances of employment in any shape or form.

Since you are still in the early stages of your application, you must be looking for some professional help to guide you through the application process of top business schools in the world. Hence, I’d suggest you to book a free consultation call with our expert consultants who would clear any doubts you may have regarding the admission process and would help you chalk out a winning strategy that would definitely get you an admit in your dream school!

Link for the FREE Consultation Call-
 https://www.mim-essay.com/book-an-appointment-form/

Hope this helped!

MSFHQ · Answer

You hit a high GMAT, I think you will be fine. Lot of schools are struggling with applicants now, considering COVID as well as the global economy. I am sure MIT is doing better than the rest, but all schools are seeing some drop. Considering your scores as well as work experience, I would say you should be in a good spot.

You'd get into Vandy, UTA, and USC if you apply to them (IMO).

You'd get into Vandy, UTA, and USC if you apply to them (IMO).

MIT MFin - Profile Evaluation

Prep Toolkit

Top 5 GMAT Debrief Videos

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards