Hi,
Well admission in any b-school mostly depend on how well you position yourself in application essays and demonstrate your leadership traits and other aptitudes during final interview. Even an avg. profile can be made up by submitting strong application essays.
Similarly, interviews also constitute a major part in any b-school admission. An interview gives them a chance to get to know you, your experiences, and your career goals. And it's also an opportunity for you to ask questions about b-school. To know more about interview preparations & tips, visit
https://bit.ly/XQVp4sLet me know in case of other concerns you might have.
Best,
AK
jcl wrote:
Hi there,
This is my first time posting on the forum so I hope I've covered the high level categories! I would really appreciate your input on how I might come across as a potential candidate and which B-schools might be suitable - I will consider applying with in the next year or two.
Personal background
- Age: 28
- Immigrated to Australia/NZ with family at ~11 from Asia. Think it was a fairly old-enough age to move about where I can now fully appreciate/comprehend the differences between different cultures/communities etc. Also speak multiple languages.
Academic background
- Undergrad Bachelors in Engineering with 2nd class Honors (not an excellent grade, a few unfortunate year-long family events contributed to lack of focus on academics)
- Made up for it with excellent marks in Final year of engineering, granted summer research scholarship under Head of Department
- Granted full scholarship toward Masters in Engineering Management from a Govt-backed foundation and a Corporate sponsor
- Currently a CFA Level 2 candidate (passed Level 1 on first attempt in 2012)
- GMAT not taken yet, but expect 700+ based on comparisons with good friends/colleagues.
Professional background
- Due to scholarship from Corporate sponsor, was offered to join the firm upon graduation (one of the largest Energy firms). In first 2 years worked as an Commercial & Investment analyst covering large investment valuations & risk analysis, involved in several JV/acquisition projects, business strategy and led several annual business planning rounds.
- Headhunted by another large Infrastructure/Technology firm (one of the largest listed firms in the country) 2 years ago and have had several roles, predominantly in Group Strategy as an analyst with projects spanning corporate/market/product strategies; with increasing seniority and experience I'm also expected to mentor new analysts. Recently moved to a new role as Product & Marketing Manager to expand beyond strategy/financial analyst capabilities and build operational/execution experience and having P&L responsibilities.
Longer term thoughts
- I would like to move into General Management in the longer term, but am actually interested in a lot of sectors. Naturally I have an interest in finance/strategy oriented areas (fund managment etc), but will very likely enjoy not-for-profit or health industries as well (wife is a doctor).
- With the CFA studies, I found that studying for the second time after some work has been particularly rewarding (appreciate it far more and much better now at relating material back to real world). I do intend to finish the CFA as well but might choose to do postpone final level until after MBA.
I thought an MBA is a great path in terms of exposure to excellent people and forcing me to expand my own horizons (and obviously, contribute to other people's learning too) so I would like to push for as high a tier a B-school as I can. LBS would be my most prefered school but obviously I realise these schools are after basically spotless/perfect candidates. I will hopefully have covered for my accidental sub-par grades in undergraduate years with CFA (probably passed Level II by the time I apply for MBA) and look to invest a bit of time in GMAT preparations so any inputs on the academic front would be great. On the extracurricular front, I've competed in provincial level sports, a junior martial arts instructor, and will look to pick up strategy-oriented charity work.
Again, any of your inputs on potential tier of B-schools based on my very rough background would be great! Also, any advice on any areas that I haven't covered would be well appreciated!
Many many thanks for your time & thoughts!
J