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Kindly review my profile. Please and thank you.

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BillNella89
Intern
Intern
Joined: 06 Nov 2017
Status:Prepping for GMAT
Posts: 22
Own Kudos [?]: 14 [0]
Given Kudos: 34
Location: France
Schools: HEC Sept'16 (A) Stanford '22 HBS '22 INSEAD Jan'21 Intake Sloan '22 CBS '22
GPA: 4
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Kindly review my profile. Please and thank you. [#permalink] New post   06 Nov 2017, 10:46
To whom it may concern,

I hope I find you well.

I intend to apply for top-tier US business schools in 2 to 3 years' time and I would like your take on my profile as well as any and all recommendations/remarks you may have. Thank you very much in advance. :-)

Personal information
Male/Moroccan/28 y.o.
Will be 30/31 by matriculation.
First member of my family to go to a top-tier college both in Morocco and abroad.
First member of my family to go abroad for education.

Education
2014-2017: HEC Paris' Grande Ecole (flagship) program. Majored in finance.
ECTS GPA: 3.55 (major year). ECTS Overall GPA: 3.45 (upward trend)
Awarded "A" grade for master thesis and published on the Vernimmen (France's leading reference in finance) website.

2015 (3 months): Stanford University. Summer exchange.
U.S GPA: 3.75. Courses taken in finance and education.

2009 - 2012: Ecole Mohammadia d'Ingénieurs (top Moroccan engineering and military school). M.Eng in Industrial Engineering.
Moroccan GPA: 15.54/20 (WES equivalent: 4.0/4.0).
Reserve officer in the Moroccan Royal Armed Forces. Engineering Corps: 2nd lieutenant rank.

Test results
- TOEFL iBT: 119/120
- GMAT: 770 (will expire this year. I intend to retake it).

Professional experience
Multiple internships and two permanent contracts.
- Prior to HEC Paris:
6-month internship at Kea & Partners in Morocco despite not coming from a target school.
1-year permanent contract in a plastics manufacturing firm in Morocco.
- During HEC Paris gap year:
4-month internship in a boutique M&A/consulting firm alternating between Morocco and Dubai.
6-month internship at Amazon France.
- Currently employed as a consultant at Capgemini Consulting (as of October 2017).

Leadership experience
- 4 years at ENACTUS (social entrepreneurship) both in Morocco and France
- 1 month as a volunteer at TEDxHEC Paris
- Founding member of the HEC Paris Business Game

Post-MBA goals
Following graduation - midterm horizon: Join McKinsey and gain further experience in strategy consulting with a focus on digital/tech, education and finance.
Longterm horizon: Start my own education firm in Morocco.

Targeted schools
In order of priority:
- Stanford GSB (I am aiming for the MBA/MA in Education program)
- HBS (can admission be jeopardised because of my age at matriculation? The word on the grapevine is that HBS adcoms frown on older applicants)
- INSEAD
- Cornell
- Booth
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VeritasPrepDozie
Veritas Prep Admissions Consultant
Joined: 12 Aug 2014
Posts: 2761
Own Kudos [?]: 340 [1]
Given Kudos: 1
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Re: Kindly review my profile. Please and thank you. [#permalink] New post   23 Nov 2017, 15:58
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Thanks for sharing your profile. Really nice profile on paper with solid GPA (slightly low for target schools) and a really impressive GMAT. Good ECs and a unique story. Your FT work experience is a little light so I understand why you are delaying your application a few years. I think you can be competitive at these schools but the quality and impact you make in your work experience will be a major factor so that will have a great influence on your odds. You're on the right track so keep it up!
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BillNella89
Intern
Intern
Joined: 06 Nov 2017
Status:Prepping for GMAT
Posts: 22
Own Kudos [?]: 14 [0]
Given Kudos: 34
Location: France
Schools: HEC Sept'16 (A) Stanford '22 HBS '22 INSEAD Jan'21 Intake Sloan '22 CBS '22
GPA: 4
Send PM
Re: Kindly review my profile. Please and thank you. [#permalink] New post   24 Nov 2017, 01:10
VeritasPrepDozie wrote:
Thanks for sharing your profile. Really nice profile on paper with solid GPA (slightly low for target schools) and a really impressive GMAT. Good ECs and a unique story. Your FT work experience is a little light so I understand why you are delaying your application a few years. I think you can be competitive at these schools but the quality and impact you make in your work experience will be a major factor so that will have a great influence on your odds. You're on the right track so keep it up!


Hi Dozie,

Firstly, thank you very much for taking the time off of your busy schedule to review my profile, for the kind words and for your encouragement. I'll definitely keep your advice in mind.

Secondly, would you mind if I asked you the following questions regarding some of the finer points of my profile?

1/ Does my being Moroccan (and therefore from an underrepresented, if not absent, group) help increase the odds of me being accepted in my target schools?
From my own observations and having talked to an HBS expert, there is at most 1 Moroccan every year in each matriculating class at the top schools so my guess is that Moroccan professionals do not apply to MBA programs that often.

2/ Will my age at matriculation (if I were to work between two to three years, then I would be 30-31 years old) be an eliminating factor in my application to my target schools, especially for HBS?
I'm concerned at the prospect of working really hard to prepare a solid application only to see it dinged from the get-go because of my age.

3/ Does coming from a non-feeder company (aka not McKinsey, Bain, BCG, Goldman, MS...) impact severely the odds of my application? And if that's the case, should I switch to one as soon as possible?
I'm well aware of what is said on the schools' websites when it comes to work experience and I did see an alumni of Capgemini Consulting make it into HBS, however, I'm really concerned about this point, especially following your remark that my impact at my work will be a major factor in strengthening my application.

Once again, thank you very much for taking the time to review my profile and I am looking forward to your answer on the points above.

Regards,
Bill
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VeritasPrepDozie
Veritas Prep Admissions Consultant
Joined: 12 Aug 2014
Posts: 2761
Own Kudos [?]: 340 [1]
Given Kudos: 1
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Re: Kindly review my profile. Please and thank you. [#permalink] New post   25 Nov 2017, 00:45
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No prob, answers below:

1/ Does my being Moroccan (and therefore from an underrepresented, if not absent, group) help increase the odds of me being accepted in my target schools?
You will come from an underrepresented country so this could help you, you have to first meet the criteria for admissions but this will help not hurt

2/ Will my age at matriculation (if I were to work between two to three years, then I would be 30-31 years old) be an eliminating factor in my application to my target schools, especially for HBS?
31 is not an eliminating factor for a school like HBS, they may be skewing younger but still value candidates who are a strong fit with the program, so I would not think of it in those terms

3/ Does coming from a non-feeder company (aka not McKinsey, Bain, BCG, Goldman, MS...) impact severely the odds of my application? And if that's the case, should I switch to one as soon as possible?
If you can move to a better or more reputed company that will allow you to make a strong impact and develop your interpersonal skills then go for it. You can gain admission into a top program without changing but obviously better work experience especially if it aligns with your career goals would help
avatar
B
BillNella89
Intern
Intern
Joined: 06 Nov 2017
Status:Prepping for GMAT
Posts: 22
Own Kudos [?]: 14 [0]
Given Kudos: 34
Location: France
Schools: HEC Sept'16 (A) Stanford '22 HBS '22 INSEAD Jan'21 Intake Sloan '22 CBS '22
GPA: 4
Send PM
Re: Kindly review my profile. Please and thank you. [#permalink] New post   25 Nov 2017, 02:59
VeritasPrepDozie wrote:
No prob, answers below:

1/ Does my being Moroccan (and therefore from an underrepresented, if not absent, group) help increase the odds of me being accepted in my target schools?
You will come from an underrepresented country so this could help you, you have to first meet the criteria for admissions but this will help not hurt

2/ Will my age at matriculation (if I were to work between two to three years, then I would be 30-31 years old) be an eliminating factor in my application to my target schools, especially for HBS?
31 is not an eliminating factor for a school like HBS, they may be skewing younger but still value candidates who are a strong fit with the program, so I would not think of it in those terms

3/ Does coming from a non-feeder company (aka not McKinsey, Bain, BCG, Goldman, MS...) impact severely the odds of my application? And if that's the case, should I switch to one as soon as possible?
If you can move to a better or more reputed company that will allow you to make a strong impact and develop your interpersonal skills then go for it. You can gain admission into a top program without changing but obviously better work experience especially if it aligns with your career goals would help


Duly noted.

Thank you so much Dozie and have a nice weekend.
GMAT Club Bot
gmatclubot
Re: Kindly review my profile. Please and thank you. [#permalink]
25 Nov 2017, 02:59

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