JonAdmissionado wrote:
It would make sense to wait a year since you're so new to this job, especially if taking it involved changing firms. The adcom is wary of someone who took a new job at a new firm right before submitting a b-school app because it makes them question your commitment. In their mind either you were not honest with the new boss/co (since it would be extremely unlikely someone would hire you knowing you plan to leave in a year. It takes about a year for you to even really start to show them an ROI). On the flip side, they will worry that you might not be serious about b-school if you just took a new job. And like you point out, you won't have much to say about this new job at this point anyway since you'll be too new in it to include anything meaningful on your resume or in an essay.
That said, I think the bigger issue is your statement that you "assume" you'll need some IB experience & an MBA. B-schools want to see that you've really done your homework & have a rock solid argument for why this MBA is absolutely CRITICAL to success in your goals. They want to know what you plan to accomplish in your post-MBA career and why this is your passion, AND they also want to see that you know exactly what skill gaps you need to fill in b-school. So you are definitely going to want to do your homework there. Do you some informational interviews with people who work at hedge funds in the types of role you hope to one day get. If you can speak to someone who went to a b-school you have in mind, even better. Then you can mention that when you apply & specify what you learned from them that supported your belief the xyz school is the perfect fit to prep you for those goals.
So spend this next year getting some accomplishments under your belt in this new role & definitely do your homework so you can articulate some strong clear goals, the impact you hope to have via those goals and WHY that matters to you, and exactly why the MBA is critical to your success in achieving them.
Thank you for this, a lot of new tips I haven't thought about regarding what I can put in my application.
Just wondering, where could I get in touch with people to interview who worked at hedge funds? Also, the main school I'm hoping to attend is NYU Stern. I suppose I could research alumnis to speak to?