Harvard Profile Evaluation - Tools for B-School Profile Evaluation

Hi,

Also applying to the 2+2 program and have a question about this. My GMAT score was 750 (Q48, V46, IR 8), GPA is 4.0 from a top 40 college in the world (non US, finance major), and I am going into IB in NY post grad. Given I've (hopefully) demonstrated quantitative aptitude through my undergraduate achievements and the industry I'm entering after graduation, is it worth retaking the GMAT to try to get that 49 or higher in Quant?

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ysob I see your point however the question could be turned around asking for somebody who has a 4.0 in finance why didn't they get a 49 or above on the quant.

If it supposed deal for you to retake then you might consider just doing MBA Math as a backup, but if you have recently taken the exam then I would retake it well you still have some momentum. I guess my overriding messages if there's a better score that lives within you get it out

But if you're going to have to invest in like tutors and classes and stuff to improve your score then that would probably be time better spent on the application. So do MBA Math in that case.


https://mbaprepcoach.com

Hey,

I am planning on applying for the MBA program starting Fall 2020. I would love to hear feedback on my profile. Don’t hold back!

Background:

I am 26-years-old, Indian male and spend most of my life in East Africa; ranging from Kenya to Tanzania and currently, I am residing in Ethiopia. Although I am born in India, I've lived there less than 3 years. Most of my teenage years I've been jumping around from Dubai, USA, Kenya, Tanzania and Ethiopia. Most of my high-schooling was done in Tanzania and Ethiopia.

Academic Qualifications:

1) Undergrad, BSc in Environmental Science at University of York, UK. GPA equivalent of 3.20
2) M.S, Columbia University, USA, GPA 3.7

GMAT: 730

Work Experience (earliest to latest):

- Environmental Affairs Intern at United Nations Environmental Program in Ethiopia
- Intern at government organization dealing with early weather warning and development services in Ethiopia
- Project management Intern at a marine conservation NGO in South Africa. Led several research studies and teams of 5-6.
- Senior Financial Analyst at an NGO in New York. Started off as an intern and was promoted to Financial Analyst and within 7 months received another promotion to Senior Financial Analyst.
- Auditing Intern at one of the leading auditing firms in Ethiopia.
- Currently transitioning to an organization dealing with improving food security and climate change adaptation in low-income households.

Total WE: 36 months

Extra-curricular:

-Climbed the summit of Mt. Meru and Mt. Kilimanjaro (largest free-standing mountain in the world).
-Toastmasters member (helps individuals become competent public speakers)
- Volunteer at an orphanage in Ethiopia, assisting children with their homework, tutoring, and help the older students apply for scholarships for their further studies overseas. Additionally, I coach the junior football team at the school.
- Completed a comprehensive study looking at the human impacts on Ethiopian Wolves (rarest canid wolf species in the world).
-Used to volunteer at Born Free (conservation management in Ethiopia)
-Ethiopia is known for its prolific marathon runners and there are several annual marathons open to the public, which I enjoy taking part in.

Extras:

I speak English, Malayalam (native) and French (conversational)

Post MBA goals:

Return to Ethiopia and start a social enterprise that helps low-income households with food security by adopting sustainable agricultural practices.

Aiming for HBS, CBS, Stanford and open to other options that you think might fit my background.

Hi js4895,

Thank you for your post and for sharing your profile. I think you have a really interesting profile with strong academics (including GMAT), and work experience. The next step in the process is that you have a clear and strong statement of purpose that showcases the strength of your character, and a clear outline of your post-MBA career goals. Another school I would add to your list is Yale's SOM. I hope this helps.

Good luck!

Intending to reapply R1
Caucasian American (Rejected R2, no interview, taken GMAT once); current 1L at Harvard Law School
Good undergraduate business school: 3.9 Accounting, finance, economics; 4.0 MSA in tax
GMAT: 720 (47Q; 41 V); planning on retaking over the summer (also working at a Big Law firm this summer)
Work experience and leadership: 3 years (currently own a tutoring company; 2 years as a CPA at a well-known Fortune 500 doing corporate forecasting and analyzing product platform results)
Community and others: Quite of few clubs in the law school; Teaching Fellow in the Econ Dept; Prior to law school, I was on the Board of a 501(c)(3) and taught accounting 101 at the community college during nights
Long term goal: leadership role doing tax strategy work at a large, global company (ideally
Why MBA: Develop leadership/management skills, better business knowledge and how it intersects with law (especially strategic tax issues and M&A strategy), I'm entrepreneurial minded, so start up legal work paired with business interests me as well (which may impact my long term goal).

Since I'm in Cambridge, I would love to grab coffee or lunch with any HBS students and discuss my changes.

Chances of making it to top Bschools with this profile are mediocre. You need to get workex at a big investment banking or consulting to really get accepted with present profile. Harvard, Stanford may be out but try Wharton and Columbia. GMAT can be taken again to improve scores. Median score this year for Harvard admits was 730.





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It is interesting that you mention Yale but I am honestly not interested in the Silver Scholar program mostly because it not a big target school for oil and gas related business unfortunatley. How do you feel about my chances at Columbia with there new deffered program?

Hi everyone,

GMAT - 750
Work Experience - 2.5 years (Cyber Security Consultant)
Indian Female

Engineering major - Information Science (8.40 CGPA)

Extra Curriculars :
* One amongst the 16 students selected out of 300+ students who applied to attend an exchange program at UMass Lowell and study a credit course on Global Immersion in Innovation and entrepreneurship.
A program which had students participate from 6 countries.
* Debate team captain( won inter collegiate championship)
* Also won Inter department dance competition two years in a row
*Part of the college editorial team
*Habitat for humanity volunteer for over a year
*CSR core member for 2 years.


I would love to hear your feedback and/or any suggestions to improve my chances of getting an admit.

HBS, Stanford , MIT Sloan and Wharton are the schools I'm trying to get into

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Hi sanchak,

Thank you for your post and for sharing your profile. You have strong academics and an equally strong GMAT (congrats on 750!). You also seem to have been very involved in the university community, which is great. I didn't quite catch if you have done/are working with any community organization (extracurricular) in post-university. Can you share a bit about that? Also, can you speak about your role as a Cyber Security Consultant as well as your leadership experience within the organization? Finally, what are your post MBA goals?

As I am sure you are aware, a student's admission to top MBA programs is dependent on a holistic review of their profile, the student's fit in the program (EQ + IQ), academic abilities, their leadership experience, and the student's goals in relation to the school's ability to place them post-MBA. I do require more information to adequately evaluate your profile for the M7s you are targetting. If you prefer to have a phone conversation and discuss your profile, I am happy to discuss. If interested, please fill out this form so we can coordinate a call.

Good luck!

Hi Everyone,

Hoping to get some realistic advice from all of the experts here on whether or not I actually have a chance to get into my dream school!.

Ethnicity/Nationality: Male, Holder of both Philippines and Canadian Nationalities
29 years old
710 GMAT
3.45 GPA in Business Administration from a top business school in Canada (Schulich/Ivey/Queens).
Chartered Accountant
Worked 3.5 years at Big 4 firm in Toronto in Assurance and Advisory
1.5 years in a different Big 4 firm in New York Mergers and Acquisitions Advisory
2 years in Equity Research at a Bulge Bracket firm (BAML/Credit Suisse etc), I was a Research Associate for only year (people usually stay 5-8 years in the role before becoming the lead analyst) and then I got promoted to lead analyst covering several stocks in Toronto.

Extras:
I was an elected member (Director) of the undergraduate business society (student council)
Editor in Chief of the Yearbook Association
Journalist at school news paper
Competed and won several case competitions
Finance Director of youth outreach organization since high school, we have since raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to distribute to other youth groups.

Thanks!

Hi markmba1990,

Thank you for your post and for sharing your profile. Can you tell us a bit more about you post-MBA goals? Also, have you done any community work post undergad?

As to your profile, you have strong professional experiences. I particularly like that you have international experience. I also like that you have been promoted. Areas that maybe you should consider is retaking the GMAT and trying to increase your score by 10+ points. Also, you want to pay close attention to your story (marketing of yourself) - your story is very important in the admissions process to top programs. I would like to learn more about your profile. If interested, please click here.

Good luck!

Hoping to get some realistic advice from you guys to know what my chances are

Ethnicity/Nationality: Male, Vietnamese American. Immigrated to the U.S in high school
29 years old
700 GMAT
3.90 cumulative GPA. Double major in Economics and honors Finance from a top 50 undergrad business school located in the Rocky Mountain area. Phi Beta Kappa
2 years as Investment Banking Analyst at a top 5 elite boutique bank ( think Jefferies, Guggenheim, RBC) in NY
4 years U.S Navy Officer SWO

Extras:
I was involved in student government throughout undergrad. Got elected and served as senator and my party leader in the student senate.
Avid Hip-Hop dancer. Lead choreographer of my school hip-hop team. Have won some city competitions and awards.
Toastmaster competitor. Have won some local speaking competitions.

Looking to apply for H/S/W/Columbia. Also interested in a joint degree with HKS

Post MBA plan, I want to go into VC/Growth Equity. Long term goal is to run my own company.

How can I improve my application ? What are the strengths/weaknesses of my profile ?

Thank you !

Hi pokemanga,


Thank you for your post. You have strong academics and equally strong professional experiences in IB and Navy. I also like that you have sought personal growth through Toastmasters and have been engaged in college. I think there is a deeper story to your life and therefore to your goals than what's described in these few lines of text. As you prepare your applications, I recommend you tap into your personal history and demonstrate your character and ambitions to pursue VC/Growth Equity and later grow your own business. Be sure that you really understand what each target institution offers in relation to your professional growth that goes deeper than ranking.

If there are any areas that you should work on, it would be your GMAT. I recommend trying to increase your overall score to be in-line with the schools' averages.

I hope this helps.

Good luck!

Deleted

I think you should take the GMAT at least 2 more times to see if you can increase your score. You would want at least a 70th percentile on the quant score as well. Right now, your GMAT score and your lower-than-average GPA from a non-feeder school are two things that immediately are working against you. You can't do anything about your GPA, but you can and should do as much as you can about your GMAT. Taking the test a few more times will show them that you recognize you're not at the level you need to be.

Aside from that, HBS is looking for people who have gone above and beyond in some way -- be it at work or in a volunteer capacity or a personal situation -- that their classmates can learn from. They are looking to understand what you are passionate about and what drives you. That's the kind of stuff I spend a few months working with my clients on so it's nothing you could list out here, but that's what you should keep in mind as you write your essay.

Hope this helps!

Hi

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Hi everyone,

Looking forward to reading your thoughts!

Applying to:
• Harvard | Stanford GSB | Wharton

Profile:
• 24 year old Indian male.
• Top Engineering college (and consistently top 10 globally in overall rankings) in the UK (integrated masters: Bachelors + Masters in 4 years. This is common in the UK). Masters in Economics & Finance at Oxford/Cambridge.
• Top 20% of my class at Engineering school (First Class Honours - equivalent to 3.8+ GPA)
• GMAT 750 (Q50V41)
• Summer internships: 1 in the technology division of an American bank; 1 on the the trading floor of a bulge bracket investment bank. Both in London.
• Will be joining Bain London office as a pre-MBA hire. (SO WILL APPLY TO HSW IN 2-3 YEARS)

Extracurriculars:
• Took a year off before starting work at Bain London to go climb some of the highest mountains across the Himalayas and Andes (not trekking - actual climbing from bottom to the top). Here, I climbed with and met strangers from all over the world (America, Canada, Nepal, UK, Argentina, Brazil). I was trained by the Indian Army Mountaineering team for a month long course at Asia's #1 mountaineering institute where I received an 'A' grade (top of my class). Also, one of the youngest Indian's to climb the highest mountain outside Asia and was selected as the youngest member of a joint Indian-Canadian expedition to Mt. Everest until I got injured during training prior to the climb and had to pull out.

• Recently co-founded a social venture which provides a platform to pair students looking for help with jobs/college admissions with mentors in universities/jobs they want in exchange for donations to charity. Have raised $20,000 for mental health & education charities.

• Additionally, I mentored 15+ URM college applicants from Europe, India, & the US for undergraduate college admissions & internships in finance/consulting. Over 90% of them received offers to top 5 UK universities, & their top-choice internships.

• Board member (youngest) of a non-profit that offers free STEM education to 100,000+ young people that were denied access to education due to war, poverty, disability or gender.

Awards & Honours:
• Won 3-4 "Young leader" type awards. One of them was for being in the top 100 future leaders from British universities (100 out of 1000+ nominations UK wide); Another was Top 100 future UK leaders out of 7000+ nominations from over 150 UK colleges.

Post-MBA goal: Return to Bain for 2 years then move into VC analysing investments in the EdTech space in India.

Other factors: I've applied twice for the 2+2/Stanford Deferred programs unsuccessfully (no interviews). Once in my final year of undergrad, once right after that during my 1-year masters. Will this go against me in 2-3 years when I apply as a regular applicant?

Thank you for your time.

SBCErikaOlson MBAPrepCoach