Admitted profiles of IESE

Name: Alek Wobeck

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alek-wobeck/ - Feel free to shoot me a note if you have a similar profile

Age : 25

Country/Location : USA - Chicago

Under-Graduate School : Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech)

Under-Graduate Studies: Major - Business Administration, Finance & Analytics; Minor - Spanish

Under-Graduate GPA : 3.86 / 4 (full-tuition scholarship maintained by GPA)

GMAT/GRE Test scores: 750 (Q49 V42 IR8 AWA6)

Total Work Experience : 2.5 years (3 on matriculation)

Pre-MBA Industry : Consulting - Operations Strategy & Analytics

Target industry post-MBA: Healthcare / Pharma

Brief about Work Experience : Part of Advanced Analytics Practice at Kearney. 2 promos (was under review for second one to post-MBA position at time of interview). Worked with 8 clients across 6 industries - half of which are currently in the Global Fortune 500. Specialization in using big data for strategy and capability development within transportation networks, DC operations, and inventory management for health and retail clients. Participated in meetings with C-suite to explain outcome of my analyses at multiple clients. Led cross-functional workshops with VPs and Directors of Global Fortune 100 companies. Coached junior analysts across projects

What is your relation to the Recommender? : 1 Recommender - Current Mentor & Direct Supervisor on my first project (3 year relationship). Basically he's the person responsible for representing me during mid-year and annual performance reviews

Volunteering/Extra-curriculars:
1) Virtually mentored a Costa-Rican Education start-up for 5 months to improve their business plan and sponsorship strategy
2) Started initiative for pro-bono recruiting coaching targeted at underrepresented groups looking for employment during COVID. Coached 50+ people in 7 countries this past summer leading to multiple offers
3) [US] Co-led undergrad recruiting at Georgia Tech for 2019-2020 and led undergrad recruiting for LGBTQ+ resource group in 2020. Heavily involved in assessing technical skills of undergrad and MBA analytics hires in 2018-2019. Designed and ran analytics workshop for MLT partnership, participated in multiple diversity panels, and co-led national undergrad interview webinar

International Experience :
1) Studies: 2 months in Mexico, 7 months in Spain (exchange student in Valencia - took business coursework all in Spanish), 1 month each in Costa Rica and Colombia, 4 months in Portugal
2) Work Experience (all based in US but with international teams): 3 month logistics budgeting project for auto manufacture working closely with Mexican finance team and international imports team, 2 month procurement project for beverage company working with Canadian team, 5 month EC with Costa Rican team mentioned above

Languages: English - Native, Spanish - C1 (DELE certified), Portuguese - B2

Scholarship Given? : Yes

Motto: "Chase learning not wealth. Share your knowledge with others, and you will make the whole word richer." I focused my essay on my decision to push my full-time start date back 6 months (sacrificing my first year bonus), so that I could improve my Spanish and Portuguese. Two years later, I was able to use that knowledge to improve children's education which was far more fulfilling than the lost financial incentive.

Motivation for MBA and Why Now brief? : International experience - looking to specialize in healthcare and learn more about single-payer systems. Working with healthcare clients during pandemic made me reflect on the medical challenges faced in the US and my desire to improve access and quality of health care. Also, I went into consulting for global projects but that's a bit stifled in the near-term, so MBA makes the most sense to quickly gain the skill set I am looking for

Short-Term Goal : Global Rotational Program for European Pharma Company

Medium-Term Goal: Start-Up in Diagnostic/Preventative Care

Long-Term Goal : Healthcare Academia & Policy (did not mention in essays but interview had a couple policy questions)

Why IESE? :
1) Focus on ethics - my motivation for leaving the US is based in my belief that healthcare should be affordable and accessible for all, particularly in countries with significant financial resources
2) Location and length of program - 2 year program in EU, Spanish coursework and program is highly recognized within Europe and Latin America
3) Case-based method with small team - loved my Open Day experience and looking forward to the growth that will come with working with my case team during the core period
4) Interactions with alumni - Spoke with 4 people with healthcare, consulting, and entrepreneurship experience. Everyone was extremely responsive, enthusiastic, and helpful

Link to your interview debrief: https://gmatclub.com/forum/iese-220/int ... brief.html

Did you use the help of an MBA Consultant? : No

Any comments, feelings, advice to share?:

1) I decided to write the optional essay on the recruiting coaching initiative I started and my reflection on how many talented people are limited to access to opportunities due to resources/internal networks
2) Scholarship essay was focused on academic and professional achievements as well as my experience coaching candidates to be successful in recruiting at BCG, Bain, and Kearney. Although my post-MBA goal is not consulting, I look forward to helping out my classmates prepare for behavioral and case interviews so they can be as successful as possible in landing these roles
3) IESE is a mission-based school. The Admissions team mentions this at the start of any event as it's core to their identify. Make sure that resonates in your essays and interview
4) IESE is a bit of a formal school. Not sure if it actually mattered in the evaluation, but I definitely felt most comfortable in a suit and tie during both the interview and Assessment Day