Hi there!
Planning to apply R1.
Applicant profile request:
My background and demographic:[Male/Southeast Asian] I was born and raised in Utah. Mom is a Cambodian refugee who fled the Killing Fields in the 1980s. Father is a white and from Utah. Neither parent has college degree.
Academics:[*]BS Finance from BYU (private, religious school, US News ranks them around 80. Solid business undergrad and MBA, though). 3.67 GPA.
[*]No real leadership experience while in school (kicking myself for this...should have done more
), but was involved in a service society and some Finance clubs.
Work Experience:[*]First job post-undergrad was in risk consulting at KPMG. 18 months. Heavy client facing work which I really enjoyed, but decided to leverage that experience to break into the world of fintech.
[*]Current title is Program Manager (promo after 1.2 years as Program Analyst) at a fintech bank called Celtic. Not a household name, but I manage some really cool partnerships with some of Silicon Valley's brightest fintechs including Affirm, Square, and Stripe (most valuable fintech in the world -Forbes). I facilitate $billions in originations monthly through these partnerships. I oversee model risk governance, information security, vendor management, etc. for all of the Celtic's strategic partnerships. Heavy client facing role as well and tons of exposure to C-level individuals internally and externally.
[*]One career highlight: assisted in building bank's Paycheck Protection Program with Square that distributed over $800MM in COVID relief funds to 76k small businesses.
GMAT:[*]July 2021
[*]740 (97th %ile)
[*]Q47 (59th %ile... sad)
[*]V47 (99th %ile)
[*]IR 8
[*]AWA 4 (idk what happened here... I think my essays weren't long enough)
Recommenders:[*]Decently strong, I would say. One is former supervisor (from 4 months ago) with whom I have a strong relationship. Advocated for me to be promoted to Manager. Other is colleague with whom I have worked extensively in my current role.
Short Term Goal Post-MBA:[*]Product or Program Manager in tech in CA. I'd like to switch over to a role more involved in building and growing programs rather than oversight/risk
Long Term Goal:[*]Director of large teams in tech, ownership and expansion of products that grab high revenues
Why Anderson:[*]Great brand, LA is my favorite city I've visited in the world, strong access to tech in SC and NC, large global network
ECs:[*]Competitive Pickleball
[*]Podcasts on astrophysics, space travel
[*]Musical performance- 10 years of Violin training including travelling performance in CA, NY, HI. Guitar/vocals for weddings.
Service:[*]Two-year voluntary church mission in Phnom Penh, Cambodia after high school. Selected to lead entire mission of 130 volunteers for 6 months (role given to >10% of missionaries). Learned Cambodian language fluently (including reading, writing). Taught English, principles of faith, and financial wellness. Other impromptu service such as harvesting rice, building homes, etc.
[*]Grocery Rescue Volunteer
Any tips or questions would be very much appreciated!