FCSILVAE wrote:
I’d greatly appreciate if my profile could be evaluated. Feedback regarding my chances of getting admitted and tips for improving those odds are welcome. I will try to be brief in order not to take a lot of your time. Thanks in advance.
Personal Info: 25 years old Brazilian (from Salvador).
Education: Undergrad - Law School (not ranked);
UNDERGRADUATE GPA: 7,09/10 (Due to imaturity, since i got into university with 16 years old);
POSTGRADUATE GPA: 9,01/10 (Business Law post grad at the best law school of Brazil);
GMAT: 720 (Q50, V38, IR 7, AWA 5.5);
IELTS: 8.0;
Work Exp: 4 years of exp at matriculation:
2 years as an intern in M&A (boutique law firm);
3 years as an Associate Lawer - M&A (boutique law firm);
Extra Cs: Head of the pro bono practise of the law firm i work;
Member of the Brazilian Bar Business Law Commission;
2 months as an English teacher for AIESEC at Colombia;
Languages: Portuguese (fluent), English (fluent/advanced), Spanish ( intermediate) and French (level c1 - advanced)
Goals: To change my career and break into finance industry (PE or IB).
Best regards,
Hi there,
You have a super interesting background--congrats on everything you've achieved thus far!
The good news is that having the kind of experience you do will make it easier to stand out from a sea of applicants with much more similar backgrounds. The challenge is that any time an applicant already has a graduate degree there is the extra responsibility to explain why another masters degree is what they're missing to achieve their professional goals. You'll also want to demonstrate that during your work in M&A you were a true strategic partner for your clients with some real business acumen, and not just a provider of professional services. Demonstrating your superior analytical judgment and leadership through compelling anecdotes should help here, as will your letters of recommendation.
As far as your post-MBA goals, the road to IB/PE can be a tricky one to follow--there are always more students who want to pursue this path than there are spots for them at the top firms. Do you have strong connections from your previous deals that will help here? Do you have unique knowledge--or a very specific, in-demand industry of focus--from working on these deals that would be valuable to a firm? Convince the ad com that you're going to be one of the students who leave school with an offer in hand, and think about a back-up plan that would be good to have in your back pocket.
As far as your stats, 720 is a bit below the Kellogg average, but still in the ballpark. If you can craft a compelling story about why an MBA and why now, and what you can bring to the classroom, that will really help.
Hope that helps!