Please help me assess my profile!! Round 1 2019

Question

Do you have any recommendations on which schools I could aim for?

1) 4 years in family engineering firm as internal consultant. Medium sized, a bit below 200 ppl
2) Started new job tech consulting firm (global) in a unique position recently (they just created it so my team is me (supporting) & a few C-suite executives driving the business growth/ strategy) --> joining consulting dept early next year 
3) Extensive volunteering exp overseas in major NGOs for 6 mths FT last year, starting couple of NGOs here.
4)Top 3 EU uni (STEM degree), average grades lol but granted special leave.
5) Extensive college extracurricular activities (but does anyone even care)
5)GMAT 720 (aiming 750)

I want to stay in the Northeast cos my fiance lives in NY. Hoping to move over next year, ldr is tough. 
1) Wharton
2) MIT Sloan
3) Yale SOM (Rejected R3 earlier this yr)
4) Booth
5) Kellogg
6 )Anderson
7) Fuqua
8) Darden?

Also, visited NYU/Columbia but not my thing... From Asia so brand name is impt. Nothing below top 15.

Please let me know your thoughts. Would really appreciate it as I am already planning my journey... Also Round 1 or Round 2? I heard Round 1 is much more advantageous but I am retaking the GMAT and with my new job, I don't know if I can handle it. Has anyone heard of ApplicantLab? Is it trustworthy?

I am hoping my current supervisor will write my recommendation but I don't want to ask him 3 months in or even 6 months bc I don't want to risk getting fired for being so flippant. I can include the family biz's supervisor & supervisor for the NGO who will write glowing recc (or will my current boss (regional CEO of MNC) hold more weight? except idk what he is going to write especially if I plan to quit within a yr of starting?) I don't have any clients that I am particularly close to.

Post-MBA Goal: Consulting (Top 5 firms) & Entrepreneurship in NYC

Thanks!!!!!!!!

MBADecoder · Answer

Hi,

You have posted at the wrong forum/ Profile evaluations are done on the admissions consultants' page. Hopefully this thread will be seen by a moderator and moved there.

As to an evaluation of your profile:
Congratulations on the new job. Sounds like a new level of responsibilities on your shoulders. It will be a great exposure working with the C-suite, however the size of this company and the kind/level of work that you do will eventually matter to show the quality of your work experience. Work wise, your achievements and impact at both the companies where you have worked will be important. At the family firm, I would imagine one to be more hands-on with everything including strategy. If that's the case, project your experience as such, rather than talking about "internal strategy"

I'd be unable to comment on the b-schools until I know a lot more about your work experience. As I mentioned earlier, your impact at work will really matter - specifically at the family firm. B-schools would want to know how you enabled the business to grow? Feel free to share your resume with me and we can schedule a discussion after that.

I didn't quite understand this line: "Extensive volunteering exp overseas in major NGOs for 6 mths FT last year, starting couple of NGOs here." Were you doing this full time? It would be interesting to know the story behind this.

You have a big list of b-schools, and given that you are yet to retake the GMAT, you could split them into both the rounds. Darden and Fuqua both have early application deadlines. If you'd like to attend these programs as your first choice, then EA deadline could be a safe bet.

As to the recos, your recommender should have known you for atleast 6 months and worked with you on a major project to speak in-depth to your experiences. YOu should use one recommender from your family firm (no family member though, someone who is in a position to give an independent evaluation), as you have substantial and recent experience there. If you develop a good rapport with the current manager/CEO without it being a risk to your job, then this could be the next recommender. I'd think a little more strategically about this. Between the CEO and the NGO person, who will better speak to the abilities important for a business school / future job?

BeenThere · Answer

Thanks for the detail. Let's deconstruct a little:

1) 4 years in family engineering firm as internal consultant. Medium sized, a bit below 200 ppl
2) Started new job tech consulting firm (global) in a unique position recently (they just created it so my team is me (supporting) & a few C-suite executives driving the business growth/ strategy) --> joining consulting dept early next year 
3) Extensive volunteering exp overseas in major NGOs for 6 mths FT last year, starting couple of NGOs here.

This is an interesting arc and could definitely provide for some strong essay materials. If I'm reading correctly, you worked at the family business (fairly strategic role? Operationally focused?), then went to work with NGOs full-time, and now at "brand name" tech consulting firm in a unique role that will transition to a more normal one. Is that the correct read?

4)Top 3 EU uni (STEM degree), average grades lol but granted special leave.
5) Extensive college extracurricular activities (but does anyone even care)
5)GMAT 720 (aiming 750)

What do you mean by special leave?  
  Extracurriculars can matter - depends if it weaves with your overall arc, personal brand, goals, etc. 
  Higher always better, but that at least gives you a shot. 750 would be great.

I want to stay in the Northeast cos my fiance lives in NY. Hoping to move over next year, ldr is tough.

Also, visited NYU/Columbia but not my thing... From Asia so brand name is impt. Nothing below top 15.

Please let me know your thoughts. Would really appreciate it as I am already planning my journey... Also Round 1 or Round 2? I heard Round 1 is much more advantageous but I am retaking the GMAT and with my new job, I don't know if I can handle it. Has anyone heard of ApplicantLab? Is it trustworthy?

Schools are viable. Have you considered Tuck? Good name, in the Northeast. Cornell Johnson also a possibility as more of a safety play.

You'll want to apply to a decent number, splitting between rounds. Round 1 is a slight advantage, but only if you're ready and putting your best foot forward. Tiering your interest in schools helps in determining your order/strategy.

I am hoping my current supervisor will write my recommendation but I don't want to ask him 3 months in or even 6 months bc I don't want to risk getting fired for being so flippant. I can include the family biz's supervisor & supervisor for the NGO who will write glowing recc (or will my current boss (regional CEO of MNC) hold more weight? except idk what he is going to write especially if I plan to quit within a yr of starting?) I don't have any clients that I am particularly close to.

Ultimately, you want someone who has worked closely with you and will say you're a rockstar / the best they've ever encountered. If an application requires a current supervisor (certain ones do), you can always pick recent supervisor and explain elsewhere in the application that you don't want to risk hurting your current job.

Please help me assess my profile!! Round 1 2019

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