Hi GMATClub!
Seeking your advice and well wishes for my journey to apply to HBS! I have wanted to attend HBS for a very long time and am finally one step closer as I recently pivoted from being a FAANG engineer to an MBB consultant.
Note: I formerly applied to HBS 2+2 and made it to the interview round. I received very positive feedback on my application but ultimately didn't make it in (likely because I didn't have a full time job lined up at the time since I was still interviewing with my current employer)
My Profile:25F, double citizen from extremely unrepresented country
Engineer (top 3 schools in Canada) + work experience at FAANG and currently in MBB (will have 2 years of MBB exp at time of application)
- Highlights: some work with very high profile clients in both private and public sector but no consistent experience in a particular practice area, on track to be promoted upon completing 2 yearsAcademics:CGPA is low at 78% but with significant improvement in last 4 semesters - I also studied at a notoriously difficult university & program if that helps
GMAT score is 720 but low quant (V44, Q45)
Extra curriculars:I am from one of the least developed countries in the world and have been heavily involved in the humanitarian sector for 8 years. My experiences include volunteering with EdTech orgs, founding a social enterprise that generated income streams for widowed women/families with disabled breadwinners, and co-founded a non profit that runs a successful refugee camp
I have a strong leadership role in my mosque's youth council, through which I provide significant support to newcomers from my country of origin (resettlement resources, youth excursions, translation support, fundraising for clothes/food/hygiene items, delivering toys/gifts to children and driving newcomers around to doctor's appointments, etc.)
I have personally sponsored 3 families to Canada from my country of origin and am currently in the process of registering my mosque as a Canadian refugee sponsor so we can continue to sponsor more families who fear for the safety of their lives in their country
Awards:I have a number of articles written about me when Google searched - my school also nominated me as a "top innovator" when I graduated.
My social enterprise won a monetary award from my university's entrepreneurship incubator fund and was featured on the university website
I've been interviewed by top Canadian news broadcasters on issues related to refugee resettlement which also come up on Google, and I suppose give credibility to the work I do in my community
International Experience:- I've lived abroad in 2 different countries for 6 months at a time - once was to learn Arabic, which I am now fluent in
- I plan on taking an international case from the office soon so I can experience another country
- I also lived in the U.S. while I worked for FAANG
Post-MBA Goal:I do plan on getting sponsored by my firm, so I will return to consulting, however my goal is to leverage my resources in Canada to create real impact in my region of origin. I'm interested in economic development for social impact - one hypothesis for my country is through the O&G + mining industries (I'm very inspired by "the Mexican Miracle"). I can see myself moving geographically within my firm to expose myself to the public sector in that region, with the eventual goal of transitioning out and leveraging my network to start my own initiative.
I'm a very genuine person, HBS or not, I am very passionate about taking my career in a direction that will point back to my country of origin - I hope to get this across in my essay/interview.
Other factors:- I'm a first gen college student. 3/4 of my grandparents were illiterate
- Parents are both refugees, come from a low socioeconomic background
- I speak 5 languages fluently
I love learning languages and will probably learn a 6th one in the next 2 years
- I have a patent for inventing something at a FAANG firm (its still under review and not visible on the US Patent site but one of the recommendation letters I submitted with my 2+2 app verifies this)
- I'm also a full time student in the Islamic sciences, but not sure if that fits in with my profile as my university is not accredited
- At least one of my recommenders will be an HBS grad who knows me very well & I have worked under
- Random but I am also a student of calligraphy
Questions for the experts:- Should I wait to apply with more work experience? I can request a temporary office transfer to my desired region so that my intended post-MBA goal appears more thoughtful
- Is it worth it to retake my GMAT to improve my quant score? I would like to avoid doing this, but if necessary, am willing to retake it
- My post-MBA goal has changed from my 2+2 app (similar passion - making impact back home, but diff avenue given the sponsorship from my firm) - should I address this change or will they not mind
Thank you so much!!