Profile Evaluation

Question

Hi Alex,

I have read most of your evaluations and thought perhaps I would give it a go. First things first, I am a practicing attorney and I am looking to transition into a finance role. My ultimate goal is to be on the acquisition side of the VC world. I have spoken to countless people in finance and all of them have told me that while making the transition without an MBA is possible, it is very unlikely and that an MBA from a top program is the most efficient and effective way to make this transition.

I thank you for your help in advance. Here is my profile:

Age: 31
GMAT: 700 (Q-45/ V-41)
Degrees: BA in English from Florida Public School (2003)
 JD from top tier law school (2006)
GPAs: 3.1/4.0 Undergrad
 2.8/4.0 Grad

Work Experience:
Since graduating from law school, I have practiced law at small and big firms. I started working in-house with a start-up e-commerce company but that was short lived as it coincided with the economic downturn. I have since been working as a staff attorney for a major national firm. I have also recently started working with another start-up in a more executive role and assisting in fundraising efforts. That project is in its infancy. My practice thus far has focused in both commercial litigation and corporate transactional work. I have M&A experience as well as soft intellectual property experience, i.e. trademark, copyright, trade secret, etc.

Organizations:
I am a member of the states bars of both New York and New Jersey, and also a member of the bar for the Federal district of New Jersey. I was also a National Collegiate Scholar in college.

Extracurriculars:
In college I co-founded a fraternity focused on the the movie industry. I participate in numerous sporting leagues. I am also a part of the Young Lawyers association of New York. I also volunteer and work with NYC school children.

Weaknesses:
I recognize that I have a less than stellar GPA in both undergrad and graduate schools. I also dont know how my legal experience is looked upon by the top schools.

Desired MBA Programs:
Stretch: Columbia, Wharton, Booth
Wheelhouse: Duke, Cornell, Tuck, Darden, Ross, Stern
Considering: UNC (K-F), Emory, Yale

Also important to note, last Fall I applied to two schools, Columbia and Stern. I was denied with interview from Columbia and denied without an interview from Stern. I recognize that I am cutting it close in age and this may indeed by my last chance to be admitted to a top program.

Supplemental Questions:
Would it be wise to retake the GMAT to counterbalance my less than stellar GPAs?
Is there a way to leverage my legal experience in a way that looks more desirable to adcomms?

Your advice and counsel would be much welcomed and greatly appreciated.

AlexMBAApply · Answer

Without seeing your application, I can't say a whole lot about what may have happened.

However, even though there's not a boatload of lawyers that apply to b-schools, there are enough of a handful, and they all seem to follow the exact same narrative as yours:

Corporate attorney looking to go to Wall Street/finance.

To this day, I'm not sure why their focus is almost always on finance. You rarely hear of lawyers wanting to go into mgmt consulting, industry, brand management/marketing, etc. It's almost always finance.

And most likely what happened is that the adcom simply though "oh dear, not another 'lawyer wants to be a banker' applicant."

Also, the VC angle may be something a lot of people won't buy. Yes, it's entirely possible and probable there are ex-lawyers out there in the VC world. Yes, there are some lawyering skills/knowledge that may be useful to the VC world. But the biggest thing that makes it improbable is the personality/risk profile of the kinds of people who self-select into these professions.

Folks who go into law tend to be cerebral, analytical and detail-oriented people. In terms of risk profile, they tend to more risk averse, more cautious, play-it-safe types (since the job is about "covering the client's a**" through contracts and paperwork). It also tends to attract those who are able to see the glass as half empty, since it's about identifying potential *issues* and anticipating *problems* and being able to mitigate that.

VC is the complete opposite. You are basically throwing caution to the wind, taking a "gut call" on some unproven idea, looking for opportunities not problems, and so forth - more a "glass half full" kind of thing.

And while there may be a chance you could be that guy, it's hard to convince people in a batch of essays and a 30-minute interview that your sensibility is the complete opposite of what makes a great lawyer.

So it's less about what you can bring to the table in terms of your legal expertise/experience, and more about what you can bring to the table as a person (including as a lawyer, but more than just that), as well as convincing them you're not yet another "lawyer wanting to be a banker, grass is greener" stereotype that adcoms may have of lawyers who apply to b-school.

MichaelJ · Answer

Thank you Alex for the candid response. Perhaps I should change my narrative a bit to set myself apart from the rest of the attorneys applying to b-schools.

Two more questions:
Are the schools I have designated realistic and do you have any other suggestions?
Should I retake the GMAT to make up for the low GPAs if I want a chance to get into these schools?

Thanks again for your time.

AlexMBAApply · Answer

If you want a better shot at getting into your target schools, given your low GPAs, getting a 740+ on your GMAT will help.

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