Hi Jon,
I have a fair bit about me but would appreciate your input on the questions at the bottom in bold. I'd be hiring a consultant in June or slightly before to help w/ apps if that impacts anything.
Me:
- 25 yr old caucasian male
- Canadian and UK Dual Citizen, living in Canada
- 80% avg. in Honours BA, Psychology (i think this converts to a 3.5GPA ?), well respected Ontario based Canadian school
- Have yet to write official GMAT but have taken 3 mocks, in the following order: 4 weeks ago GMATPrep 680, , 2 weeks ago
MGMAT 650, few days ago, Veritas 730, Q48/V43. I'm hoping for a 700 flat or higher on d-day.
Work:
- Client facing operations work (resolutions) at #1 non bank mutual fund firm in the country
- Front office/client facing sales support role for HNW/UHNW/Foundation asset manager. Top 3 non-bank money manager in Country.
- Strong references
Extras:
- CFA III Candidate, passed 1 and 2 on first attempt
- Varsity team member, captain of a team in highschool
- Marketing and Advertising club in undergrad
- Client facing roles since I began working, so strong sales and interpersonal skills
Post-MBA:
- Near term: Move to buy side (not opposed to sell side necessarily but would prefer buy) AM firm in US in an investment management role. Pref: Boston, Chicago, Charlotte, Philly
- Long term: Move into UHNW relationship management/PWM
- Back up plan - financial services consulting (likely will leave this off the app as its wishy washy)
Why an MBA:
- Network building
- Having a psych undergrad (albeit with some econ electives) + CFA II pass means I know a lot about valuation methods and financial instruments and very little about how a business is run and what constitutes good mgmt decisions...something critical to investment management. Also, firms prefer b grads than psych grads as they're a safer hire, so i'm looking to leverage an MBA to not only learn business, but also to show recruiters i know my biz stuff.
Targeting:
Dream: Booth, Kellogg, Tuck, Harvard (considering leaving this given admissions %s but boston AM is strong)
Reachable?: Fuqua, Darden, Ross
Still in mind: UNC, McCombs (leverage interest in mining/energy for buy/sell side)
I'm interested in LBS but the costs paired with living costs in London are insane from what i've heard, Oxbridge are apparently 'meh' for AM but would be curious to hear your perspective.
Questions:
1. Are my school tiers realistic for my profile?
2. Is asset management kind of a no-no for goals/entry into an MBA? Or are they like "oh hey, not everyone wants that...cool, lets chat"
3. As someone with no interest in NYC (so no CBS), are Booth, HBS, and Darden the next 'go-tos' for buy/sell side?
Thanks for your time.
R.