Wharton Profile Evaluation - Tools for B-School Profile Evaluation

I'm in. In to apply, I mean!

Brilliant idea! I look forward to participating in the chat and interacting with recent admits.

Count me in

Hi,

Thank you for the time to evaluate my profile.

Background: Male, 22 year old (too young? )
Nationality: Indian

Undergrad: graduated in 2016, from a UK Russel group (tier 1) in aerospace engineering (grade - 2:2. stretched myself too thin ). Also won a scholarship for all 3 years of UG studies

GMAT: not yet written (exam due in Jul 2017)

Work Experience:
started and successfully ran an internet-based company in London (during undergrad) for 1.5 years -> had to stop and return to India due to visa and personal issues
started a food and beverage company in india -> still going strong (almost 7 months)
internships
currently working on starting an internet-based company
currently working on starting a fashion photography studio
currently preparing for CFA level 1 and GMAT

Community:
started a sports club during undergrad studies, part of leadership of 2 other societies during undergrad studies, volunteered at a local non-profit organization during undergrad studies
promoted from a teacher to a board of director at an Indian non-profit -> still going strong (8 months)

Post-MBA goals:
get into IBD (M&A, haven't decided on the market sector, mostly tech) in the US as an associate, alongside start an internet company -> after - either progress asap to an MD position or move into venture capital (after 1-3 years of M&A exp)

Other:
online courses from top-institutes in finance, accounting, digital marketing, and business strategy (through coursera)
extensive travelling (almost all of EU, a few ASEAN countries, and India) -> self-funded
involved in combat sports (wrestling and mma)
learning russian

Kind Regards

* would love to be a part of the web chat

Who else wants in on this!!??

This is an excellent opportunity to get your questions answered and get a head start on research guys!!

Hi Leo95!

You have a very entrepreneurial background. I like the drive you are showing in your early career. As for the big bullet points you raised.

- 22 is a little young to apply to an MBA program, except the HBS 2+2 program which is open for applications from those still in undergrad. In any event, you're going to want more work experience before you apply because (1) it will make your application that much richer and (2) because it will make you a better MBA student when you get there. I'd start trying once you have 2-3 years of work experience. But no time like the present to start developing a strategy plan!

- Don't worry too much about the 2:2. You got it in an impressive and difficult major, from a prestigious school and one that is a top feeder into US MBA programs like Wharton. Wharton can be a bit more fussy about GPA and GMAT scores to protect their numbers (given their sensitivity to the rankings) but the good news is that your GPA is on a scale that is hard to translate to a 4.0 system. My advice: be proud of your academic accomplishments. Also, it's in the past and nothing you can do about it now.

- I think the success of your application in 2-3 years time will hinge on your work experience. Specifically (1) its perceived prestige, (2) the industry expertise you develop, and (3) your Personal Narrative. Quickly on each:

(1) Elite MBA programs want students from prestigious employers (to build recruiting relationships) and successful backgrounds (to enhance the classroom and the renown of the program). Entrepreneurs at Wharton will likely be judged on the amount and quality of VC backing they get for their companies, the media attention, the financial success and whatever exit you can make.

(2) Admissions Committees also expect students to add industry expertise to classroom discussions. In whatever you do, you need to be able to communicate how much you learned and how that will allow you to both teach others and make your career transition

(3) Last and most important is Personal Narrative. Check out these two posts for some good insights on the topic. In short, I can foresee two challenges: first, answering why a successful entrepreneur would want to go back to business school and second, explaining how the transition from entrepreneurship to Investment Banking fits into a consistent personal narrative. Thinking about it now, I have a few ideas for how you can tell these stories but you're definitely going to need something compelling for each.

Hope this helps! Reach out with any additional questions. You have a lot of time now to set up a strong app so make the most of it!

Ok, I'll bite

Background and nationality: White woman
Undergrad Information: Top 30 liberal arts school, 3.0 GPA. Econ major, math minor
GMAT: 750, 50Q, 42V, 5 IR, 6 AWA
Work experience and leadership: 2 years leveraged finance analyst, 1 year IB analyst (MM IB), 2.5 years top tier corporate VC as associate. Promoted to Senior Associate after 1 year.
Community and others: Board seat at community non profit, on the finance committee - participates in volunteer events and mentors local entrepreneurs
Post MBA goals: Stay in corporate VC and move up the ladder
Anything else? Nope

Hi, nice background to apply to Wharton. As for goals: why do you want to move up in your company? What are you going to do after promotion and why will it be so important for your company? Good answers to these questions will strengthen your profile. Prove the adcoms you have very serious and well thought-out intentions after MBA. Wharton must be sure they will be proud of you)

I have a bit of a unique situation I was hoping you could offer an opinion on: I have a big black mark on my application (GPA), and I'd love to get your thoughts on whether my ship is sunk.

Career Goals

Short term career goal: Transition from consulting in construction operations to infrastructure project finance advisory at a bulge bracket investment bank.
Long term career goal: Move after 3-5 years to infrastructure PE or project finance direct investment.

Stats:

-28 Year old white male in NYC

-GPA: 2.97 in Mechanical Engineering from Lehigh University (low-mid tier ranked school), also gained a minor in Aerospace Engineering.

-GPA started around 3.6, then dipped through Soph/Junior year, then came back up but only to about 3.1 or so.

-Honestly, Low GPA was mostly Bs/Cs in heavy quant engineering courses. Received 2 Ds, but retook both these classes while still in school to replace GPA impacting score. Also, I have quite a few As in many other heavy quant courses. Because I tested out of most of my humanities requirements, I only took 3 non-quantitative courses throughout the 4 years at Lehigh.

GMAT: 770 (51Q-97%/44V - 98%) IR:8 AWA:5

Currently taking (and ace-ing) two UC - Berkeley Extension classes: Math for Management and Economics for Business.

Work Experience:

-2 Years as a construction engineer/superintendent for top 3 US General Contractor/Construction Manager - Directly managed 30 union labor. Promoted once. Left to take a consulting job.

-1 year at a small specialty construction consultant specializing in disputes. Left to jump to Big 4 Advisory.

-(Current) 3 years in Big 4 Construction Advisory. Promoted once.

Extracurriculars:

-Currently work part-time as a tutor for a start-up test prep company. Recently began working with the company management team to develop new business and make strategic partnerships with schools in area. Spend about 50% of time tutoring HS and College admissions tests pro-bono to disadvantaged students. Have led and organized a few classes.

-Taking Mandarin Chinese (paid classes,) - I have been pursuing this because more and more of the funding for infrastructure and project finance has been coming from mainland China.

Your good GMAt score can compensate low GPA. Additionally, it's worth expalining low GPA in your application to minimize its effect. As for your post-MBA goals, you've got a very realisitc strategy but weak motivation: what inspires you to grow in infrastructure investment? Why do you think you'll be competitive: what projects are your going to do there? How will those projects impact this section?

Good traction here - but just to add, it is worthwhile to mention S/T and L/T goals, preparedness, and rationale while posting profile stats. The adcoms do not always see your stats, and neither will others in this thread.

Chinese American
Top 5 liberal arts school, 3.42 math major/physics minor
GMAT: 750 (49Q 42 V)
Work experience and leadership: 4 years of life sciences consulting at matriculation - 2 promotions (basically engagement manager)
Community and others: Grassroots political activist and organizer, mentor for immigrant youth, write about healthcare, marathoner. Vice chairman of undergrad student invest committee
Short term goal: Healthcare system consulting at McKinsey or Avalere
Long term goal: Healthcare delivery reform at hospital system or government
Why MBA: Develop leadership/management skills, gain broader business education, learn more about healthcare systems, develop healthcare industry network

Applying to Wharton's HCM program

Great thread. Thanks for taking the time to do this. See my profile below:

-26 year old white male (US)
-3.16 GPA in accounting from a liberal arts school. I got horrible grades my first two years as I was doing a Marine Corps officer training program that only mandated I maintain a 2.0. I completed the training but realized the military was not what I wanted to do with my life, had an "oh crap" moment and started taking school seriously, brought my GPA from about a 2.5 to the 3.16 with a major GPA of 3.6. I plan to write an additional essay about this.
-780 GMAT (50Q/47V)
-Licensed CPA
-Started my career in Big 4 audit, received great ratings and will have a solid recommendation from a former mentor there
-After 2 years of audit, switched to the transaction advisory services group of another firm which is my current job. Doing financial due diligence on middle-market deals ranging from $50 million to $300 million, mainly in the healthcare/biotech space but experience across a variety of industries. The job is a good mix of business operations and finance focus which I will stress in my essays. I've been at the current job roughly 14 months and was just promoted to Manager which is two years earlier than normal manager-level promotions. Will receive another great recommendation from my current supervisor.
-Extracurriculars include Junior Achievement volunteering for the last two years (going to elementary/middle schools and teaching kids about personal finance), national competition-level men's rugby, and currently trying to get on the board of a local education-focused nonprofit. I know the nonprofit thing might seem like I just tried to add something last minute to throw on the resume but it's a cause I actually care about and the opportunity just surfaced.
-ST Goal is to switch to the other side of the deal table and join a large investment bank, ideally in the healthcare division. I've had some great experiences being part of the m&a process through the deals I've done in TAS and I think that skillset could transfer well to IB. I also have a great network from working with several banks and PE firms on deals.
-LT Goal is to take what I learned from IB and transition to a healthcare-focused PE/VC

Would love some evaluation for my application for Wharton! Thanks in advance!

Background and nationality:
Asian American

Undergrad Information:
Cornell University, 3.46 GPA in Economics

GMAT:
750 50Q|41V

Work experience and leadership:
60 months at matriculation.
3 years at a major HR consulting firm out of college with 2 promotions.
Currently at a major health insurer as an internal consultant in a business development role.

Community and others:
1) Associate board and tutor for an educational profit for 3 years.
2) VP of economics club and on executive board for a cultural club during college

Post MBA goals:
Pivot into strategy and management at a F500 technology firm

Anything else?
Applying in round 1

Hi my name is Abhishek Srivastava from India

GMAT : 760 (Q-50 V-44)
Industry : Pharmaceutical Consulting
Work Experience : 72 (months)
Under grad : Jaypee Institute of Information Technology (B.Tech - Information technology)
Under grad GPA : 2.4

I have been working for a market research startup which provides data to pharmaceutical companies so that they could help devise strategies related to new brand production, market capture etc. My post is of a regional manager and I been heading a team of 10 people now. earlier the time size was 2. No promotions because hierarchical structure is very less ( only 2 managers above and then the ceo of company). Yet I have handled major projects for company like glenmark pilot, zydus optistox etc. Glenmark was ready to roll out pan india only when they saw success in uttar pradesh and I was the given the role of leading that projects bringing in revenue of Rs 1.5 crore.

Extracurricular : Film making group in hometown, assistant director for the same. directed movies majorly on women issue and farmer labour.

I want to specialise in operations consulting.

Post mba: I want to work in healthcare consulting.

Hi, I'd advise you to develop a very good argument for your relatively low GPA, the rest points seem to be a good start to design a strong profile. Additionally, think of achievements and 2-3 cases for good examples to prove your impact and value. As for your post-MBA goals, they must be more grounded on both your background and ultimate outcomes.

Hi DynastyXG,

I think you have a building blocks of a good application. You're from a feeder undergrad (though your GPA is lower than average), have a solid GMAT, have a good tenure of work experience, and realistic post-MBA goals.

Our philosophy is that storytelling and public narrative are everything in the MBA application. For you the challenges are twofold: (1) convincing the admissions committee that your previous work was high-impact and prestigious and (2) telling a story in which your pivots from HR consulting to health insurance to technology are all part of the same master plan. Even though MBAs are designed for career switchers, the dirty secret is that Adcoms don't like to see candidates who jump around. Your application needs to give them the assurance that these pivots were not inflection points at all, but nodes in the same linear master plan.

When we work with clients, we put them through a process that "straightens out" all these career kinks to tell a compelling, authentic, and impressive story. Best of luck!