Profile evaluation? 770 GMAT, 3.85 GPA, IB/PE path

Question

Hello, I was wondering if you would be so kind as to evaluate my profile. I'm aiming for H/S/W's MBA programs and I was wondering whether you think I'm in a good position or I have some clear weaknesses. I'm not too well informed on business school admissions. I'm currently in my third year of work exp. but will have four when I matriculate.

GMAT: 770 (51Q, 44V)
GPA: 3.85 from Princeton (Economics); Phi Beta Kappa and Summa Cum Laude
Work experience(WE): Two years working in investment banking for a bulge bracket firm, two years of private equity (large middle-market firm) - both on the west coast
Nationality: Asian-American (ouch?)
Age: 25
Gender: Male
Extra-curriculars/community: Several leadership roles during undergrad (Director and Co-Founder of one business related club, VP of another business related club, Co-Founder and Managing Editor of a magazine, several volunteer roles - some of which took up quite a bit of time). Since them, I haven't had much time to volunteer since, well, investment banking took up everything I had. I still have some time though - any ideas for what I should pursue? I'm pretty interested in volunteerism and education, but not sure where I should look to demonstrate leadership potential.

Happy to answer any questions.

bryantmichaels · Answer

You have all the right stuff to earn the interest of the top schools, including a great academic pedigree, high GMAT, active involvement outside work and solid 4 years of WE. You are on the right track in thinking of involvement opportunities that tie into your passions. Don't just get involved, however, try to seek opportunities to organize and lead efforts to better your community or advance your causes. Tying in community activities that relate to your chosen career path kills two birds with one stone too, so don't forget that! Honing your short and long trm vision for your post MBA career is a very important thing to demonstrate to the adcoms, so make sure you spend some time thinking about your trajectory and how you plan to achieve it (and how your chosen schools will help get you there). Let us know if we can help! We have talented consultants who are experts in all the top schools.

hollaback · Answer

How have past analysts from your firm done in the HSW hunt? I'm assuming most of them share the same pedigree as you (i.e. top undergrad, IBD, PE track).

bryantmichaels · Answer

HSW likes to mix it up with a diverse student body just like all the rest. The common theme is leadership, drive, achievement, teamwork, etc. For example, there have been social workers getting into HBS with the right story, etc., so there's truly no formula. Sometimes the most talented bankers with the best pedigrees get rejected because there was simply too much noise in the pool that year. The key is coming up with the one or two things that capture the attention of the adcoms to help you stand out in the crowd, and sometimes it's simply pure luck if your story happens to fill a niche in the class in any given year. Having said that, my guess is that our clients are about 50/50 for HSW, a substantial improvement over the posted selectivity percentages at those schools. Having a couple of backup schools is always a good idea. The dirty secret that nobody tells you from HSW is that suceess post MBA is more about the person than the degree. Any top 10 or 15 business school should give you everything you need to hit a home run in your career--there are HBS grads out there who have done little or nothing post MBA, but it's clearly not attributable to their degree.

Profile evaluation? 770 GMAT, 3.85 GPA, IB/PE path

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