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hakunamatata3
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Joined: 03 Aug 2011
Last visit: 23 Mar 2014
Posts: 41
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Concentration: Social Entrepreneurship, General Management
Schools: Stanford '16 (S) HBS '16 (I)
GMAT 1: 770 Q51 V45
GPA: 3.94
WE:Management Consulting (Consulting)
Schools: Stanford '16 (S) HBS '16 (I)
GMAT 1: 770 Q51 V45
Posts: 41
Kudos: 14
Profile evaluation for HBS and Stanford GSB Updated on: 11 Nov 2012, 08:39
Originally posted by hakunamatata3 on 12 Oct 2012, 18:47.
Last edited by hakunamatata3 on 11 Nov 2012, 08:39, edited 1 time in total.
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Profile evaluation for HBS and Stanford GSB 14 Oct 2012, 21:06
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wjdgusqls
Hello,

Would love to get your perspective on
1) My chances at HBS and Stanford GSB (and whether my goals are realistic or I need to think about applying to other schools as well)
2) What are the biggest areas weaknesses in my application? Any advice on strengthening those areas?
3) How typical would I look in the applicant pool? (esp when compared against other consultants) I am trying to get a sense of how many applicants would have similar profiles and what I can do to differentiate myself

Thanks a lot in advance!

-----------------------------------------------------------

Application year: looking to apply in 2013 (for enrollment in 2014)

Demographic
- Asian (international)
- Male
- Will be 25 at the time of admissions

Academics
- Graduated with an engineering degree from HYPSM
- GPA: 3.9+ (Phi beta kappa, tau beta pi, received a departmental prize for graduating at the top of concentration)
- GMAT: 770 (Q51, V45, AWA 5.5)

Professional
- Total of 3 years at the time of enrollment
- Before heading to b-school, looking to gain 1 more year of work experience likely outside of McK (e.g., work abroad, work at a start up)
- McKinsey BA (US office) - (have worked for a year; will likely leave next May/June)
- Non-profit summer fellowship - summer after college graduation
- Mid-tier bulge bracket investment banking internship - summer after junior year of college

Extracurricular
Post graduation
- Undergrad alumni association regional representative for my class
- Leadership board of the same non-profit I interned at
- Pro bono consulting for a local nonprofit along with a few other McK colleagues
- Numerous office involvements (recruiting, learning committee, event organization, etc.)

Undergrad
- Executive member of ethnic organization
- Student government sub-committee involvements
- Academic advising
- Member of a performing arts group

Recommendation
Will be able to get strong reqs from McK (Quick q - how much does it help to get recs from more senior folks such as partners who may not know you as well vs managers who know you well?)
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wjdgusqls ,

Thanks for your post. To answer your questions:

1. You have a highly competitive profile and your goals are realistic. However, I still would apply to a couple of additional schools, unless you won't mind applying more broadly next year in the event you are rejected. You're on the young side so if you want apply only to H/S now, you have time and can reapply if needed next year. Despite my comments, I'm optimistic about your chances at H/S (provided you submit good essays, recs, etc. and interview well.)
2. I really have to stretch for to come up with a weakness, but here goes:
a) Your profile and background is fairly common.
b) I get the sense of someone who is driven to achieve, but doesn't have strong interests or passions outside of school or work or "achievement." Now, you may have those passions and interests, and simply didn't include them in the post.
c) lack of international exposure. Again, you may have it, but it didn't come through. You say you're Asian, but it's not clear to me if you're of Asian descent and lived in the U.S. your whole life or actually lived abroad. If the latter, then ignore this point.
3) As I indicated in #2, you do have a somewhat common profile. At the same time, your level of achievement and the brands that you have associated yourself with are definitely above average. To differentiate yourself, make judicious use of details do describe what you've done and also include your distinctive insights about those experiences. For more on this, please see "[url=https://www.accepted.com/mba/diversity.aspx#Well]Advice for Well-Represented Groups."
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You're welcome!

Best,
Linda