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PeachSnapple1
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Yale and Darden Moderator
Joined: 17 Mar 2021
Last visit: 15 Nov 2025
Posts: 139
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97
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GMAT 1: 740 Q50 V40
GMAT 1: 740 Q50 V40
Posts: 139
Kudos: 97
Profile Evaluation - Hospitality Industry 25 Jul 2023, 20:19
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I've just finished my GMAT last month, and am thinking about whether to apply this year. I figure it would cause me no harm to at least see where my profile stands. Any criticism is greatly appreciated. If more information is needed, I would more than happy to provide in the chat.

1) Basic demographic info: 25 male Vietnamese

2) Educational Background:
- Majored in hospitality management with a minor in business administration and Spanish
- 3.6 GPA in a top-100 university in the U.S (top 25 hospitality management ranking if that matters)
- 740 GMAT (50Q/40V/8IR/6AWA)

3) Work experience:
- 4.5 years in the hotel industry (I know I have a below average W.E. of average 5 years). Worked two years in the U.S. before the COVID hit and am working in Vietnam.
- Customer Service -> Sales -> Brand Management -> Director of Marketing
- I've worked at some well-known international chain, i.e. Four Seasons, Ritz-Carlton
To be honest, I've grown accustomed the hotel industry and want to pivot into a different industry where I can still apply my background. Two come to mind are: consulting and finance.

4) Extracurriculars:
- Teaching conversational English for business leaders at top banking institutions.
- Tutoring IELTS/TOEFL/SAT for high school students and assisting in applying to study abroad.
- Question: should I include only academic-related extracurricular?
- Non-academic extracurricular: run a small company with three of my friends that focuses on customizing skateboards - skateboarding has been my hobby since high school.
- Volunteer twice a month at an orphanage just on the outskirt of my city - categorizing charity goods and teaching social skills to the kids there.

5) Short/Long term goals: I want to switch to a more business side of the industry, especially to finance/accounting/consulting, to have a more well-rounded skill set to run a business, because I found the finance/accounting side of the hospitality not demanding enough for me.
- Short term: I am aiming for T10 consulting firm after graduation. Is this a good idea?
- Long term: No clue yet.

6) Schools: I've not decided any particular school yet. Will do more research in the upcoming month. I don't have any geographical preference I want to ask what schools will I have at least have a shot.
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MBAGuide
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Joined: 24 Jul 2019
Last visit: 11 Nov 2025
Posts: 2,282
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Given Kudos: 28
Location: India
Concentration: Operations, Marketing
Schools: Insead Sept'18 (A$$) ISB '19 (A)
Schools: Insead Sept'18 (A$$) ISB '19 (A)
Posts: 2,282
Kudos: 942
Profile Evaluation - Hospitality Industry 25 Jul 2023, 22:50
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PeachSnapple1
I've just finished my GMAT last month, and am thinking about whether to apply this year. I figure it would cause me no harm to at least see where my profile stands. Any criticism is greatly appreciated. If more information is needed, I would more than happy to provide in the chat.

1) Basic demographic info: 25 male Vietnamese

2) Educational Background:
- Majored in hospitality management with a minor in business administration and Spanish
- 3.6 GPA in a top-100 university in the U.S (top 25 hospitality management ranking if that matters)
- 740 GMAT (50Q/40V/8IR/6AWA)

3) Work experience:
- 4.5 years in the hotel industry (I know I have a below average W.E. of average 5 years). Worked two years in the U.S. before the COVID hit and am working in Vietnam.
- Customer Service -> Sales -> Brand Management -> Director of Marketing
- I've worked at some well-known international chain, i.e. Four Seasons, Ritz-Carlton
To be honest, I've grown accustomed the hotel industry and want to pivot into a different industry where I can still apply my background. Two come to mind are: consulting and finance.

4) Extracurriculars:
- Teaching conversational English for business leaders at top banking institutions.
- Tutoring IELTS/TOEFL/SAT for high school students and assisting in applying to study abroad.
- Question: should I include only academic-related extracurricular?
- Non-academic extracurricular: run a small company with three of my friends that focuses on customizing skateboards - skateboarding has been my hobby since high school.
- Volunteer twice a month at an orphanage just on the outskirt of my city - categorizing charity goods and teaching social skills to the kids there.

5) Short/Long term goals: I want to switch to a more business side of the industry, especially to finance/accounting/consulting, to have a more well-rounded skill set to run a business, because I found the finance/accounting side of the hospitality not demanding enough for me.
- Short term: I am aiming for T10 consulting firm after graduation. Is this a good idea?
- Long term: No clue yet.

6) Schools: I've not decided any particular school yet. Will do more research in the upcoming month. I don't have any geographical preference I want to ask what schools will I have at least have a shot.
Show more


Hi PeachSnapple1 hope you are doing great

Your profile is truly a breath of fresh air with a very balanced growth progression, global exposure, rich extracurriculars, as well as a GMAT score of 740. Kudos on the solid score!

I would like to advise you regarding your approach to your goals. As you come from a unique background, business schools will give a lot of weight to your research and understanding of the post-MBA opportunities that align well with your interests and heavily leverage your rich experience in hospitality across customer service, operations, sales, branding, and marketing. While it is easy to say that you would like to transition to consulting, you must provide a more vivid description of the kind of consulting projects you would like to work on.

The opportunities are endless, but you should try to be somewhat specific in your addressal to the adcoms. For example, you may want to work on market research to identify trends, customer preferences, and competitive analysis for hospitality businesses looking to expand or improve their services. Alternatively, you could work in hospitality advising hotels, resorts, and restaurants on optimizing their operations, streamlining processes, and enhancing overall efficiency to provide better guest experiences, or developing pricing strategies and revenue management tactics for hotels and other hospitality establishments to maximize revenue and occupancy rates. It could also be that you entirely move out of hospitality to an industry that would still very much value your skills, such as FMCG/CPG and D2C food or lifestyle brands, tourism, or mobility (think of the world's leading food guide company).

A better approach (IMO) would be to consider what you would like to do in the long term, say 10-15 years from now, and why. What motivates you? Where does your passion lie? Then break down your journey toward your long-term goals into possible alternative career paths (a Plan A and a Plan B) that would help you pick the right set of skills. For example, your Plan A could be consulting, and Plan B could be a more industry-focused general management role.

Hope the above ideas will also help you identify the business schools that fit well with your aspirations.

Best wishes

Aanchal Sahni (INSEAD MBA alum, ex MBA admissions interviewer)
MBAGuideConsulting
LinkedIn |WEBSITE: https://mbaguideconsulting.com/ | Message: +91 9971200927| email- mbaguideconsulting@gmail.com
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TheIvyLeagueEdge
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Admission Consultant
Joined: 13 Jul 2016
Last visit: 08 Nov 2025
Posts: 668
Own Kudos:
158
Given Kudos: 163
Status:Application Consultant
Affiliations: TheIvyLeagueEdge
Location: India
TheIvyLeagueEdge: Bala
Concentration: Strategy, Marketing
Schools: Yale (A)
GMAT 1: 740 Q47 V44
GPA: 3.7
WE:Operations (Other)
Schools: Yale (A)
GMAT 1: 740 Q47 V44
Posts: 668
Kudos: 158
Profile Evaluation - Hospitality Industry 26 Jul 2023, 04:06
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PeachSnapple1
I've just finished my GMAT last month, and am thinking about whether to apply this year. I figure it would cause me no harm to at least see where my profile stands. Any criticism is greatly appreciated. If more information is needed, I would more than happy to provide in the chat.

1) Basic demographic info: 25 male Vietnamese

2) Educational Background:
- Majored in hospitality management with a minor in business administration and Spanish
- 3.6 GPA in a top-100 university in the U.S (top 25 hospitality management ranking if that matters)
- 740 GMAT (50Q/40V/8IR/6AWA)

3) Work experience:
- 4.5 years in the hotel industry (I know I have a below average W.E. of average 5 years). Worked two years in the U.S. before the COVID hit and am working in Vietnam.
- Customer Service -> Sales -> Brand Management -> Director of Marketing
- I've worked at some well-known international chain, i.e. Four Seasons, Ritz-Carlton
To be honest, I've grown accustomed the hotel industry and want to pivot into a different industry where I can still apply my background. Two come to mind are: consulting and finance.

4) Extracurriculars:
- Teaching conversational English for business leaders at top banking institutions.
- Tutoring IELTS/TOEFL/SAT for high school students and assisting in applying to study abroad.
- Question: should I include only academic-related extracurricular?
- Non-academic extracurricular: run a small company with three of my friends that focuses on customizing skateboards - skateboarding has been my hobby since high school.
- Volunteer twice a month at an orphanage just on the outskirt of my city - categorizing charity goods and teaching social skills to the kids there.

5) Short/Long term goals: I want to switch to a more business side of the industry, especially to finance/accounting/consulting, to have a more well-rounded skill set to run a business, because I found the finance/accounting side of the hospitality not demanding enough for me.
- Short term: I am aiming for T10 consulting firm after graduation. Is this a good idea?
- Long term: No clue yet.

6) Schools: I've not decided any particular school yet. Will do more research in the upcoming month. I don't have any geographical preference I want to ask what schools will I have at least have a shot.
Show more

Hi PeachSnapple1,
a) You are at a sweet spot given your WE
b) Your GMAT score, Career trajectory and evolution, Industry, ethnicity and exposure make you very attractive to the schools for your diversity
c) Currently your goals are ill-defined; you should be able to visualise your goals to the last detail, but also think of a long term path wherein the MBA as a tool can help

Remember your Resume, Career Goals and your LORs are the most important parts of your profile that you can still change, and clarity, consistency and alignment in these is not only critical to your admission to a good school, but may also get you high scholarships as well.
User avatar
PeachSnapple1
User avatar
Yale and Darden Moderator
Joined: 17 Mar 2021
Last visit: 15 Nov 2025
Posts: 139
Own Kudos:
97
Given Kudos: 1
GMAT 1: 740 Q50 V40
GMAT 1: 740 Q50 V40
Posts: 139
Kudos: 97
Profile Evaluation - Hospitality Industry 26 Jul 2023, 05:03
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MBAGuide


Hi PeachSnapple1 hope you are doing great

Your profile is truly a breath of fresh air with a very balanced growth progression, global exposure, rich extracurriculars, as well as a GMAT score of 740. Kudos on the solid score!

I would like to advise you regarding your approach to your goals. As you come from a unique background, business schools will give a lot of weight to your research and understanding of the post-MBA opportunities that align well with your interests and heavily leverage your rich experience in hospitality across customer service, operations, sales, branding, and marketing. While it is easy to say that you would like to transition to consulting, you must provide a more vivid description of the kind of consulting projects you would like to work on.

The opportunities are endless, but you should try to be somewhat specific in your addressal to the adcoms. For example, you may want to work on market research to identify trends, customer preferences, and competitive analysis for hospitality businesses looking to expand or improve their services. Alternatively, you could work in hospitality advising hotels, resorts, and restaurants on optimizing their operations, streamlining processes, and enhancing overall efficiency to provide better guest experiences, or developing pricing strategies and revenue management tactics for hotels and other hospitality establishments to maximize revenue and occupancy rates. It could also be that you entirely move out of hospitality to an industry that would still very much value your skills, such as FMCG/CPG and D2C food or lifestyle brands, tourism, or mobility (think of the world's leading food guide company).

A better approach (IMO) would be to consider what you would like to do in the long term, say 10-15 years from now, and why. What motivates you? Where does your passion lie? Then break down your journey toward your long-term goals into possible alternative career paths (a Plan A and a Plan B) that would help you pick the right set of skills. For example, your Plan A could be consulting, and Plan B could be a more industry-focused general management role.

Hope the above ideas will also help you identify the business schools that fit well with your aspirations.

Best wishes

Aanchal Sahni (INSEAD MBA alum, ex MBA admissions interviewer)
MBAGuideConsulting
LinkedIn |WEBSITE: https://mbaguideconsulting.com/ | Message: +91 9971200927| email- mbaguideconsulting@gmail.com
Show more

You are definitely correct in that I should spend more time to do a journey of soul-searching before applying. Franky, I am overwhelmed with the applying process; however, after some intense time of doing researching, I think I start to get the hang of it. Some of your input, especially where my passion lies, surely steer me into the right direction. I will definitely keep your thoughts close when I proceed with the applying process. I know it will be a challenging path; but advice like yours sure does give me some more breathing room in this process. I really appreciate it!
User avatar
PeachSnapple1
User avatar
Yale and Darden Moderator
Joined: 17 Mar 2021
Last visit: 15 Nov 2025
Posts: 139
Own Kudos:
97
Given Kudos: 1
GMAT 1: 740 Q50 V40
GMAT 1: 740 Q50 V40
Posts: 139
Kudos: 97
Profile Evaluation - Hospitality Industry 26 Jul 2023, 05:14
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TheIvyLeagueEdge


Hi PeachSnapple1,
a) You are at a sweet spot given your WE
b) Your GMAT score, Career trajectory and evolution, Industry, ethnicity and exposure make you very attractive to the schools for your diversity
c) Currently your goals are ill-defined; you should be able to visualise your goals to the last detail, but also think of a long term path wherein the MBA as a tool can help

Remember your Resume, Career Goals and your LORs are the most important parts of your profile that you can still change, and clarity, consistency and alignment in these is not only critical to your admission to a good school, but may also get you high scholarships as well.
Show more

Dear Bala, I greatly appreciate your input. I concur with you on the state of my goals; frankly, I think I should spend some more time to self-reflect to really get the sense of what my story will be. Thanks for showing me my weakness - nothing beats a constructive criticism.
User avatar
TheIvyLeagueEdge
User avatar
Admission Consultant
Joined: 13 Jul 2016
Last visit: 08 Nov 2025
Posts: 668
Own Kudos:
158
Given Kudos: 163
Status:Application Consultant
Affiliations: TheIvyLeagueEdge
Location: India
TheIvyLeagueEdge: Bala
Concentration: Strategy, Marketing
Schools: Yale (A)
GMAT 1: 740 Q47 V44
GPA: 3.7
WE:Operations (Other)
Schools: Yale (A)
GMAT 1: 740 Q47 V44
Posts: 668
Kudos: 158
Profile Evaluation - Hospitality Industry 26 Jul 2023, 10:45
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PeachSnapple1
TheIvyLeagueEdge


Hi PeachSnapple1,
a) You are at a sweet spot given your WE
b) Your GMAT score, Career trajectory and evolution, Industry, ethnicity and exposure make you very attractive to the schools for your diversity
c) Currently your goals are ill-defined; you should be able to visualise your goals to the last detail, but also think of a long term path wherein the MBA as a tool can help

Remember your Resume, Career Goals and your LORs are the most important parts of your profile that you can still change, and clarity, consistency and alignment in these is not only critical to your admission to a good school, but may also get you high scholarships as well.

Dear Bala, I greatly appreciate your input. I concur with you on the state of my goals; frankly, I think I should spend some more time to self-reflect to really get the sense of what my story will be. Thanks for showing me my weakness - nothing beats a constructive criticism.
Show more

Thank you for your prompt response and appreciation.
My personal experience with candidates forming goals: Not only is the process long, and iterative, often another pair of (experienced) eyes can help you make a logical connection between domains that you may not even see. Often time is one of the most valuable resources for a good manager. I would strongly suggest work with a good mentor and plan to submit your application early; You would still have all the time in the world to choose between schools (or even choose between going and not going :-p )