MBA Admissions Consultant
Joined: 26 Dec 2008
Posts: 2457
Given Kudos: 2
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Re: Profile Evaluation Please
[#permalink]
16 Jan 2011, 18:38
So, you want to work in investment banking, then private equity, then switch to hedge funds... not sure that makes sense other than "I want to make sh*tloads of money." Given that private equity and hedge funds are completely different areas that attract a different kind of skillset/talent and personality, it's hard not to assume that you're just after the money. Nothing wrong with that, but since your aspirations are all over the place (which is understandable - you're on the outside looking in at this point and therefore have a lot to learn about what these fields are about), it's easy to sense that you really need to do a lot more research on these kinds of career paths.
Moreover, unless you're from an extremely wealthy old money family, you're not getting into a PE shop or hedge fund directly from Big4 accounting - unless it's in some backoffice role such as accounting or operations/settlements (for hedge funds). From how you've conveyed your background, you're heavily numbers/quant oriented, which isn't really what IB or PE are about, and within hedge funds, you have PhD physics/math folks doing the quant - your job as a manager is to make decisions and judgment calls.
To be blunt, your chances at the schools you listed are slim to none. HBS, Wharton and Stanford -- you're a solid guy, but you don't have the pedigree (Waterloo may be great in Canada, but the guys/gals who get the banking/consulting/other prestigious jobs tend to go to Queen's or McGill, or they went to Ivey undergrad - and the overwhelming majority of Ivey undergrads don't bother doing an MBA), and between Big 4 accountants like yourself and the Canadians who worked at McKinsey, Bain, BCG, Goldman, MS, JPM, etc. - these latter folks will crowd you out. You can argue all you want about how Waterloo is just as good as McGill or Queen's but the reality is (and adcoms know this since they've had a long history of bringing in Queen's/McGill alums) -- the rich kids from connected families go to McGill/Queen's (which then gives them further connections to more jobs within Canada and abroad).
Columbia and LBS will be a stretch. With a bit of luck, you may get in. They're worth at least a shot.
Schools where you'll be in your sweet spot are Stern, Cornell, Yale, Haas, Duke, Darden, Michigan and UCLA. And consider Ivey, Rotman and Queen's as safeties.
This might be a bucket of cold water for you, but if you are really interested in getting into some b-schools next year, you need to readjust your expectations, as well as do a lot more research into what Wall Street careers are really all about.