Profile Evaluation Please

Question

Thank you with all my heart, Jen and mbaMission! :-D

mbaMissionJenK · Answer

Hi there,

Thanks for sharing your profile, and congrats on your excellent GMAT score as well as your decision to apply to b-school!

You have a strong profile for most top-ranked b-schools. Have you done any research yet or did you have a feel for what schools interest you or what you are looking for in a school? That might be step one, as yes your profile is relevant in terms of where you apply, but you also want to look for a school that has criteria you are looking for and that you feel is a good fit. (For more on choosing your target schools, we do have a free e-book on that topic at: https://info.mbamission.com/Selecting-Yo ... ram-E-Book).

The strengths of your profile based on the info you provided include:

-GMAT & GPA
-female, Thai (less common international background)
-less common industry experience (food industry)
-all of your activities and awards
-social enterprise goals and ambitions

No specific glaring weaknesses, but you'll want to be sure to showcase what accomplishments and results you've achieved in your brand management role, and you craft strong, compelling application essays that complement your strong profile... detailing clearly what you'll bring to the program PLUS why you need the MBA, with short and long term career goals, and why that school is right for you. If you nail those components you should have a strong chance at most top programs.

Your overall goal is admirable and makes sense given your experiences. You'll just need to if possible break it down further with concrete steps, how you'll achieve that, at least an idea of shorter and longer term goals (i.e. are you aiming to start your own business right after b-school? Will you be wanting to focus more on entrepreneurship in that scenario?).

In terms of schools, like I said it depends on what you are looking for (and see that e-book for more ideas on criteria). But based just on your goals you mention, you might look at Yale, or Haas, thinking of your social ambitions. HBS is also always good in that regard. Or for entrepreneurship strengths, HBS and Stanford are still some of the top, and Babson is high-ranked in that area too. The food industry makes me also think about Marshall and Kelley as well. Depending on whether you plan to work for yourself or for a company post-MBA, that might affect how important MBA brand is to you.

Let us know what other questions you have, and if you are interested in discussing your profile further, we do offer a free 30-minute consult with one of our Consultants to talk through more of what you can focus on in applications and answer questions. If you are interested in that, you can sign up at https://www.mbamission.com/consult.php.

Good luck to you!

Ayane · Answer

Wow! Thank you so much, Jen, for your very quick and thorough reply! I'm very grateful as well as impressed. :-D

I'm actually surprised that you mentioned those top schools, especially HBS and Stanford, since I never thought I might have shot there (because I'm not really working in a global blue chip, and my national college is not that reputable internationally - it's just the best we have here though). Well, as far as I thought, I think school's reputation is really matter to me since it may lay some credibilities for my startup, and, personally, I somehow want to be kind of an inspiring woman in my society (call me childish but I really want to correct the belief in my country that only royalty can go to Harvard and women should rather get married than go study.. lol). So, I think my best choices right now are probably HBS/Stanford, but I'm still not confident about them (but your reply does open a big door for me.. thank you again). Right now, I'm in the middle of researches. To be honest, I have just started to think about MBA for a very short while, and I totally concern that I need help in all the crafting and presenting, especially essays - english compelling writing is kinda difficult for me. I think I will have enough free times to start the application process around October-November. Would the time be appropriate for me to start a school package with a consultant? And if I were to choose several-school package, should I start the process earlier than that? Thank you in advance!

mbaMissionJenK · Answer

Hi Ayane, You are very welcome, glad to be of assistance.

And yes you do have a strong profile. HBS and Stanford will still not be easy to get into per se, given how competitive the process is and how many apply there, and Stanford would be the most difficult of the 2 because they have a smaller class size, so admit even fewer people. (And they do tend to get more Asian applicants as well being on the West Coast of the US, though I don't think that will have a huge impact as you still do a pretty good job at standing out). But it certainly sounds worth a shot to apply to both especially if you are really interested in them, and then apply to another couple of programs as well, based on your interests and goals and what you're looking for in a school (again Yale and Haas seem like they could be a good fit. Kellogg for your marketing background BUT that may not really be your future focus, still a great program overall too though. Think about what region and type of setting you'd like to be in during school. B-schools look to create an interesting, diverse, micro-cosm of the real world within each of their classes, especially because a lot of your learning comes from your classmates, so they really want everyone to bring unique experiences to share in class discussions and projects etc. So your background does have a lot of interesting components that you could really translate to the classroom setting and that plus your high GMAT (demonstrating that you can handle the academic rigor and quant side of the program) mean that you would catch the interest of the admissions committee, and would just need to be sure you have strong essays and recommendations to support your application. Yes, now would be a great timeframe to begin an admissions consulting package. Based on what you've said, it sounds like you would aim for Round 2 deadlines? Depending on what is going on in your life right now, you could always get it together earlier and apply round 1, generally mid-October. Round 1 or Round 2 are preferred to Round 3, and generally as early as you can have a great application it isn't a bad idea to apply, since each round more seats have been given out. Either way, it's great to start this summer working on your application essay themes and ideas...brainstorming with a consultant for example on your varied experiences, your traits, how to explain your goals and what you'll contribute, etc. You'll also want to tailor each application to each school. Anyway the free 30 min session is a great starting point when you get a chance to set that up, the consultant will spend the time answering your q's and going over your profile in more detail. Let me know how else we can help and keep me posted for sure!!

mbaMissionJenK · Answer

PS-- here's a good write-up of deciding when to apply to b-school.... we don't suggest you sacrifice quality for the sake of getting in for Round 1, but if you are able to invest the time starting now/soon, you could submit for the first deadline which has the fewest # of applicants (see other points in the article). That said like I mentioned, R2 is fine if that works best for timing the best application/s you can.... basically we want you to put together the best applications possible, as soon as you are able to put together that quality application.

https://www.manhattangmat.com/articles/w ... school.cfm

Ayane · Answer

Hello, Jen! Thank you very kindly again for the answer. It was very considerate of you. You've indeed helped and encouraged me a lot. I don't really know what else to say.

As for the application round, I so thought Round 1 would be great yet I could only wish to apply then.. Sadlly, starting from August till the end of September, my schedule will be overwhelmed with business trips. I'll have to attend company's conferences in Malaysia and Indonesia so my time is going be tense and very limited.

So, I think October will be my best shot. And I thank you for your PS suggestion.

Anyway, I just want to tell you that your advice did impressed me a lot so that I decided to buy your book! :D:D I just ordered the book called 'The Complete Start-to-Finish MBA Admissions Guide' written by Avi Gordon and will start reading it tonight! Hope it will be my best buddy while traveling

Thank you so much again, Jen. See you around! :D

mbaMissionJenK · Answer

So glad to be of assistance, Ayane. Enjoy the book during your travels! Certainly you can still put together a strong application for Round 2, just be sure to allow plenty of time for all of the components. Please keep us posted on questions and your progress!

Profile Evaluation Please

Prep Toolkit

Top 5 GMAT Debrief Videos

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards