Last visit was: 29 Apr 2026, 02:43 It is currently 29 Apr 2026, 02:43
Home
Messages
Tests
Schools
Events
Close
GMAT Club Daily Prep
Thank you for using the timer - this advanced tool can estimate your performance and suggest more practice questions. We have subscribed you to Daily Prep Questions via email.

Customized
for You

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History

Track
Your Progress

every week, we’ll send you an estimated GMAT score based on your performance

Practice
Pays

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History
Not interested in getting valuable practice questions and articles delivered to your email? No problem, unsubscribe here.
Go to My Error Log Learn more
Close
Request Expert Reply
Confirm Cancel
avatar
gmat216
avatar
Joined: 22 Dec 2018
Last visit: 31 Dec 2019
Posts: 1
Given Kudos: 5
Location: United States
WE:Business Development (Consumer Packaged Goods)
Posts: 1
Kudos: 0
Profile Evaluation / Program Suggestions Updated on: 20 Mar 2019, 13:55
Originally posted by gmat216 on 11 Mar 2019, 12:47.
Last edited by gmat216 on 20 Mar 2019, 13:55, edited 1 time in total.
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Deleted
User avatar
SiaAdmissions
User avatar
Sia Admissions Representative
Joined: 04 Jan 2018
Last visit: 12 Dec 2022
Posts: 681
Own Kudos:
145
Given Kudos: 67
Affiliations: NYU, Yale
Location: United States (NY)
Expert
Expert reply
Posts: 681
Kudos: 145
Profile Evaluation / Program Suggestions 11 Mar 2019, 12:59
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Hi gmat216,

Thank you for sharing your post. I am interested to learn more about your profile and encourage you to take advantage of our free profile evaluation call (link).

To properly evaluate your professional experience, I require a bit more detail about your roles within the luxury consumer goods - not only the title but also your responsibilities. Leadership qualities are not always reflected in one's title. Since you already received a promotion with two direct reports, I assume you have demonstrated leadership in your role(s).

Your ECs are not measured by quantity; rather, quality matters here. Can you share more about your contributions to the homeless shelter for the past five (5) years?

While your academics are solid, there are things you can do to strengthen your profile between now and R1 application season.

I hope to hear from you.

Good luck!

gmat216
Hi there!

I would greatly appreciate if anyone could provide some feedback on my chances of admission / areas to improve / or suggestions of schools that might be a good fit.

Background: American female of Asian descent
Undergrad: B.S. in a creative major from an art/design school (I'm assuming this will be a hurdle for Wharton and Booth??)
GPA: 3.7
Work Experience: 2.5 years in luxury consumer goods - recognizable names (think Chanel, Dior, Louis Vuitton, etc.) I have held fairly junior roles, with only my most recent position having two direct reports.
GMAT: 750 - Q49 V44
EC: I have been consistently working with a homeless shelter for 5 years, but that is my only EC
Target schools: HBS, Wharton, Booth, Columbia, Tuck

My long-term goal is to enter the C-suite and potentially join venture capital focusing on investments within my industry.

Thank you! Also happy to provide additional info through message if needed.
Show more
User avatar
MG4MBACrystalBall
User avatar
Joined: 29 Aug 2010
Last visit: 26 Apr 2026
Posts: 974
Own Kudos:
160
Given Kudos: 1
Posts: 974
Kudos: 160
Profile Evaluation / Program Suggestions 12 Mar 2019, 07:11
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
A few thoughts on your profile gmat216:
  1. Your academic arc, together with the GMAT, is pretty good. I don't see a creative degree as a hurdle frankly; if positioned correctly, it can play to your advantage. The brand of the school would matter though - anything substantial there?
  2. Luxury consumer goods sounds pretty good too - not a lot of folks from that space. There does seem to be some career progression in a fairly limited time - is that true on a relative basis too? Will also be good to understand how that connects with your post-MBA plans.
  3. The continuity bit is great on the shelter bit, right from undergrad. Any other activities during undergrad - those could be useful too. You don't really need five things outside of work as already shared on the forum.
  4. Overall, you are in about the right place and should start focusing on visiting schools, assessing fit etc to start your application journey.

Hope this helps some.

Cheers,
User avatar
AdmitSquare
User avatar
Joined: 13 Mar 2019
Last visit: 26 Aug 2021
Posts: 14
Own Kudos:
2
Posts: 14
Kudos: 2
Profile Evaluation / Program Suggestions 15 Mar 2019, 10:39
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
gmat216
Hi there!

I would greatly appreciate if anyone could provide some feedback on my chances of admission / areas to improve / or suggestions of schools that might be a good fit.

Background: American female of Asian descent
Undergrad: B.S. in a creative major from an art/design school (I'm assuming this will be a hurdle for Wharton and Booth??)
GPA: 3.7
Work Experience: 2.5 years in luxury consumer goods - recognizable names (think Chanel, Dior, Louis Vuitton, etc.) I have held fairly junior roles, with only my most recent position having two direct reports.
GMAT: 750 - Q49 V44
EC: I have been consistently working with a homeless shelter for 5 years, but that is my only EC
Target schools: HBS, Wharton, Booth, Columbia, Tuck

My long-term goal is to enter the C-suite and potentially join venture capital focusing on investments within my industry.

Thank you! Also happy to provide additional info through message if needed.
Show more

A non-conventional background can be more of an asset than a liability - but the key here is to portray this diversity positively. Both Wharton and Booth have been especially encouraging of such candidates in the past few years. All you need to do is to make sure that the adcom believes that you have what it takes to succeed in the MBA program - good news is that your GMAT score and GPA will hold you in good stead on that front.
The fact that you have been promoted in a relatively short span is great - hopefully, you can also show some leadership and initiative in your working experience. Continuity at the homeless shelter will also give you brownie points, but if you can show some growth there, it would be much stronger. For example, have you held different roles at the homeless shelter with increasing responsibility? The focus should be on strategic contribution instead of just teaching kids in your free time kind of tasks.

Here are some key actionables for the next few months:
    1.Take some time to formulate your goals well and to make sure that they align with your profile and strengths. Do lots of research. At this point you are thinking more long-term than short-term, whereas for business schools your short term goals are critical. Use your diverse experience to present a relatable career plan in the short term, that may eventually lead you to a VC firm.
    2.Assess fit with schools - reach out to students, adcoms, alumni and learn about their experience
    3.Try to take on more leadership opportunities at work
    4.Since you are done with the GMAT, it may be a good idea to take up a few Coursera courses in the context of your short-term career plans. Wharton has some exciting Business Foundations courses on Coursera.

The schools you have shortlisted are all extremely competitive and you do have a fair shot there. However, we would recommend adding a few safer schools to the mix.

You can reach out to us at info[at]admitsquare[dot]com for a more indepth profile evaluation.

Good Luck!
User avatar
PersonalMBACoach
User avatar
Personal MBA Coach Founder
Joined: 11 Sep 2010
Last visit: 28 Apr 2026
Posts: 3,811
Own Kudos:
372
Given Kudos: 11
Status:Boutique MBA Admissions Consulting from a Wharton graduate - Helping applicants get into top global business schools since 2008
Affiliations: Wharton, MIT
Location: United States (NY)
Overall Client Admit Rate: 96%
Expert
Expert reply
Posts: 3,811
Kudos: 372
Profile Evaluation / Program Suggestions 18 Mar 2019, 05:26
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
gmat216
Hi there!

I would greatly appreciate if anyone could provide some feedback on my chances of admission / areas to improve / or suggestions of schools that might be a good fit.

Background: American female of Asian descent
Undergrad: B.S. in a creative major from an art/design school (I'm assuming this will be a hurdle for Wharton and Booth??)
GPA: 3.7
Work Experience: 2.5 years in luxury consumer goods - recognizable names (think Chanel, Dior, Louis Vuitton, etc.) I have held fairly junior roles, with only my most recent position having two direct reports.
GMAT: 750 - Q49 V44
EC: I have been consistently working with a homeless shelter for 5 years, but that is my only EC
Target schools: HBS, Wharton, Booth, Columbia, Tuck

My long-term goal is to enter the C-suite and potentially join venture capital focusing on investments within my industry.

Thank you! Also happy to provide additional info through message if needed.
Show more

Hi gmat216,

On paper, everything looks really good. Your story makes a lot of sense, moving from creative design school to luxury goods and progressing well in your role. Remember, you've only been there 2.5 years, its not as if you should be running a division at this point. How does your progression compare to that of your peers who you started with?

What would be your short term goal post-MBA? If your long term goal is VC, you're going to need a broad set of finance and valuation skills, so I would focus on schools with strong finance programs: CBS, Booth, Wharton, and Stern. Anderson has a good program if you don't mind being on the west coast. As a short term goal, Consumer & Retail IB makes the most sense given your background and long-term goals. A number of banks specialize in the luxury goods vertical.

In terms of your chances at these schools, I do think you can be very competitive given your applications are on-point and recommendations strong. Feel free to reach out at [email protected] to discuss your candidacy more, I'm happy to help!

Regards,