Profile Evaluation Request - GMAT 740 - 6+ years WE
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09 Sep 2012, 09:27
Hey,
I would like to request a profile evaluation - bear with me because it's not so straightforward.
I'm 28, male, Pakistani origin (high school/college in Canada, worked in the US) and have an undergraduate degree from McGill University (BCom - Finance/Accounting). My GPA was 2.46, but my transcript is schizophrenic - I have a lot of A's and A-s in finance and accounting courses (200 to 400 level), but there was a period of 1 year where I had personal issues and had a 0.0 (essentially had a 3.2 before everything went haywire).
My GMAT was 740 -79 percentile quant, 99 percentile verbal - 6.0 in the essay portion.
My work experience isn't exactly linear either.
1 year 6 months in a small boutique investment bank in New York - hired as an Analyst, promoted to Associate in 6 months, VP in just over a year. I was structuring and arranging aircraft finance transactions (largest was $595 million).
I moved to another investment banking/advisory firm in New York for another 1 year and 10 months as an Associate - did structuring/arranging of aircraft finance transactions, debt restructuring, due diligence, liquidity raises etc (deal sizes ranging from $100 million to $1.6 billion) - blend of managing financier relationships and analysis, pitches, deal documentation etc.
I then moved back to Pakistan (I quit my job) to help my father out with his business - we own an accounting firm, immigration consulting firm and an HR practice. Since the end of 2009, I've helped triple our high net worth client portfolio, set up 3 new immigration products (responsible for everything from research, marketing and operations) which have brought in over $1 million of revenue, established a quality management system, manage all communication with external parties, high net worth clients and relationships with financial institutions and project syndicates (investment based immigration). I have also completed a couple of ad-hoc advisory assignments - I conducted primary research for a global management consulting firm's India office in the transportation/logistics space (1 month assignment) and consulted to a Singapore based fund was exploring the health and education space in Pakistan (helping them figure out incorporation issues and introducing them to players). I'm also involved in a transaction by an investment group interested in buying defunct fertilizer plant in Eastern Europe - we're shareholders in an Eastern European advisory firm that is advising the group. Otherwise, I act like an advisor to the accounting firm (when they have due diligence or other similar assignments), helping them with their pitches etc.
Now that we have a solid portfolio, which will provide substantial income as the applications mature (essentially in runoff) and with supply restricted due to governments setting quotas/suspending programs, I would like the option to transition back to the job market in US/Canada or elsewhere in the developed world, though I'm debating entrepreneurship options in Pakistan as well. In the job market, I would be interested in consulting/advisory.
Personally, I haven't had the chance to be involved in extra-curriculars since college and am not particularly talented in anything - most of my spare time outside socializing is spent reading and while my knowledge base is well rounded and deep, I haven't done anything with it. I'm not that international either - I've lived in Pakistan, went to high school and university in Canada and worked in New York. I do deal with people all over for my work right now - Canada, Bulgaria, St. Kitts, Singapore, USA, UK etc.
So that gives you a good idea. Now keep in mind I have a green card and a Canadian passport, so post-graduation employment prospects shouldn't be too bad in North America since I wouldn't have visa issues.
So considering this sort of profile, what kind schools would you suggest? I know I'm not Harvard, Stanford or Wharton material, but I would like attend a good school. Geographically I'm open, but considering post-employment options, I know Europe would be dicey. I was already dinged by INSEAD and Oxford last year (my essays were weak, I wrote them overnight). This time I would like to make a sincere effort. Program length or cost is not an issue.
So any help would be appreciated. I am also open to working with a professional admissions counselor and would be grateful for any recommendations for counselors/consultants who have experience working with similar profiles.