Forum Home > GMAT > Quantitative > Problem Solving (PS)
Events & Promotions
|
|
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
Track
Your Progress
Practice
Pays
Not interested in getting valuable practice questions and articles delivered to your email? No problem, unsubscribe here.
Dec 1511:00 AM EST
-11:30 AM EST
Meet Tuck at an informal student or staff-hosted coffee chat in a city near you!
Dec 1608:00 AM PST
-11:59 PM PST
GMAT Club 12 Days of Christmas is a 4th Annual GMAT Club Winter Competition based on solving questions. This is the Winter GMAT competition on GMAT Club with an amazing opportunity to win over $40,000 worth of prizes!- Dec 18
10:00 AM PST
-11:00 AM PST
Here is the essential guide to securing scholarships as an MBA student! In this video, we explore the various types of scholarships available, including need-based and merit-based options. 
Dec 2007:00 PM PST
-08:00 PM PST
Inquire for a free profile evaluation and guarantee statement for possible admits and scholarships!
Dec 2111:00 AM EST
-12:00 PM EST
Save 20% on your subscription to onTrack by mbaMission, a first-of-its-kind on-demand MBA application experience. Use code 20OFFDEC until Dec 31!
Dec 2109:00 PM IST
-10:00 PM IST
Dreaming of a successful post-MBA career? Explore the 2026 career pathways in consulting, tech, finance, and dive into the exciting opportunities and the potential ROI these industries offer, helping you make informed decisions and more.
Dec 2109:00 PM IST
-10:00 PM IST
Dreaming of a successful post-MBA career? Explore the 2026 career pathways in consulting, tech, finance, and dive into the exciting opportunities and the potential ROI these industries offer, helping you make informed decisions.
Dec 2201:00 PM EST
-02:00 PM EST
Targeting M7 schools this winter? Download Personal MBA Coach’s free M7 essays analysis e-book for expert tips on how to tackle each school's essays!
18 Apr 2017, 10:55
Kudos
Bookmarks
Hi Team, thanks so much in advance for your time and advice.
I'm looking to apply in R1 Class of 2020 to H, S, W, and Columbia. I'd love to hear your thoughts on whether or not this is realistic. I'm also curious to your thoughts on my GPA / GMAT, and post-MBA goals. Applied for HBS last year and did not get an interview, but frankly did a poor job of telling my story on my own.
Personal Background (at matriculation):
27 year old male, Australian, born to Latin American family (fluent in Spanish). Currently residing in the U.S.
GMAT: 720 (94%) on 1st attempt: IR 7, Q48(73%), V40(91%), AW5
Education Background:
- Bachelor in Commerce from #1 Australian University, completed subsequent honors year at top 5 Australian university
- First two years of undergrad were weak (lower second class honors - ~3.0 GPA), but turned it around in my last two years (~3.68GPA, ~3.34GPA overall).
- Was on the dean commendation list in my final year (5% of students) and accepted into a highly selective honours research year (~2% of students)
Professional Background:
- 1. Australia. After graduating college, joined Australia's #1 investment bank in Melbourne, Australia
- 2. New York. One year into role, was transferred to New York City: Spent 1.5 years in an entrepreneurial team investing in renewable energy in Latin America. Role required full-time fluency in Spanish, building out the team, and setting culture
- 3. Boston Private Equity. $3bn special situations private equity fund investing in North American companies. Not a well known brand, but very active work experience, reviewing over 100 deals and closing five. Performance has been above expectations, have taken on leadership roles earlier than anticipated, and have been a catalyst for the firm's involvement in community causes
Leadership / Extracurricular:
- Education Causes. Co-Director of Development for a college-access non-profit in Boston. Serves ~100 high-potential, low-income high school kids annually with an operating budget of $300k
- International Relations. Committee Member of American Australian Association; Alumni council member for my undergrad business school; potentially a World Economic Forum 'Global Shaper'
- Additional Education. Taking a 'Leadership' course at Harvard Summer School this year
- Personal Interests. Boxing, Latin Dancing
Post-MBA Goal
- Frankly, I'll probably go back to my current firm (potentially with sponsorship), which I'm really enjoying. I'd love to be an 'intrapraneur' internally as we launch new investment strategies and geographies
- I don't strictly need an MBA to do this. My approach to the MBA is mainly to just meet great people and open my eyes to new experiences. It's just 2 years in a hopefully long life. Is this a good enough reason for the AdCom?
Thank you so much once again!
I'm looking to apply in R1 Class of 2020 to H, S, W, and Columbia. I'd love to hear your thoughts on whether or not this is realistic. I'm also curious to your thoughts on my GPA / GMAT, and post-MBA goals. Applied for HBS last year and did not get an interview, but frankly did a poor job of telling my story on my own.
Personal Background (at matriculation):
27 year old male, Australian, born to Latin American family (fluent in Spanish). Currently residing in the U.S.
GMAT: 720 (94%) on 1st attempt: IR 7, Q48(73%), V40(91%), AW5
Education Background:
- Bachelor in Commerce from #1 Australian University, completed subsequent honors year at top 5 Australian university
- First two years of undergrad were weak (lower second class honors - ~3.0 GPA), but turned it around in my last two years (~3.68GPA, ~3.34GPA overall).
- Was on the dean commendation list in my final year (5% of students) and accepted into a highly selective honours research year (~2% of students)
Professional Background:
- 1. Australia. After graduating college, joined Australia's #1 investment bank in Melbourne, Australia
- 2. New York. One year into role, was transferred to New York City: Spent 1.5 years in an entrepreneurial team investing in renewable energy in Latin America. Role required full-time fluency in Spanish, building out the team, and setting culture
- 3. Boston Private Equity. $3bn special situations private equity fund investing in North American companies. Not a well known brand, but very active work experience, reviewing over 100 deals and closing five. Performance has been above expectations, have taken on leadership roles earlier than anticipated, and have been a catalyst for the firm's involvement in community causes
Leadership / Extracurricular:
- Education Causes. Co-Director of Development for a college-access non-profit in Boston. Serves ~100 high-potential, low-income high school kids annually with an operating budget of $300k
- International Relations. Committee Member of American Australian Association; Alumni council member for my undergrad business school; potentially a World Economic Forum 'Global Shaper'
- Additional Education. Taking a 'Leadership' course at Harvard Summer School this year
- Personal Interests. Boxing, Latin Dancing
Post-MBA Goal
- Frankly, I'll probably go back to my current firm (potentially with sponsorship), which I'm really enjoying. I'd love to be an 'intrapraneur' internally as we launch new investment strategies and geographies
- I don't strictly need an MBA to do this. My approach to the MBA is mainly to just meet great people and open my eyes to new experiences. It's just 2 years in a hopefully long life. Is this a good enough reason for the AdCom?
Thank you so much once again!
19 Apr 2017, 13:08
Kudos
Bookmarks
Hi - thanks for writing! H/S/W and Columbia are extremely competitive (especially the first three); however, based on your profile I don't think they're unrealistic. To address your questions:
- Your GMAT score is right at the average for these schools. You can address your GPA trajectory in your optional essay - just explain candidly and confidently the reason for your lower initial GPA and how you turned it around
- You have solid, progressive work experience and good extracurriculars, and your Latin American/Australian background will add some diversity
- Even given the above, it will be imperative for you to explain why you want an MBA (and from the particular program) and why now is the right time. Having sponsorship from your employer can help your chances, but you still need to make it very clear which hard/soft skills and experiences you hope to get from an MBA and how they will help you achieve your short-term and long-term goals. While it's clearly understood that you'll meet new people and have new experiences, you'll need to be much more specific about what those are and how they'll help you grow professionally and personally, and convey why a particular school is a strong fit for you
If you'd like to discuss your profile in further detail, I'd highly recommend signing up for a free consultation here: https://www.mbamission.com/consult/?dis ... admissions
Best of luck!
- Your GMAT score is right at the average for these schools. You can address your GPA trajectory in your optional essay - just explain candidly and confidently the reason for your lower initial GPA and how you turned it around
- You have solid, progressive work experience and good extracurriculars, and your Latin American/Australian background will add some diversity
- Even given the above, it will be imperative for you to explain why you want an MBA (and from the particular program) and why now is the right time. Having sponsorship from your employer can help your chances, but you still need to make it very clear which hard/soft skills and experiences you hope to get from an MBA and how they will help you achieve your short-term and long-term goals. While it's clearly understood that you'll meet new people and have new experiences, you'll need to be much more specific about what those are and how they'll help you grow professionally and personally, and convey why a particular school is a strong fit for you
If you'd like to discuss your profile in further detail, I'd highly recommend signing up for a free consultation here: https://www.mbamission.com/consult/?dis ... admissions
Best of luck!
SleeplessInSydney
Hi Team, thanks so much in advance for your time and advice.
I'm looking to apply in R1 Class of 2020 to H, S, W, and Columbia. I'd love to hear your thoughts on whether or not this is realistic. I'm also curious to your thoughts on my GPA / GMAT, and post-MBA goals. Applied for HBS last year and did not get an interview, but frankly did a poor job of telling my story on my own.
Personal Background (at matriculation):
27 year old male, Australian, born to Latin American family (fluent in Spanish). Currently residing in the U.S.
GMAT: 720 (94%) on 1st attempt: IR 7, Q48(73%), V40(91%), AW5
Education Background:
- Bachelor in Commerce from #1 Australian University, completed subsequent honors year at top 5 Australian university
- First two years of undergrad were weak (lower second class honors - ~3.0 GPA), but turned it around in my last two years (~3.68GPA, ~3.34GPA overall).
- Was on the dean commendation list in my final year (5% of students) and accepted into a highly selective honours research year (~2% of students)
Professional Background:
- 1. Australia. After graduating college, joined Australia's #1 investment bank in Melbourne, Australia
- 2. New York. One year into role, was transferred to New York City: Spent 1.5 years in an entrepreneurial team investing in renewable energy in Latin America. Role required full-time fluency in Spanish, building out the team, and setting culture
- 3. Boston Private Equity. $3bn special situations private equity fund investing in North American companies. Not a well known brand, but very active work experience, reviewing over 100 deals and closing five. Performance has been above expectations, have taken on leadership roles earlier than anticipated, and have been a catalyst for the firm's involvement in community causes
Leadership / Extracurricular:
- Education Causes. Co-Director of Development for a college-access non-profit in Boston. Serves ~100 high-potential, low-income high school kids annually with an operating budget of $300k
- International Relations. Committee Member of American Australian Association; Alumni council member for my undergrad business school; potentially a World Economic Forum 'Global Shaper'
- Additional Education. Taking a 'Leadership' course at Harvard Summer School this year
- Personal Interests. Boxing, Latin Dancing
Post-MBA Goal
- Frankly, I'll probably go back to my current firm (potentially with sponsorship), which I'm really enjoying. I'd love to be an 'intrapraneur' internally as we launch new investment strategies and geographies
- I don't strictly need an MBA to do this. My approach to the MBA is mainly to just meet great people and open my eyes to new experiences. It's just 2 years in a hopefully long life. Is this a good enough reason for the AdCom?
Thank you so much once again!
I'm looking to apply in R1 Class of 2020 to H, S, W, and Columbia. I'd love to hear your thoughts on whether or not this is realistic. I'm also curious to your thoughts on my GPA / GMAT, and post-MBA goals. Applied for HBS last year and did not get an interview, but frankly did a poor job of telling my story on my own.
Personal Background (at matriculation):
27 year old male, Australian, born to Latin American family (fluent in Spanish). Currently residing in the U.S.
GMAT: 720 (94%) on 1st attempt: IR 7, Q48(73%), V40(91%), AW5
Education Background:
- Bachelor in Commerce from #1 Australian University, completed subsequent honors year at top 5 Australian university
- First two years of undergrad were weak (lower second class honors - ~3.0 GPA), but turned it around in my last two years (~3.68GPA, ~3.34GPA overall).
- Was on the dean commendation list in my final year (5% of students) and accepted into a highly selective honours research year (~2% of students)
Professional Background:
- 1. Australia. After graduating college, joined Australia's #1 investment bank in Melbourne, Australia
- 2. New York. One year into role, was transferred to New York City: Spent 1.5 years in an entrepreneurial team investing in renewable energy in Latin America. Role required full-time fluency in Spanish, building out the team, and setting culture
- 3. Boston Private Equity. $3bn special situations private equity fund investing in North American companies. Not a well known brand, but very active work experience, reviewing over 100 deals and closing five. Performance has been above expectations, have taken on leadership roles earlier than anticipated, and have been a catalyst for the firm's involvement in community causes
Leadership / Extracurricular:
- Education Causes. Co-Director of Development for a college-access non-profit in Boston. Serves ~100 high-potential, low-income high school kids annually with an operating budget of $300k
- International Relations. Committee Member of American Australian Association; Alumni council member for my undergrad business school; potentially a World Economic Forum 'Global Shaper'
- Additional Education. Taking a 'Leadership' course at Harvard Summer School this year
- Personal Interests. Boxing, Latin Dancing
Post-MBA Goal
- Frankly, I'll probably go back to my current firm (potentially with sponsorship), which I'm really enjoying. I'd love to be an 'intrapraneur' internally as we launch new investment strategies and geographies
- I don't strictly need an MBA to do this. My approach to the MBA is mainly to just meet great people and open my eyes to new experiences. It's just 2 years in a hopefully long life. Is this a good enough reason for the AdCom?
Thank you so much once again!
Moderator:
