Hi mjaininc,

Thank you for your post. I think that your profile and situation strike at the heart of the "challenges and opportunities" of the MBA application process and competitive landscape. Put another way, you have some good things going for you, but at the same time, you are applying from a very crowded and competitive demographic, and into an environment that has made / might continue to make schools like this increasingly competitive. Moreover, applicants with profiles and stats similar to yours can experience a wide range of outcomes at schools like the ones you've listed, which means that application execution is going to be hugely important for you. (It is for everyone, but I would argue it's even more important in cases like this.)

That means telling your unique personal story, unpacking the value of your experiences, articulating super specific goals, articulating a super specific "why MBA" and "why XYZ school" (what knowledge, skills, and experience you already have that are relevant to your goals; what knowledge, skills, and experience you are missing; and how exactly you'd acquire them through the programs to which you are applying), and weaving all of this into differentiated essays, resumes, recommendations, applications, and interviews. You can read more about how to think about certain of these cornerstone application elements here: https://www.avantiprep.com/blog/the-mos ... on-process.

Hult has a bit of a two-way reputation, but your academic performance and the fact that you were able to acquire a lot of international experience, including through internships and at LSE, should help you differentiate yourself. But as alluded to in the previous paragraph, the degree to which it helps you is incumbent upon how you reflect on those experiences, authentically share the growth and failures and widening of perspective, articulate how the experience might have shaped you personally and professionally, etc. You and your recommenders should be equally thoughtful and specific about your goals, your motivations, your passion and purpose, and the program offerings and culture and community of each school, including how you believe you can uniquely and specifically contribute to (and fit with) each.

Rotman has seen a lot of new applicants from abroad (particularly India) in recent years as U.S. immigration and visa prospects have pushed some folks away from U.S. programs, and the COVID situation in the U.S. could very well drive even more would-be international applicants to U.S. programs to look at Canadian and European programs instead. That remains to be seen, but unfortunately I would say that these types of trends will make things a bit more difficult for you. Your GMAT is about 50 points above average for Rotman and 30 points above average for Oxford, which I'd consider a small plus for Rotman and neutral or just below for Oxford (in context of demographic considerations). In summary, I think that these schools will be hard but that you can be competitive. How competitive depends on the strength of your application execution. (And if you're thinking more broadly, you might consider widening out your application strategy beyond only two schools.)

If you would like to further this conversation, please feel free to sign up for a Free Consultation via this link: https://www.avantiprep.com/free-consultation.html

Thanks!
Greg
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