cg07 wrote:
Would appreciate if you can provide feedback on my case.
28 yr old Filipino Male with green card
Full-time work experience:
- 2.5 years as an Investment Banking Analyst (government financial institution) focusing on infrastructure investments;
- 3.5 years as an Investment Banking Associate with Top Tier ASEAN Investment Bank(was promoted to Associate)
- Was supposed to be promoted to senior analyst in my first job but was poached by a multinational investment bank (top tier in South East Asia)
- Spearheaded the establishment of an analyst pool program which enables analysts to rotate on different investment banking products (saves the firm extra cost and increases efficiency of working teams)
- 6 years Investment banking experience in M&A, Equity, and Debt financing
740 GMAT
Undergrad info:
Top 3 Philippine University
Applied Economics; 2.167 GPA
Low GPA due to father being diagnosed with kidney failure, and heart attack; mother was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer, stage 1 breast cancer
Significant college and post-college extra-curricular activities:
Undergrad extra-curricular: University student government, economics organization
Post undergrad: Volunteer for Non profit organizations like Teach for the Philippines, Gawad Kalinga (reach out to poor communities and teach the under privileged)
Post-MBA goal:
Transition to Private Equity or Investment Banking in the US. Strong recommendation letters from high level executives (President & CEO, Managing Director, and Executive Director). President & CEO of the firm is an alumnus of Kellogg.
I know most of the schools I will be applying to will be a reach due to my GPA but below are my dream schools:
- Wharton
- Columbia
- Yale
- Booth
- Kellogg
Want to prove that despite a horrible GPA, I was able to turn things around given my strong work experience and strong GMAT. Would appreciate any advice. Thank you.
Posted from my mobile device
Hey dude,
Very good to hear from you!
So overall, I think you have an excellent profile, despite that rather awful GPA
We don't see many Filipino candidates, and even fewer with your GMAT and your profile in IB. I think first and foremost that if you are to succeed, it will be more than "I am some dude who wants to get a good banking job" but rather some sort of story where you will use the uniqueness of your work in the government financial institution to somehow in the short or long-term give back to your country/people/region. If it's just a get-rich scheme, the schools will have dozens of candidates like that.
Given your age and your work experience, I think you can go with a strategy that will target those schools you propose. But I won't lie to you dude, that GPA is a big X-factor. I mean it's one thing for a school to compromise on a GPA and admit someone with a 3.2. But a 2.1! That GPA are such a statistical outlier, that it might not tempt them. But I do like your profile, and do think you have a good story.
I think you have therefore two choices:
1. A two-year strategy. You go for only top schools knowing that your GPA is a big X-factor, and if you don't get in tot he top schools, you try again next year, and comprise on schools then.
2. Basic strategy - Instead of applying just to M7 schools, you spread out to the Top 20. This will significantly increase your chances of getting in.
Whatever the case, you should definitely tell your story about your parents. And thankfully you do have a fantastic GMAT to prove that you really are a very smart guy
Lemme know if you have any other Qs.