Profile Evaluation/What are my chances?

Question

Bio: 26M with US, Canadian and Irish citizenship
GMAT: 730 
Undergrad GPA: 3.47
Undergrad Degree: Engineering Physics
Undergrad School: Top Canadian University

Work Experience: 4 years as a process engineer at a Fortune 50 semiconductor company. I've had 1 promotion to senior engineer and have management experience directing the operations of ~15 technicians.
Extracurriculars: I play an obscure sport at the international level and have competed at the world championships.

Goals: I'd like to move into consulting to gain higher level management experience with the possible longer-term goal of exiting into executive positions in non-semiconductor tech companies.

Target Schools:
1) MIT
2) Booth
3) CBS
4) Haas

Admissionado · Answer

FunctionalOrang :

Overall, you have a good profile.

Pros: Solid GMAT score and good academic pedigree in engineering (GPA should be fine for these schools and given the difficulty of your degree/major.) The obscure sport can be an added aspect to your profile if you have continued to be active and have demonstrated strong leadership skills.

Cons: Do you have any other extracurricular or community leadership? The profile feels a little thin here. Your career goal could use some fine-tuning. Consulting post-MBA in an essay isn't going to help differentiate you. Engineering also is kind of common so you'll need to focus on what helps separate you from the pack.

Haas feels about right. Booth is tougher but doable. CBS and MIT will be reaches.

FunctionalOrang · Answer

Admissionado

Thanks for the feedback. I'll definitely try to expand/refine my motivation and career plan. I was planning on applying this fall, but would it be helpful to wait a year to try to improve my extracurriculars? Is there anything else tangible (as in not based on how I spin my story) I can do to make the reaches less of a reach or should I also be looking at applying to some schools on a similar tier to Haas like Tuck and Yale? Thanks again.

Admissionado · Answer

FunctionalOrang : Q: I was planning on applying this fall, but would it be helpful to wait a year to try to improve my extracurriculars? A: You can probably close the gap considerably if you focus on the next few months on building out your extracurricular activities. Try focusing on helping to plan one-time events so your impact is tangible and not membership-based (which is better with time.) Q: Is there anything else tangible (as in not based on how I spin my story) I can do to make the reaches less of a reach or should I also be looking at applying to some schools on a similar tier to Haas like Tuck and Yale? A: Unlikely. We would need to do a more comprehensive review of your profile to determine if there are significant areas of weakness and how to address them in the coming months. That being said, you should definitely add Tuck and Yale to your list, though both are also highly selective given their small size. For those reasons, I strongly recommend you reach out to our team for a free consultation. It'll be a great way to talk about your background in more detail and understand how our action planning can help you in a meaningful way. https://admissionado.com/free-consultation/

MBAandBeyond · Answer

Hi FunctionalOrang , Thanks for your post First of all, I would like to say that you do have a decent GMAT score, and your GPA is also good. Now for your work experience, I would like you to elaborate on your role & responsibilities, management experience, critical projects & leadership examples. About your ECAs, the obscure sports can add some new dimensions to your profile if you could add examples to demonstrate improved skill-set and leadership skills. Also, try to add some social service experiences and other examples of leadership in your ECAs. It would be best to be more specific in your career goal, like why you want to switch from a process engineer to Consulting post-MBA. Moreover, since engineering comes under an overrepresented pool, you'll need to focus o writing mesmerizing essays to help differentiate yourself. Overall, for CBS MIT, more in-depth knowledge of you and your profile is required for us to tune your profile finely. At the same time, for Haas and Booth, it seems doable if you could demonstrate intellectual curiosity, personal maturity, and leadership qualities throughout the profile. What’s going to matter most in your profile is how you link the dots and create an amazing narrative. If you'd like, we are happy to hop on a call with you sometime this week to discuss your profile in length, and further chances to the schools. Feel free to book a free session with us at your convenience. Check out our upcoming events and sign up for the session that interests you. Cheers! Neha Hadke Profile Analyst & Channel Manager, MBA and Beyond Testimonials Email: neha@mbaandbeyond.com

MBAPrepCoach · Answer

I agree with Admissionado on all points - apply with Irish citizenship because it is the most underrepresented. not really clear on the impact you have had at work beyond the promotion; really think about all the ways you have created a positive impact in the office and outside the office. Also, how that leadership would help you make an impact at these schools. Where are you working now? Wondering if you have international work experience.  FunctionalOrang

BeatrizCampos · Answer

Hello FunctionalOrang

It is always inspirational to read applicants' profiles. Overall, your profile is good and other elements of your personality can help leverage or even strengthen certain parts of your profile. 
You certainly have a strong GMAT, your engineering background and high GPA are a bonus - which for your target school list, will be relevant aspects of your app. 
Depending how you approach the obscure sport, we can give it a positive spin, showcasing teamwork/leadership traits acquired, as well as commitment and grit to endure in competitions (national and international). 
We need to clearly tell the schools the rationale of your goal to pivot into Consulting. As long as you can convey why you want to make this transition. Highlight that your current background has given you certain skills but Consulting will provide you with a far-reaching perspective of businesses, strategies, industries etc. 
The downside perhaps, I`d agree with the other consultants is that there`s no evidence of community/social/volunteering activities. Perhaps you've done something while practicing sports and have just not mentioned here. 
Stretches: CBS, MIT, Booth
Realistic: Haas.
I would most definitely suggest you consider: Kellogg, Michigan Ross and NYU. All these schools have great employment in consulting and you'll have better chances. 
I would be happy to share more insights on your profile and how to tackle "apparent" shortcomings as of now. 
Beatriz Campos (LinkedIn: Bia Campos)
Admissions Director
MBA House

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