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GSBae
Joined: 23 May 2013
Last visit: 07 Mar 2025
Posts: 167
Own Kudos:
Given Kudos: 42
Location: United States
Concentration: Technology, Healthcare
Schools: Stanford '19 (M$)
GMAT 1: 760 Q49 V45
GPA: 3.5
28 Apr 2015, 11:46
Kudos
Bookmarks
Hi Veritas Prep!
I'm looking for some pretty strong guidance in the way I present my application to the admissions committee. I have an incredibly diverse background that I think will be very different than anything the adcom has read before, but I need some advice on how to present it.
Story/Stats:
White, LGBT, 25 year old male.
Hometown: Small town in the South. I grew up very poor, and I was adopted when I was 11 after my mother died. Further, my brother died of a drug overdose when I was 18. All of this has had a profound impact on my life and career goals, and has given me a ton of ambition I doubt I would have had otherwise.
Undergrad: Went to target non-ivy (Stanford, MIT, Duke, UChicago) with 3.45 GPA in Math.
On campus, I was involved in a number of social justice type activities, because of the inequalities revealed to me by comparing my background to my classmates'. After graduation, I taught English abroad for a year. Since then, I have worked for a boutique technology consulting firm in NYC (1.5 years). Short term goals are to work for a MBB consulting firm, and long-term goals are social entrepreneurship/nonprofit consulting, hopefully with small communities in the south.
GMAT: Unknown, but expecting a 730+ (several practice tests around this score with minimal studying, plus I'm just a good standardized test taker)
Extracurriculars: Several LGBT organizations, as well as volunteering with an organization that provides counseling and mentoring for children who have lost immediate family members.
Harvard is my dream, but I'm also looking at Stanford/Sloan/Columbia/Wharton. Does this look feasible? Do you think I have a good case for the top business schools, or should I invest more time in a more name brand career first? Should I take a different angle on my short/long term goals? Any advice would be much appreciated!
P.S. Great reviews! I'm definitely looking into hiring an admissions consultant for the actual process, just kind of scoping out when that process should start.
I'm looking for some pretty strong guidance in the way I present my application to the admissions committee. I have an incredibly diverse background that I think will be very different than anything the adcom has read before, but I need some advice on how to present it.
Story/Stats:
White, LGBT, 25 year old male.
Hometown: Small town in the South. I grew up very poor, and I was adopted when I was 11 after my mother died. Further, my brother died of a drug overdose when I was 18. All of this has had a profound impact on my life and career goals, and has given me a ton of ambition I doubt I would have had otherwise.
Undergrad: Went to target non-ivy (Stanford, MIT, Duke, UChicago) with 3.45 GPA in Math.
On campus, I was involved in a number of social justice type activities, because of the inequalities revealed to me by comparing my background to my classmates'. After graduation, I taught English abroad for a year. Since then, I have worked for a boutique technology consulting firm in NYC (1.5 years). Short term goals are to work for a MBB consulting firm, and long-term goals are social entrepreneurship/nonprofit consulting, hopefully with small communities in the south.
GMAT: Unknown, but expecting a 730+ (several practice tests around this score with minimal studying, plus I'm just a good standardized test taker)
Extracurriculars: Several LGBT organizations, as well as volunteering with an organization that provides counseling and mentoring for children who have lost immediate family members.
Harvard is my dream, but I'm also looking at Stanford/Sloan/Columbia/Wharton. Does this look feasible? Do you think I have a good case for the top business schools, or should I invest more time in a more name brand career first? Should I take a different angle on my short/long term goals? Any advice would be much appreciated!
P.S. Great reviews! I'm definitely looking into hiring an admissions consultant for the actual process, just kind of scoping out when that process should start.
01 May 2015, 05:47
Kudos
Bookmarks
Thanks for your message. Glad you are thinking consulting services now, since most applicants to top schools are using them these days. In short, I see tremendous potential in your profile. Not only do you seem to have a compelling narrative which will resonate with the adcoms, you have academic credentials and a potential GMAT score to back it up. Your work experience seems solid, albeit a little on the light side for number of months in a job that will add value in the classroom. Seek as much leadership opportunity as you can over the next 18 months both in and outside of work. Your ace in the hole is LGBT identification, however, which really sets you apart in the application process by offering a perspective which is less common in business schools, yet one that is valuable and sought after by schools. You will be able to identify yourself as such in the application and it will be an advantage. We'd love to help you pull everything together and know that there is no advantage in delaying since our school package consulting services do not have a limit on time with your head consultant. We also would provide school specific sessions with specialists who graduated from your target schools. Hope this helps.
