Hi
HappyJoy22,
This is Kate from
mbaMission. Good for you for thinking ahead! You've got a great GPA which should help a lot at those top schools. Your GMAT is also great, and definitely high enough, but if you feel like you left some points on the table and/or have extra time to dedicate now, you could give it another shot. Can't hurt!
Otherwise, focus on being able to show impact and leadership in your work. Raise your hand for extra opportunities / roles that will help differentiate you from the typical banking candidate. And I would advise waiting to apply til you have at least 3 years of work under your belt, potentially 4 for HBS as I've seen more experienced candidates fare a bit better there. Make sure you have some activities/ community service/ personal passions, etc. that you pursue outside of work too.
For HBS / HKS specifically, I think you want to be able to show a commitment to contributing positively to society. And public policy work crosses over public / private sector organizations, so I would also try to show you have experience working with diverse stakeholder groups.
Hope that helps, and good luck!
Kate
HappyJoy22
Demographics (nationality, gender):Asian-American Female
Education:Ivy League, 3.8+
GMAT or GRE (include section breakdown):730 - Q48, V42, IR8, AWA6
Work experience:Recent college graduate in investment banking (plan to apply for mba programs after a few years of working)
Target schools:HBS (in conjunction with HKS), Wharton, Stanford
Any specific questions you would like answered by our team:-Should I retake my GMAT to obtain a higher score?
-For the HBS/HKS dual program, are there other factors that I should improve upon to improve my chances?
Thank you for reviewing - really appreciate it!