Profile review request - MBA start 2022

Question

Hello Admissionando, 
I am evaluating to apply for a round 2 deadline for a August/September 2022 start. Below the info regarding my profile.

·  Demographics  : Italian, male, will be 28 years old in 2022

·  Education  : 
Bachelor degree in Luiss University, Rome (BUsiness & Management)  
Postgraduate/MSc: double degree in Management&Corporate Finance @ Luiss University, Rome and Bayes Business School, London (formerly CASS)

·  GMAT   : 750 (V46, Q48); AWA 5; IR 8

·  Work experience  :
 First experience in London as an intern @Acuris, financial services during 2017 summer, while concluding thesis&MSc. 
Working full time in Milan at Vodafone Italy since late 2017 (almost 5 years by august 2022). Started with Finance Graduate Program (telecommunications). after a 6 mths rotation I landed in a Commercial Controller role, working closely with marketing department. Since then I have been included in the top talent program (about top 2% of employees) and recently I have been promoted to Commercial Lead receiving new and increased responsibilities.
 
·  Extracurricular activities :
Unfortunately I did not put much focus into clubs or activities during university time. I have always kept playing tennis at an amateur level. Partecipated in the organization of a 3 days international finance convention/competitio   asking to be involved to my professor due to personal interest.
After graduation, since 2019, I have been involved in the pro bono activity of being a GMAT Ambassador. This consists of helping prospect students with their doubts regarding the GMAT exam (shaping their strategy, specific doubts) and in general academic world (> 200 students helped). On average I dedicated 1 to 3h per week to this activity.

·  Post-MBA goals :
Switch from corporate to consulting/private equity. 
Even if I've found Telecommunications industry extremely interesting up to now, I believe it is too early in my career to specialise in one industry only so I would like to gain some cross-indutry/sector experience.

·  Target schools :
Mainly focusing on European top BS. At the moment for R2 I'm looking at INSEAD/LBS/IESE. Could consider US top 5, but I do not really want to move to US so I am not sure it would be worth the hassle if I inted to come back to EU anyway (what's your opinion on that? Is it worth to go to US anyway even if I want to work in EU post MBA?)

·  Any specific questions you would like answered by our team :
I believe my weak point is the lack of high profile extracurriculars activities, I could probably think of something but of course I cannot change the past. What would you suggest to do on this matter? Should I try to sugarcoat my few extracurriculars hoping to make them look better or just be honest saying it is something i wish to work on in the future?

Given this profile, do you believe INSEAD/LBS/IESE are within my reach or are those a stretch?

Finally, I would hope for a (at least partial) scolarship, any suggestion in particular?

Thanks a lot for your time and help, I'm looking forward to your reply.

Gilberto

Admissionado · Answer

Gilb17 :

Thank you for reaching out!

Q: What would you suggest to do on this matter? Should I try to sugarcoat my few extracurriculars hoping to make them look better or just be honest saying it is something i wish to work on in the future?

A: Neither. You need to focus on other elements of your profile. The AdCom will tell if you're sugarcoating them. If you have not been a major contributor on the extracurricular front, there's not a ton you can do. I would absolutely not make a promise to get more involved. That means nothing.

Q: Given this profile, do you believe INSEAD/LBS/IESE are within my reach or are those a stretch?

A: I actually do! LBS and INSEAD are definitely "Reach" schools, but there's no reason why you should not apply.

Finally, I would hope for a (at least partial) scolarship, any suggestion in particular?

A: What suggestion are you seeking? What do you want to know?

-Admissionado

Gilb17 · Answer

Thanks for your prompt answer. Regarding scholarships, I was wondering: is it generally more likely to get one if you apply in early rounds or do they keep it equally likely? I've read than most BS automatically consider you for their scholarships when you apply but are there also some widely known external organizations that award scholarships to which I could apply?

Thanks again,
Gilberto

Thanks again,
Gilberto

Admissionado · Answer

Gilb17 :

Our pleasure!

Regarding scholarships, I was wondering: is it generally more likely to get one if you apply in early rounds or do they keep it equally likely?

A: Yes for the earlier rounds, though it's hard to parse out any differences between the first and second rounds.

I've read than most BS automatically consider you for their scholarships when you apply but are there also some widely known external organizations that award scholarships to which I could apply?

A: Absolutely! We strongly encourage applicants to simultaneously apply for external scholarships for which they qualify. That's a great way to defray the costs of the MBA program.

Best of luck,
Admissionado

Profile review request - MBA start 2022

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