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07 Apr 2023, 12:32
Kudos
Bookmarks
Hello!
I would appreciate a few thoughts and advice on how I should move forward with regards to getting an MBA from H/W/S/C:
Profile:
- GMAT 750 (able to retake, confident I can score 760+)
- Currently at Tier2 Strategy Consultancy in a European office at junior level - joined 1.5 years ago and will most likely get my first promotion in January next year
- Previously 1 year at another Tier2 Consultancy in a European office
- Engineering undergrad in Europe and Masters degree at top 3 university in USA (think of Harvard, Stanford, MIT, Columbia)
- Extracurriculars (incl. leadership positions) existing, international experience abound
- White male, however second generation immigrant in the country I grew up
Concerns:
- Whether I really need an MBA - I only consider to leverage it either for a transition to MBB (ideally in USA) or investment banking, however for the former I think I can re-apply in European offices after promotion and for the latter I am not sure if an MBA (even if I take finance classes) will be sufficient for interviews given my lack of background and internships in finance (though I have mostly done CDD projects for PE's). I would also need a working visa if I want to work in the States.
- I applied in the past to all top programs and got rejected by all except Yale SOM where I was interviewed and waitlisted - most likely due to little work experience, it would have been 22 months by the time of starting the MBA back then. Concern is that past rejections might be held against me.
- Whether I should apply now or next year - I lean towards next year since I will likely have the promotion in my CV, however I will be 30 (with 5 years work experience) by the time I start and that might be too old.
- How to navigate references without the partners finding out - last year I thought of going to law school and prepared for LSAT in parallel with my job, when I told the office lead about it they were pretty upset and told me that if I decided to apply for Law School I would be let go (they did not want to negotiate about an educational leave, since they pretty much took it as a clear sign that I do not want to do consulting anymore). Now I am scared they will react similarly if I ask about an MBA leave even if I say that I will continue with the firm after the MBA, thus I need to be certain about confidentiality on my potential referees' end.
- My office has never sponsored an MBA before and will likely not do it in my case, thus financing will be an issue (especially since I am not a US citizen).
Questions:
- Should I do an MBA?
- If so, when should I apply?
- Should I openly discuss this opportunity with my employer?
- Is it common that non US citizens do a top US MBA without employer sponsorship? If so, how do they finance it?
Posted from my mobile device
I would appreciate a few thoughts and advice on how I should move forward with regards to getting an MBA from H/W/S/C:
Profile:
- GMAT 750 (able to retake, confident I can score 760+)
- Currently at Tier2 Strategy Consultancy in a European office at junior level - joined 1.5 years ago and will most likely get my first promotion in January next year
- Previously 1 year at another Tier2 Consultancy in a European office
- Engineering undergrad in Europe and Masters degree at top 3 university in USA (think of Harvard, Stanford, MIT, Columbia)
- Extracurriculars (incl. leadership positions) existing, international experience abound
- White male, however second generation immigrant in the country I grew up
Concerns:
- Whether I really need an MBA - I only consider to leverage it either for a transition to MBB (ideally in USA) or investment banking, however for the former I think I can re-apply in European offices after promotion and for the latter I am not sure if an MBA (even if I take finance classes) will be sufficient for interviews given my lack of background and internships in finance (though I have mostly done CDD projects for PE's). I would also need a working visa if I want to work in the States.
- I applied in the past to all top programs and got rejected by all except Yale SOM where I was interviewed and waitlisted - most likely due to little work experience, it would have been 22 months by the time of starting the MBA back then. Concern is that past rejections might be held against me.
- Whether I should apply now or next year - I lean towards next year since I will likely have the promotion in my CV, however I will be 30 (with 5 years work experience) by the time I start and that might be too old.
- How to navigate references without the partners finding out - last year I thought of going to law school and prepared for LSAT in parallel with my job, when I told the office lead about it they were pretty upset and told me that if I decided to apply for Law School I would be let go (they did not want to negotiate about an educational leave, since they pretty much took it as a clear sign that I do not want to do consulting anymore). Now I am scared they will react similarly if I ask about an MBA leave even if I say that I will continue with the firm after the MBA, thus I need to be certain about confidentiality on my potential referees' end.
- My office has never sponsored an MBA before and will likely not do it in my case, thus financing will be an issue (especially since I am not a US citizen).
Questions:
- Should I do an MBA?
- If so, when should I apply?
- Should I openly discuss this opportunity with my employer?
- Is it common that non US citizens do a top US MBA without employer sponsorship? If so, how do they finance it?
Posted from my mobile device
23 Apr 2023, 16:53
Kudos
Bookmarks
Hi MBAFetish , thanks for reaching out! I'd be happy to answer your questions.
First, a 750 is solid--unless you had a weak IR score, I'd say keep your focus on other things.
Regarding your post-MBA goals, prior consulting experience + top MBA does help in getting jobs at MBB (I spent 5 years as a generalist consultant at McK and saw many of my peers at Wharton make the transition). And yes, you can leverage an MBA to transition into IB, but recruiting for consulting and IB is nearly impossible (and not advised).
Your 22 mo of work experience could have been the issue in your last round of apps, as most schools are looking for folks with 3-8 years of work experience. Next year or this year could work well for you. Often times schools see reapplicants as a more resilient group--you'll just need to be certain you're sending in a very different application. Check out this article on 6 tips for MBA reapplicants: https://www.stratusadmissionscounseling ... applicants
You don't need go have your current employer write you a recommendation, I just recommend you stick with folks who are recent (past few years) and relevant (know you well). You can share your reasons why in an optional essay.
Yes, non US citizens commonly get their MBAs without sponsorship. Some of the commonly used financing options include MPOWER Financing, Prodigy Finance, and Nelnetbank (you may still need a cosigner from the US). Scholarships are also awarded at times--I commonly see up to 100% awarded in scholarships for many of my clients.
If you want to reach out for a free consult, I or anyone on our Stratus team would be glad to explain more about the steps you should be taking to get to your best applications. I see some great, unique elements in your profile. Creating a compelling narrative is something we help our clients with every single day--connecting the dots from your past to where you want to go in your future will help the adcom determine how much they want to invest in your story.
Link to sign up for free consult is here: https://www.stratusadmissionscounseling ... sultation/
First, a 750 is solid--unless you had a weak IR score, I'd say keep your focus on other things.
Regarding your post-MBA goals, prior consulting experience + top MBA does help in getting jobs at MBB (I spent 5 years as a generalist consultant at McK and saw many of my peers at Wharton make the transition). And yes, you can leverage an MBA to transition into IB, but recruiting for consulting and IB is nearly impossible (and not advised).
Your 22 mo of work experience could have been the issue in your last round of apps, as most schools are looking for folks with 3-8 years of work experience. Next year or this year could work well for you. Often times schools see reapplicants as a more resilient group--you'll just need to be certain you're sending in a very different application. Check out this article on 6 tips for MBA reapplicants: https://www.stratusadmissionscounseling ... applicants
You don't need go have your current employer write you a recommendation, I just recommend you stick with folks who are recent (past few years) and relevant (know you well). You can share your reasons why in an optional essay.
Yes, non US citizens commonly get their MBAs without sponsorship. Some of the commonly used financing options include MPOWER Financing, Prodigy Finance, and Nelnetbank (you may still need a cosigner from the US). Scholarships are also awarded at times--I commonly see up to 100% awarded in scholarships for many of my clients.
If you want to reach out for a free consult, I or anyone on our Stratus team would be glad to explain more about the steps you should be taking to get to your best applications. I see some great, unique elements in your profile. Creating a compelling narrative is something we help our clients with every single day--connecting the dots from your past to where you want to go in your future will help the adcom determine how much they want to invest in your story.
Link to sign up for free consult is here: https://www.stratusadmissionscounseling ... sultation/
