Top School chances for a young female!

Question

Hello!

I am a 24 year old female hoping to apply to b-schools in the near future (Primarily looking at Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, Columbia, Yale, Cornell, Michigan, Chicago, Northwestern and the likes). Since graduating from college, I realized I enjoy strategy-based work - especially after contrasting the work in my day job versus some of the work I have done for my own ventures. I enjoy solving problems and making an impact. Based on my conversations with others in the field, I think consulting is a good fit for me going forward.

I graduated with a 3.46 gpa in finance from a top undergraduate b-school. GMAT = 730. Currently, I work in Corporate Banking. I have been recognized as a top analyst and am heavily involved around the firm. I'll have about two years of experience during the time of application.

Outside of work, I like to keep busy with the limited extra time I have. I started a global non-profit with a team based in 7 different countries. My organization has achieved significant recognition in various publications around the world. In addition, I am co-founding a unique tech application - although there is much work left to do in this project.

Random fun facts: I have previously worked for and been published in a global magazine as a freelance writer. I recently authored a book on understanding non-profits from a business perspective. I used to be editor-in-chief of my B-school's publication.

I am also a former global pageant title holder.

Any thoughts on how I can improve my candidacy and other schools I should look into? Is my GPA a large concern? What else can I improve?

fudgeme · Answer

If by "global pageant title holder" you mean Miss World sorry gurl but you should lower your standards and try maybe below the top 50. Top 10 schools take only Miss Universe's.. not this "Miss World" sub-par titles. Why settle down for a single planet when they can easily get whole universes? Psh, you are so out of their league darling.

futureceo2014 · Answer

Lol. Cool. I'll keep that in mind.

In all seriousness though, that is hardly the most important facet of my application - in fact, that might be something I decide to leave off entirely if your reactions are indicative of how people act toward something like that. It was something I thought was a part of my "story," but I'd rather keep that off than be ridiculed. Thnx for your comments.

asimov · Answer

I don't think you should let one comment from someone with only 5 posts keep you from putting your pageant honors on your resume. Personally, I think it will allow you to stand out, especially if you were able to leverage that exposure for a greater cause. Your GPA is your GPA, it one item that you have the LEAST control over, so don't worry about it. Your GMAT score more than compensate for the GPA, which is not bad by all means.

I encourage everyone who is thinking about consulting to really do some deep soul searching before diving in head first. One of my close friends who is top of his class at M/B/B confessed that after 2 years at the firm, he is rethinking life's priorities. My classmates who have left or planning to leave M/B/B are complaining about the lack of exit options after 2 years of experience.

The type of work that consultants do is available at companies, if you look for the right role.

DefyingGravity · Answer

Saying you want to go into consulting is fine for your applications. You can always change your mind later.

All-in-all your story seems solid. You have some interesting experience. The key for you is going to be about execution. Start researching schools now, figuring out what makes each school unique, so that you can tell a compelling story. Also, make sure that you can identify your personal impact for your work and other projects. This is especially important since your age/work experience is somewhat below the average.

The pageant thing is fine to include in your apps, but I wouldn't make a big deal out of it. Perhaps just include it as a bullet under "interests and extracurricular activities" on your resume.

Posted from my mobile device

CriticalSquare · Answer

Hey there,

I think you have a fantastic profile. Your professional, academic, and GMAT components are all rock solid but it's your involvement outside of the grind that really catches my attention. You've done more in 2 years than most applicants have done in 3 or 4 or 5. So I'm not even that concerned you're on the younger side (3 years of exp at the time of matriculation).

As DefyingGravity mentioned, consulting is a perfectly fine goal for your applications. Considering 35 - 45% of any top school's class goes into consulting, you're not saying something out of left field. HOWEVER - with a story like consulting, you're going to have to find ways to make your story memorable. That can be challenging. If your story isn't memorable or interesting, then no amount of realism is going to help. Otherwise you'll just be one of the hundreds of applicants wanting to switch into strategy consulting.

As far as your GPA goes, I don't see why that should be of concern. It's solid at a 3.5 and you have a great GMAT. And you graduated from a well known school so I'm not concerned about it at all.

If you're applying this fall, there isn't much length on the runway to improve other components of your application. However, if you can get traction on the tech app or drive sales of your book, I think both of those would be nice supporting points.

As a side note - ABSOLUTELY include the fact that you're a pageant title holder! At the bottom of any good resume there are 2 - 3 bullets for additional information. It adds character and personality to the resume and this is perfect first or last bullet material (if you have 3, otherwise, it doesn't matter - but folks look at the first and last bullets more closely in this section).

If you have any specific questions, don't hesitate to ask! If you'd like to chat about your profile and schools in more detail, sign up for a    - I handle them all so it's a good way to take the conversation offline.

Good luck!

Bhavik

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