Profile Evaluation

Question

Dear Admissionado Consultant,
I’m writing on behalf of a tutoring client of mine, a 35-year-old Moroccan male who has been involved for the last eight years as a project manager overseeing complex construction, outfitting, and decoration of palaces for royalty in the Gulf and in Malaysia.
One of his major responsibilities is overseeing the handiwork of Moroccan craftsmen who painstakingly, by hand, fashion intricate decorations for his clients’ palaces and offices.

He has been made aware that the next stage in his career, one that would allow even greater access to high-profile clients and the resultant projects, involves acquiring an MBA from a suitably prestigious business school ― in addition, of course, to the practical knowledge and interaction to be gained from a business-school environment. Work demands are such that studying for the GMAT would be nearly impossible, and so he and I are looking at both Kellogg and MIT as possible choices ― neither require the GMAT. I can tell you my client graduated from the Ecole Nationale d’Architecture in Rabat ― a school typically ranked about #15 in Morocco ― with a 3.8 GPA (converted from the French point system)
So what he needs is a “profile evaluation,” given his envy-inducing job description coupled with a major test-prep dilemma.
(His company’s website can be viewed at https://www.grcc.co.)
His future goal involves joining, or more likely forming, a Private Equity group, as an offshoot to his current activities, using the considerable client, investor and investment resources available to him.
Personal qualities are exemplary: he is trilingual, sociable, well-traveled, news-aware, generous, cool under pressure.
Also, he will not need any financial aid.
He is not concerned about job-hunting post-MBA.
We would be most grateful for your comments and suggestions.

Admissionado · Answer

Kellogg & MIT actually do require the GMAT (as does just about any school with a good reputation) unless you are looking at the executive MBA programs? Unfortunately your client sounds a bit too junior for executive MBA programs (which tend to be comprised of global leaders and senior executives), although depending on the details of his role he may have a shot at it, and they are certainly much easier to get into than full-time MBA programs. That said, at Kellogg for example, the average years of work experience is 14 so in comparison your client sounds too junior assuming he has 8 years of experience, and project manager is typically not a particularly senior title in the US. He will really need to be able to position himself as a young executive as much as possible in order to have a shot at an executive MBA & honestly I think it will be a stretch.

Assuming he wants to attend a full time program, my advice is that he find time to study for the GMAT to give himself access to more schools, including possibly Kellogg & MIT if his score is high enough. The GMAT is a tool the adcom uses to compare applicants, and it's especially critical for someone coming from such a unique background such as your client. In addition, if he does not take the GMAT he is closing himself off from the majority of the top 50 schools, since they all require it. It would mean aiming fairly low in terms of school ranking.

Aside from just the school application requirements, the GMAT is important when you are coming from an unusual background or if you have any challenges in your candidacy because it gives the adcom an objective way to measure your abilities. If you are coming from a company they are not at all familiar with (which seems extremely likely in your client's case) they need that type of objective measure to compare you to other applicants. In addition, your client's age and years of experience present some challenges (which a very strong GMAT can help compensate for) because he is too "old' for full time programs (which look for applicants with 3-5 years of experience) but too young for executive MBA programs, which like I said tend to want senior executives with ~14+ years of experience.

A part time program would be ideal - he's right at the age/years of experience target - but the challenge with those is that he needs to be working while attending school & given the nature of his job it sounds like one that it would be impossible to do remotely. He could also consider European full time programs, which do skew older than US programs, but all the good schools (INSEAD, LBS, Oxford, etc) require a GMAT score.

Sorry that is not exactly the news you were looking for but I hope this information is helpful!

dorane · Answer

Indeed, quite helpful. Innumerable thanks for your efforts!

Admissionado · Answer

Happy to help!

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