Profile Evaluation

Question

Thank you guys for helpful advice in this forum. I'd like to hear your opinion on my profile as well as a question I've been pondering. Here's a bit about me:

- Asian-American male, age 26 at matriculation
- B.S. in Finance from Pepperdine (3.63)
- 2.5 years with a small boutique IB (currently an Associate)
- GMAT: 760 (49Q, 45V, 6.0 AWA)

I’m applying to Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, Columbia, Sloan, Booth, and Tuck; is this reasonable? Moreover, a bigger question that I am contemplating portends to the overall story of my applications.

My faith is a big part of who I am, and I hope to clearly communicate this in my applications. Most of my involvements have been faith-based — leading a men’s ministry and serving as worship leader at school, and leading the college and young adults ministries while serving as worship leader for my home church, both during (summers) and after college — and I want to discuss the element of faith in my essays as well. My question, however, is this: Is there a point where, if I talk too deeply about my faith, it comes across negatively or as ‘preaching’ rather than introspection?

bryantmichaels · Answer

Great questions. You want to stand out, and I think your story has a great element of distinction with it's obvious thread of faith (Christian college, extracurriculars, etc) When I went to get my MBA, there was all kinds of religious diversity in the class including Mormons, Sikhs, Jews, Christians, Muslims, etc. Even though Christianity is the majority faith in the US, there is still room to distinguish yourself in the application process, again, with the level of commitment you have shown and the consistency with which you obviously live out your faith in Jesus. Having said all that, for some of the same reasons, because Christianity is so widespread, you do need to take an extra measure of thoughtfulness. You are wise to be thinking that you don't want to come across as preachy or proselytizing. Christianity unfortunately already has that stigma attached. At the end of the day, they want to know that you will be easy to work with and valuable to your study teams. Even though as a Christian, everything you do involves your faith, not everyone understands that it's possible to do that without causing problems to your teammates. In short, feel free to tell your story without apology, but i think you will find it's easier than you realize to balance the application once you begin talking about your career, banking, leadership, etc. There is indeed a fine line between an unashamed stand on your faith and wearing it on your sleeve--don't be gratuitous and I am sure you can very naturally weave a story that is balanced and compelling. Your target schools are well selected. With your high GMAT, a top 50 undergrad experience and solid career achievements, your merits should be attractive to any school regardless of your race or religious affiliation.

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