Profile evaluation request

Question

I was hoping you could evaluate my profile, and let me know where I would be competitive - thanks!

I currently work for a large investment fund in a research role and I have been here for two years – I would like to apply to an MBA program next year for matriculation in 2 years. There are very few opportunities for leadership here, so I develop my leadership abilities mostly outside the work place (please see extracurriculars below). I would like to earn an MBA from a top US school in order to move to an Analyst position at another fund. Others in my same role, apply at the same time, have gotten into Wharton (3 have gone there), Chicago, Berkeley, and UCLA (they all went to better undergrads than mine). Oddly, no one has ever gotten an interview at Stanford or Harvard.

Personal stats:
- GMAT: 730
- White male, 24
- CFA level III Candidate
- Private pilot (licensed at age 17)

School stats:
- Large, unranked state school
- Major: Finance
- GPA: 3.63

While working I do the following extracurriculars:
- President of my HOA – 18 unit complex, bought the condo when I was 22
- Toast Masters - earned several certifications for public speaking and will likely hold a leadership role by the time I apply
- Volunteer for local the PKD foundation – my girlfriend had kidney transplant from the disease, I was the third largest fundraiser for a half-marathon (raised $2K)
- Volunteer for college student mentorship program (mentor 1 student/semester)
- Volunteer for financial literacy non-profit – I give lectures to college students and lead a local outreach effort

During undergrad, I had the following extracurriculars:
- President of my Finance Society (50 members)
- Treasurer of my Fraternity (100 members, $300K budget) - held 6 other positions over 3 years
- Won leadership award through my university (given to five people annually)
- Won leadership award through my fraternity (given to one person annually)
- 5 internships (IB boutique, IB public finance, Merrill Lynch, family office fund, non-profit finance

Thank you for your advice!

MAC · Answer

Hi eriginal,

Thanks for your message. I reviewed your profile similar to other candidates' profiles when I worked as part of a top tier program's admissions committee. I will advise you below based on my personal experience last year with several candidates who held a similar background to you and were placed at HBS.

Your GMAT score falls within the competitive range for some of the top 10 schools based on our experience last year. Your GPA of 3.63/4.0 (even though an unranked school) will further strengthen your profile. I understand your concern for your colleagues obtaining a college education at better ranked undergraduate programs, however, please look at it the following way. Regardless of whether you attended a top-tier or an unranked college, you achieved a 3.63/4.0. If you had achieved a 3.0/4.0 (ranked or unranked), I may show some concern. I congratulate you on your undergrad performance, as it is not an easy task to achieve this GPA during one of the most challenging times in any student's life - in the midst of the transition from a teenager to a young adult. Across my work with candidates over the past 6+ years, I observe that this is the number one challenge. However, your personal discipline managed it beautifully.

Remember, the undergraduate institution is not as important as the success you incurred during your academic coursework. This has been validated by several postings last year in which candidates who held a college education from top 5 programs (including HBS and Stanford) and were rejected, despite their 720 - 750 GMAT score and 3.5 – 4.0 GPA. This is testament that the programs are quite fair in considering your whole background and will not reject you based on the undergraduate institution rank.

My only concern and the area I will ask that you strengthen is the years of work experience. My main reason for requesting you to wait ~2 more years is that you currently have approximately 2 year of work experience. Ideally, it would be great to wait until you have 4+ years of total work experience. At the end of the day, the quality of work experience is more important than the quantity of years. Candidates with ~3 years of work experience are accepted but schools prefer 4+ years. Programs tend to be fair and understanding but you will have to ensure that you communicate your personal and professional background effectively.

Do you know why I want you to gain work experience before applying? Let me show you... :-D

The more work experience you hold, the more likely you are to contribute to classroom discussions and be a valuable asset in the academic environment (especially towards fellow students). Now, your b-school grades entail 60-80% on what you contribute from your professional work experience across class discussions & group projects. The less work experience you have = the less you will have to contribute = the lower your grades. It is to your personal benefit that you have 4+ years of work experience when attending so that you can be successful in your b-school classes.

I hope this helps you. If you would like to further speak directly with our consultants who are former admissions committee members or our recent admits at any point, please visit https://macapproved.com/free-evaluation/

Best wishes,
Sue and the MAC Team

**Was I helpful? Please give me a Kudos and I will know**

The more work experience you hold, the more likely you are to contribute to classroom discussions and be a valuable asset in the academic environment (especially towards fellow students). Now, your b-school grades entail 60-80% on what you contribute from your professional work experience across class discussions & group projects. The less work experience you have = the less you will have to contribute = the lower your grades. It is to your personal benefit that you have 4+ years of work experience when attending so that you can be successful in your b-school classes. I hope this helps you. If you would like to further speak directly with our consultants who are former admissions committee members or our recent admits at any point, please visit https://macapproved.com/free-evaluation/ Best wishes, Sue and the MAC Team **Was I helpful? Please give me a Kudos and I will know**

eriginal · Answer

That's helpful to know that my undergrad won't be a huge detriment!

On the work experience - I currently have two years of work experience, I will apply with 3 (next Fall) and will matriculate with 4 years total work experience. All of my peers from this fund that have gone to Wharton/Berkeley have had the same amount of work experience - I'm not sure if this will be an issue by the time I apply, do you agree?

MAC · Answer

Hi eriginal,

Thanks for your message. In my experience, I have worked with candidates who were accepted after 3 years to top programs. However, you want to make sure that everything else in your applications is thoroughly (and effectively) communicated. If your overall application is golden, your work experience will get balanced out with other great attributes that you bring forward. As I shared earlier, the quality (over quantity) of the work experience is key.

I hope this helps you.

Best wishes,
Sue and the MAC Team

**Was I helpful? Please give me a   Kudos   and I will know**

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