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!

CriticalSquare · Answer

Hey there,

Thanks for posting! So you put tick marks in a lot of important boxes - great GMAT, solid GPA, good position in Finance, involved in undergrad and since. Your career goals make sense and the CFA III will be a nice little bonus when it comes to recruiting which bschools will be well aware of. To be honest, the only real thing I see as even a slight mark (and it isn't even that much of a mark) is your undergrad. Attending a large state school isn't the end of the world and if you demonstrate your performance or show any merit based recognition, that can really help. Obviously you graduated honors but beyond that - if you have anything - would be good to share.

The schools you've listed are actually the exact range I'd suggest. Non H/S through to the UCLA / McCombs limit. If you want to head into another, bigger and badder firm then the higher you go, the better! After all, it comes down to brand. So schools like Booth, Wharton, Tuck, Columbia, Stern, Darden - all really good options. From a career standpoint, that is. They're all very different programs beyond that.

All in all - you've got a lot of stuff in your profile that'll set you up for a solid top 15 run my friend! What I would say is, over the next year, keep crushing it at work and try to find ways to make one or two of your involvement activities reallllly stand out. And if that thing is Toastmasters make it REALLY count - because a lot of people belong to that. So either do something amazing or tie it to a lifelong passion. If possible, however, find something unique to you. Maybe something more with the PDK Foundation?

Hope that helps and if you have any other questions - let me know or shoot us a note!

Bhavik

eriginal · Answer

Thanks for the reply! That is very helpful. I checked out your website by the way, and I found the info on there very interesting (especially in differentiating the different programs). I was thinking the exact same thing, most of my peers went to better undergrads, so that was my biggest worry. As for merit based recognition, the award I earned through the college was for "Future Business Leaders" and was given based on academics, leadership, volunteering etc. The award I earned through my fraternity was based on the same criteria and both are selective. Aside from that, the only other merit based awards I earned were cum laude honors (as you mentioned) and various honor societies (Phi Kappa Phi, Golden Key etc.). For the PKD Foundation, I plan on volunteering again and fund raising a large sum again this year. Though not much opportunity for leadership there unfortunately.

I have a few more questions if you have a moment:

- I am having trouble deciding whether or not I should use an Admissions Consult. Would you say essay editing would likely be the highest value add service in my situation? Or would you recommend a more complete service?
- I ideally would like to end up working on the West Coast (bay area specifically) - I understand Booth and Wharton have the national reach to place students in jobs countrywide... is this true of Columbia? Also because of the location, would Berkeley (despite the ranking lower and less Finance focus) be a better fit than Columbia?
- How many schools do you recommend applying for? I was thinking of applying to Stanford (is this a complete waste of effort?), Wharton, Booth, Columbia, Berkeley, and UCLA (is having a safety school also a waste of effort?)
- My step father is an internationally well-known author/public speaker that attended Harvard undergrad. I was under the impression mentioning this would only be detremental... is this true? Or would Harvard MBA value that sort of connection?

Thanks so much again for your help!

CriticalSquare · Answer

You're very welcome and I'm glad you found those resources helpful! To your questions:

1) Given your background, you probably don't need a full out service. It's a ton of money and you're in a field where you have access to a network that can help you with a lot of it. For example, your friends who went through the process are valuable. Our more comprehensive packages are important for individuals who have some flags in their profiles or come from abroad needing help with applying to western programs.

For you, it'll come down to resume and essay editing. I assume you have access to recommenders who have probably done this before so they know how this works. You can probably put together a good story on your own and, from what you've written, your story makes sense. From our end - look at either our  Hourly Services  or our  Tactical Package .

2) Columbia can definitely get you out to the West Coast but obviously their forte is Wall Street. That said, they're a premier financial institution and east coast / west coast - everyone knows it. Berkeley - eh. Have a reason for applying beyond career opportunities. Because if I owned a fund out in SF, I'd probably pick a Boothie over a Haas grad simply because of brand. Above all else - finance is a brand game.

3) If you're applying starting in R1 next fall, then I'd say hit 4 in R1 (and throw in an unrealistic stretch - e.g. Stanford - if you want). Then while those are out, starting pulling together your 2 or 3 R2 apps. If you get good news R1, pull the plug. What I would say is 1 unrealistic stretch, 1 realistic stretch, 1 aligned, maybe 1 safety. But there are a lot of ways to put this together. Also, do apply to safeties - you're in finance - you get diversification. Better to have a safety in the pocket and not need it than not!

4) HBS really doesn't care too much about stuff like that unless your parents are trustees. Is it cool - yes - can you mention it? Eh, if you can do so naturally - which I doubt. So it'll seem forced and might work against you. It also probably won't move the needle.

Bhavik

eriginal · Answer

1) Yes, I have quite a few people (bosses willing to write recs and peers that are currently at b-school) that know I want to go to business school and should be able to help out quite a bit as you said. I appreciate the honesty, the tactical package and hourly services both look like a good fit - how far out do you reccommend I complete drafts of my essays/resume and reach out?

2) Makes perfect sense. I always thought Berkeley was fairly similar to the other programs? Was I wrong here?

3) That's helpful. For the safety school (i.e., UCLA), if I get that far down the list I don't even know that getting the MBA would be worth the financial/opportunity cost career-wise (as you said Finance is all about the brand name), but I suppose that is a personal choice on my end. Stanford, Wharton, Booth, Columbia seems like a good list then - I am having quite a bit of trouble eliminating one from that list to even include space for a safety school.

4) Good to know. I am also terrible at name dropping and making it sound natural, so I will avoid it.

CriticalSquare · Answer

Hey there,

1) Yeah, that's what I figured. Even our earliest bird applicants don't kick off until May or June. That gives you plenty of time (3 - 4 months) to work on your apps. That's a great runway! However, sometimes we kick packages off with clients the year before so that we can conduct the Initial Assessment (every package starts with a 1.5 hour call or so where we learn about you - we can't do our job if we don't know where you're coming from) and then point out what we think you should work on over the next 9 months. Some people find that valuable. But that isn't a must and it's entirely up to you. But you don't want to work on essays too early because if they decide to switch things up you're left holding the bag.

2) Similar in what way? It's a fantastic, top 10 program that will place people into every field - including high finance. But it has certain advantages over other top 10 programs and others have advantages over it. But it's similar in that it is a solid foundation and global brand.

3) Where you draw that line is a personal decision - but UCLA is a great school that could definitely open up some doors into finance. You might have to work a bit harder and do a little more legwork, but it'll get you there! Also, some R1 deadlines are almost a month off - for example, this year Booth was ~28 days earlier than UCLA's R1. So things like that can work in your favor!

4) Sound like a good idea

eriginal · Answer

That's perfect, I plan on visiting the schools over the Spring, I will be taking level 3 of my CFA in early June, then I can roll right into b-school apps for the fall. Don't think an Initial Assessment is neccessary this early on for me - I think I have a pretty good idea of the things I will actually be able to improve. I think an Initial Assessment may be able to add more value closer to the application date. That answers my question for Haas actually. Thanks again for all the help!

CriticalSquare · Answer

My pleasure! Good luck with the year ahead and have fun visiting schools - that's a really exciting part of the process! If you're interested - sign up for our newsletter. It's a good way to get interesting blog posts, showcases, and tips straight to your inbox.

Looking forward to kicking things off next summer!

Bhavik

Looking forward to kicking things off next summer!

Bhavik

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