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jk451
Joined: 27 Sep 2015
Last visit: 19 Jul 2016
Posts: 21
Own Kudos:
Given Kudos: 8
Schools: INSEAD Jan '17 (A)
GMAT 1: 790 Q51 V51
27 Sep 2015, 13:42
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As most other people in this section, I am wondering what my chances are to get into my target schools. However, I live in the UK and so am looking at both US and non-US schools. If your answer is related mainly to US schools because that's what you focus on the vast majority of the time, please indicate so.
Nationality: Czech Republic
Age: 26
Undergraduate: First Class in Computer Science, University of Cambridge (note that in the UK university system, First Class is the highest ranking one can obtain, equivalent to 4.0+ of US GPA)
Work experience: 2 years trading interest rate derivatives at 2 bulge bracket investment banks and after that 1.5 years as a software engineer for Amazon in the UK (going to be 2 to 2.5 at the time of application), working on programmatic advertising, where I have delivered several concrete measurable results (most significant was an experimental advertising program I led whose successor is now running permanently with several million dollars in funding a month)
GMAT: not yet completed, I will not apply with anything less than 750, so assume 750
Extra-curricular activities (a bit weak):
1) At at 15-19 I participated in many olympiads in mathematics, physics and computer science, and advanced several times to the Czech national round in these and once to the Central European round - is this of any use?
2) For 3 years I have been supervising students at Cambridge in several Computer Science subjects part-time (the subjects are Probability and Computation Theory)
What I'd like to do post-MBA: Ideal scenario is setting up a new business together with people from the network I develop while at the business school - does the post-MBA target make any difference?
Target schools: The very top - I don't want to pay the large amount of money for anything less than the best schools
So: HBS, LBS (London Business School), INSEAD, Stanford GSB, Wharton
I am guessing my work experience is very unusual. I started off trading at investment banks because at the time I was really enthusiastic about the markets, but it turned out to be very monotone and not developing any generally re-usable skills outside the very narrow area of over-the-counter sell-side derivatives trading (in fact after 2 years your employability is limited only to the particular derivative you are trading). So I wanted a change and chose to work as a software engineer for Amazon because I wanted to try something more technology-focused, but at the same time Amazon is a company where engineers are required to solve business problems as well as technical problems. Not sure if that's of any help though.
Thanks
Nationality: Czech Republic
Age: 26
Undergraduate: First Class in Computer Science, University of Cambridge (note that in the UK university system, First Class is the highest ranking one can obtain, equivalent to 4.0+ of US GPA)
Work experience: 2 years trading interest rate derivatives at 2 bulge bracket investment banks and after that 1.5 years as a software engineer for Amazon in the UK (going to be 2 to 2.5 at the time of application), working on programmatic advertising, where I have delivered several concrete measurable results (most significant was an experimental advertising program I led whose successor is now running permanently with several million dollars in funding a month)
GMAT: not yet completed, I will not apply with anything less than 750, so assume 750
Extra-curricular activities (a bit weak):
1) At at 15-19 I participated in many olympiads in mathematics, physics and computer science, and advanced several times to the Czech national round in these and once to the Central European round - is this of any use?
2) For 3 years I have been supervising students at Cambridge in several Computer Science subjects part-time (the subjects are Probability and Computation Theory)
What I'd like to do post-MBA: Ideal scenario is setting up a new business together with people from the network I develop while at the business school - does the post-MBA target make any difference?
Target schools: The very top - I don't want to pay the large amount of money for anything less than the best schools
So: HBS, LBS (London Business School), INSEAD, Stanford GSB, Wharton
I am guessing my work experience is very unusual. I started off trading at investment banks because at the time I was really enthusiastic about the markets, but it turned out to be very monotone and not developing any generally re-usable skills outside the very narrow area of over-the-counter sell-side derivatives trading (in fact after 2 years your employability is limited only to the particular derivative you are trading). So I wanted a change and chose to work as a software engineer for Amazon because I wanted to try something more technology-focused, but at the same time Amazon is a company where engineers are required to solve business problems as well as technical problems. Not sure if that's of any help though.
Thanks
28 Sep 2015, 08:30
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Thanks for sharing your profile. Here's a more US focused perspective. You have top notch education coupled with an exceptional GMAT score (750). You have also worked in some rigorous work environments that will be seen as intellectually challenging. i think the key for you is connecting your past, present, and future on the career front. There may be some confusion looking at your career trajectory at first glance so make sure this is pretty buttoned up. Your post MBA goals are very important because remember this is the primary reason most pursue an MBA so never discount this. The more specific you can be here the better you will be. Overall with the profile above you should be competitive at the schools listed above but keep in mind these are some of the best schools in the world so even when competitive admissions is still an uphill battle so putting together a complete application package scores aside will still be very important.
29 Sep 2015, 08:55
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Hi there,
Thanks for sharing your background. I would have to agree with the assessment above that while it's worth applying to the programs listed, it's still going to be more of a stretch than anything else. Honing in your career goals - both in the short and long term - will be critical. If you decide to go the start-up route, you should focus on connecting your vision of that start-up with a passion of yours or have some sort of tie to your past work experience. Further, detailing out a logical path from your short term goal to your long term goal will be highly scrutinized as well.
Given your background, work experience, and future goals have you considered MIT Sloan or Chicago Booth? While these are also schools that are in the stretch category, they are more attainable than your target schools listed while still giving you a great shot at achieving your goals.
Hope this helps! Best of luck with your application!
Thanks for sharing your background. I would have to agree with the assessment above that while it's worth applying to the programs listed, it's still going to be more of a stretch than anything else. Honing in your career goals - both in the short and long term - will be critical. If you decide to go the start-up route, you should focus on connecting your vision of that start-up with a passion of yours or have some sort of tie to your past work experience. Further, detailing out a logical path from your short term goal to your long term goal will be highly scrutinized as well.
Given your background, work experience, and future goals have you considered MIT Sloan or Chicago Booth? While these are also schools that are in the stretch category, they are more attainable than your target schools listed while still giving you a great shot at achieving your goals.
Hope this helps! Best of luck with your application!
