25 Year Old Zambian

Question

Hello, I would greatly appreciate a review of my profile. I will be applying in round one of fall 2019.

- 25 year old African Male from Zambia
- 2.98 GPA in Finance from a public university in Ohio (Low GPA was due to my over involvement in extracurricular). I returned to Zambia because I'm a strong believer in the Zambian dream.
- 730 GMAT (44V : 46Q)
- Work experience includes: 
1 year at a boutique, well known investment bank in Ohio where I was an analyst. 
2 years at a big 4 accounting firm (EY/Deloitte/PWC) in Corporate Finance and M&A in Zambia where I've received 2 promotions. I manage a group of 3 people. This is my current job*
Founded a data analytics company in 2017 (the first in Zambia), helping multiple companies (foreign and domestic, including publicly listed) drive sales using advanced analytics/programming. I taught myself how to write SQL, Python, C++ and R. I manage a group of 6 people. This is also my current job*
- Extracurricular involvement: Built a school for orphans between 3 and 6 years old. Last year, with the help of my cousin, managed to help send 72 children to school.
Fun Fact, In high school, I represented my country in 3 sports: Rugby, Swimming and Waterpolo.
- I only know of 1 person to have applied to a top business school, U Chicago, and he was accepted. 
- Goal: To transition into PE within Africa 
- Target schools: HBS, UPenn, Stanford, Booth

MahmoudFawzy · Answer

You have brilliant resume, but you GPA is a big problem, especially if you are seeking scholarship.
the value of the extracurricular comes from the ability to manage its time besides academia.

related stories which may help answering your thoughts:
 https://gmatclub.com/forum/low-gpa-case-study-by-stacy-blackman-consulting-152119.html 
 https://gmatclub.com/forum/profiles-admitted-to-top-b-schools-w-low-gmat-or-low-gpa-73999-160.html 
 https://gmatclub.com/forum/admitted-with-a-low-gpa-260897.html

u1983 · Answer

Though I am not an expert, in my opinion your profile looks great except the Gpa part. Saying that... it can be mitigated through GMAT..... though uhave a great verbal score, I would try to push the Q score to 48 or 48+.....even if my verbal score falls by 2/3 points..... Although the best is keep the V intact and move Q up..... all the best

SiaAdmissions · Answer

Hi  zinyembat1 ,

Thank you for sharing your profile. You have a strong and interesting profile. Your work experience and promotions will bode well in your application, provided you can successfully showcase your leadership experience. Assuming strong recommendation, the area that will require work is your academics. While a strong GMAT can help your application, you need to invest a bit of time showcasing your academic abilities to succeed at a highly rigorous institution. Additionally, you will be applying to a highly competitive focus at highly competitive institutions, so I do recommend you retake the GMAT and increase your quant score.

I am happy to continue the conversation. If interested, please reach out  here  to coordinate an initial exploratory call.

Good luck!

25 Year Old Zambian

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