Evaluate my profile please

Question

1. Profile: 21 Asian Male from Pakistan

2. Undergrad: BBA(Hons) Finance major, 3.3 overall GPA

3. College activities: Played chess, cricket, snooker and table tennis. Did alot of projects and also wrote a thesis on Bank mergers and employee efficiency

4. Other activities: I actively play sports including tennis, table tennis and regularly go to gym. I am also a member of MENSA and my IQ is in 99%(percentile)

5. GMAT: Not yet taken but got around 700 on sample tests

6. WE: No full-time work experience but Ive personally managed my family business which includes factories in different cities and other international trading activities(in Pakistan). Ive spent time in all departments of my organization learning. Ive also interned for 6 weeks at Citibank(in Pakistan).

7. Community Involvement: Launched an awareness campaign in a village in Pakistan for farmers to use improved irrigation techniques, high yielding seeds and high quality fertilizers in order to improve their profits and their living standards as a result. Also worked with an NGO collecting aid and spreading awareness about the Pakistani earthquake(in 2005)

8. Leadership experience: Even at such a young age I feel Ive developed leadership qualities when I managed part of my family business. I had 20-30 employees under me and responsibility of a complete manufacturing and sales process. Moreover in college every semester Ive been leading discussion groups.

9. Why MBA: I want to get the best possible education and international exposure to give a boost to my family business and expand it globally.

10. Why the school preferences: I want a school with a strong general management presence and entrepreneurship and finance reputation.

10. Target schools: 1. Chicago 2. Wharton 3. Stanford 4. NYU

What do you think my chances are?

What can I do to improve my chances?

dabots · Answer

one bit of advice, never brag about mensa or your iq in the us. the only time mensa is ever mentioned here is when journalists are writing about somebody they want to depict as smart but have no way to quantify it, save the fact that person pays money to be part of a club of genius wannabes.

i dont think college activities carry much weight, so your application depends on those family business experiences you have had. it sounds like the business is pretty substantial, so the adcoms may be interested in bringing in a kid who is already set financially and will provide good connections to the school.

PaulBodine · Answer

Usman88,

Your profile has several strong features, but you are overreaching by aiming for the four schools you mentioned. One major problem is that your work experience will be partly discounted because it is for your family's business. You will have to work hard to educate the schools so they consider your family business experience to be the equivalent of an applicant who has worked for a large organization that the adcoms have heard of. Your advantage is that you are very young, so you have plenty of time to work for a few years outside of your family firm and thus establish a track record that they can understand better. I like your goal of leading your family firm but I recommend getting some experience outside of it for a few years to prove yourself to the schools. 

Good luck,

usman88 · Answer

i have a couple of questions

1. In any pool(if colleges have any), would I be considered an Indian or a Pakistani?

2. What is the desirable GMAT score for me(considering my GPA, age and other factors)?

3. Do you think that If I apply to these 4 schools in 2009/10(after getting 1 year work experience at a MNC in my country) and a GMAT score of 700+ would I be able to get admission?

4. If I do MBA from Pakistan(with GPA of 3.5+) and then apply to these schools(4a. with 1 year experience is Q3 - - 4b. without any experience) what would be my chances? Yes I am talking about doing MBA again from these schools. 

Before I go any further let me tell everyone that here in my country the norm is that one studies in one go(do bachelors and then immediately do masters) and after setting up in practical life(i.e. after getting a job or starting a business) he never goes back to studying(full time). Keeping this in mind it is very difficult for me to do a job for 3/4 years and then go back to study masters at a top school(2 years) thus ignoring my business for at least 6 years.
My question is that what can I do in order to minimize the work experience required by these elite schools. 

You also mentioned that I should work for some companies which are famous worldwide. Here the problem arises that such companies are limited in number in my country(only notable names which come in my mind are Pepsi, Coca Cola Intl, CitiBank). Therefore once again getting work at such companies is indeed a difficult task.

Mishari · Answer

When i was in college, I recall talking to Adcom officer for University of Chicago over at an MBA fair. The Adcom person mentioned that they accept about 50 or more students in their full-time MBA program stright from college. They even told an international student with no internship, no experience, about 700 GMAT and 3.7 GPA that he has a strong chance to get into the program. I would say if you emphasize the idea of family business as your ultimate sole plan after getting an MBA, you'd have a good chance at Chicago and some other elite schools, hopefully.

PaulBodine · Answer

usman88,

1. You would be considered Pakistani, which is a slight advantage over being considered Indian simply because they see far more Indian applicants than Pakistani applicants, so it's easier for you to stand out.
2. For the schools you listed, your absolute minimum should be 700, but to really get their attention I recommend aiming for 740 or higher.
3. Your odds of admission would definitely increase IMO. You will be more of a 'known quantity'. I think your odds would be strongest at Chicago and NYU and weakest at Stanford.
4. I don't think you help yourself at all by getting an MBA in Pakistan and then applying for an MBA in the U.S. Much, much better would be to just get more leadership and impact in your career.

In re-reading your original post I see that your family company appears to be a large one (multiple factories, cities). This suggests that if you just use your essays (a) to *educate* the adcoms about your family firm's size and scope and "legitimacy" and (b) demonstrate that you earned your current place in that firm through your actions, not your genes -- then you may not need to join a known MNC to get into these schools. 

Good luck,

usman88 · Answer

hello everyone. I am back and there have been some developments.

1)completed my 1 year MBA from a top pakistani school with a CGPA of 3.84. CGPA in 3 year BBA(Hons) was 3.30

2)Took GMAT and obtained a score of 690

3)Beat around 1500 applicants and got selected as Management Trainee in HSBC Bank. Been working for 10 months now. Will be placed as Assistant manager soon.

usman88 · Answer

4)Started my own hedge fund with a capital if USD 1 million (capital provided by family) specializing in trading energy futures on NYMEX and equities on various international stock exchanges.

5)my target unis now for mba are LBS,Chicago and then columbia

6)i am willing and able to pay any fees and all other expenses in advance. Dont need aid/loan/scholarship of any sort.

Please reevaluate my chances for 2011 intake

bsd_lover · Answer

usman88, you will be considered a bit on the "younger" side for LBS MBA. However, your profile is quite distinct - its just that LBS tends to look seriously at folks with 2-3 years of minimum WE and with some international experience / exposure. You might want to also consider the MiF program at LBS which shares most of the classes with MBA folks and provides very similar opportunities in finance (you might be able to sell your Hedge Funds experience better there).

The ability to pay fees does not matter so much for admissions decisions.

Good luck.

PaulBodine · Answer

usman88,

Given the distinctiveness of your profile, I would not discourage you from applying to any of those schools. After all, if you get dinged you're still young enough to reapply with an even stronger profile. Be sure you give them concrete and "road-tested" reasons for needing a second MBA and understand the preference by B-schools for those with 2-3 years work experience.

Good luck,

Evaluate my profile please

Prep Toolkit

Top 5 GMAT Debrief Videos

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards