Hi Team, thanks so much in advance for your time and advice.
I'm looking to apply in R1 Class of 2020 to H, S, W, and Columbia. I'd love to hear your thoughts on whether or not this is realistic. I'm also curious to your thoughts on my GPA / GMAT, and post-MBA goals. Applied for HBS last year and did not get an interview, but frankly did a poor job of telling my story on my own.
Personal Background (at matriculation):27 year old male, Australian, born to Latin American family (fluent in Spanish). Currently residing in the U.S.
GMAT: 720 (94%) on 1st attempt: IR 7, Q48(73%), V40(91%), AW5
Education Background:- Bachelor in Commerce from #1 Australian University, completed subsequent honors year at top 5 Australian university
- First two years of undergrad were weak (lower second class honors - ~3.0 GPA), but turned it around in my last two years (~3.68GPA, ~3.34GPA overall).
- Was on the dean commendation list in my final year (5% of students) and accepted into a highly selective honours research year (~2% of students)
Professional Background:-
1. Australia. After graduating college, joined Australia's #1 investment bank in Melbourne, Australia
-
2. New York. One year into role, was transferred to New York City: Spent 1.5 years in an entrepreneurial team investing in renewable energy in Latin America. Role required full-time fluency in Spanish, building out the team, and setting culture
-
3. Boston Private Equity. $3bn special situations private equity fund investing in North American companies. Not a well known brand, but very active work experience, reviewing over 100 deals and closing five. Performance has been above expectations, have taken on leadership roles earlier than anticipated, and have been a catalyst for the firm's involvement in community causes
Leadership / Extracurricular:-
Education Causes. Co-Director of Development for a college-access non-profit in Boston. Serves ~100 high-potential, low-income high school kids annually with an operating budget of $300k
-
International Relations. Committee Member of American Australian Association; Alumni council member for my undergrad business school; potentially a World Economic Forum 'Global Shaper'
-
Additional Education. Taking a 'Leadership' course at Harvard Summer School this year
-
Personal Interests. Boxing, Latin Dancing
Post-MBA Goal- Frankly, I'll probably go back to my current firm (potentially with sponsorship), which I'm really enjoying. I'd love to be an 'intrapraneur' internally as we launch new investment strategies and geographies
- I don't strictly need an MBA to do this. My approach to the MBA is mainly to just meet great people and open my eyes to new experiences. It's just 2 years in a hopefully long life. Is this a good enough reason for the AdCom?
Thank you so much once again!