Which schools should I apply for?

Question

Hey all,

I'm sure there are a million of these topics posted but I was wondering if someone with a bit of experience could give my profile a look. I'm looking to start the MBA application process and it'd be great to get an idea of what tier school I should focus my energy on.

Australian
28 yo
Male
3 years in top 5 global management consulting firm
700 GMAT
Undergrad GPA 3.7 (top 5 school in Aus) - Architecture
Masters GPA 3.5 (top 3 school in Aus) - Management
A couple of academic and leadership based scholarships
Co-founded a start up that achieved reasonable success but never turned over revenue
Solid ECs
Bi-lingual
Worked in Australia and Europe

Should I bother applying for HSW/LBS/INSEAD? Or should I be targeting the next rung down? Bearing in mind that getting some sort of scholarship would be a factor for me.

Thanks so much for your help!

CriticalSquare · Answer

Hey there!

Thanks for sharing your information. Sounds like you tried to provide us information on most of the relevant topics. One thing that I'd love to learn more about if what you hope to do both in the short and long term. Based on this, it might make sense to give HSW/LBS/INSEAD a shot. The good news is that you have a strong profile, but to be sure, it would also be great to have a better understanding of what your "solid EC" entails. Further, despite your startup not turning any revenue, that experience and leadership will certainly play a major role in your application. Finally, your international experience and your bi-lingual capability are a plus! Let us know if you'd like to chat more in depth about your profile and how to approach your school selection process - you can sign up by clicking the link below! Best of luck!

zero722 · Answer

I think your profile is strong enough for what you listed, have you considered where you want to work afterward?

fxMBAconsulting · Answer

Hi - I think you have a good profile and like the solid consulting work mixed with the entrepreneurial endeavor. It shows you are multidimensional and capable of taking risk. I would encourage you apply to HBS/Wharton/Insead/LBS - you might also like Chicago/Kellogg. I'd suggest applying to a couple of safety schools as well since all the schools you list would be 'reach' schools.

I'm fine with your GPAs but was wondering how many times you've sat the GMAT? If only once or twice you might consider taking it one last time. I feel like it would help your overall application to have a 720 if possible.

As far as funding your MBA - at top US schools you'll have loans available to you from private lendors. You won't get a full scholarship at any of these schools - nobody does (with a couple exceptions).

Feel free to reach out if you'd like to chat.
Leah

Which schools should I apply for?

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