Chances for Top JD/MBA?

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Chances for Top JD/MBA?

by Bleeker » Thu Mar 27, 2014 6:05 pm
Here are my stats:

-American male, mid twenties
-BBA in finance and BA in economics from top state school (3.9 GPA)
-Three years investment banking at a top bank (think Goldman Sachs / Morgan Stanley / JP Morgan), with third spent in an international office
-Two years experience at a middle market private equity firm (good track record but not much of a national brand name)
-Worked on several high profile deals as a banker
-760 GMAT
-174 LSAT
-Decent extracurricular involvement during school (some work for nonprofits, executive board for a couple of student organizations, paper published in undergraduate economics journal)

My goal is to work at a fund specializing in distressed debt and other unique and illiquid investments. The main thing I'm worried about with my apps is that my profile just seems too generic - good student at a state school works at a bank and then does private equity. It just doesn't seem unique enough. The programs that I'm really interested in are Harvard, Stanford, Penn/Wharton, Chicago/Booth, Columbia and Northwestern/Kellogg.

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by Eliot » Fri Apr 04, 2014 9:39 am
Hi Bleeker,

Thank you for your post!

Overall, I see a lot of strengths in your profile. You have solid academics, including a high GPA and competitive test scores. The brand strength of your investment banking experience should help you stand out in the admissions process. On the other hand, there are quite a number of investment bankers applying to business school who lack management skills and operational experience. To differentiate yourself, you will need to highlight your interpersonal abilities and interactions in a professional setting, as well as any other exposure you have gained that will help you to stand out from other applicants and counter this perceived weakness. You will also want to keep an eye toward quantifying your impact and achievements. Another way to stand out would be in demonstrating your leadership outside of the work place. While it is understandable that investment banking has a punishing pace, your community efforts would help you stand out. It looks like you have some fair activities to highlight from college, but you will need more recent signs of your passion and leadership outside of the office. In regards to your goals, it's great that you have a track in mind, but these could be strengthened with consideration of the impact you want to have and potential long-term growth.

Finally, you will also want to consider why you want a JD/MBA. Digging deeper into the reasons you want to pursue a joint degree, as well as your specific interest in the schools you list, would further help you stand out in the admissions process.

If you'd like to discuss how you could "stand out" and fit with these programs further, please reach out to us at [email protected].
Eliot Ingram
Clear Admit, LLC
[email protected]
215 568 2590

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