Profile Evaluation for Fall 2017 Prospective Applicant

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Hi there,

I am interested in beginning the b-school application process, with a target to apply in the Fall of 2017. I have not yet taken my GMAT and am essentially trying to see if my profile is 'decent' enough to warrant the beginning of the application process for a Top 10 school. By the time I apply, I will have spent two and a half years in my current role as a corporate tax accountant at a major US airline; prior to this job, I worked at PwC in Tax for four and a half years, was early-promoted to Senior Associate, and left as a Senior.

Extra Curricular: Post-grad EC definitely needs strengthening - I have run two full marathons, and have audited two semesters of Japanese language for fun. I also travel as a hobby, given my airline benefits. Is it too late to devote a few hours a week to a volunteer activity, given that I'm now less than a year in advance of my potential application?

Undergrad school/major: BBA Accounting from Big 12 private University (top 80) and Master of Taxation degrees.

Race/nationality: Vietnamese-American

GMAT: Female

Age at time of application: 30

GMAT: TBD - I believe I can score 720+.

Undergrad GPA: 3.95/4.0

Goal of MBA: Switch from role in accounting into management consulting and eventually transition into corporate development with focus on transportation, travel and tourism.

Dream schools: H/S/W, Booth, Columbia, Kellogg, Stern

Any comments you can provide to strengthen my profile or to let me know that I need to temper my hopes would be very greatly appreciated. I know that my undergrad name-brand and work as an accountant might serve as a handicap to my overall profile, so I am trying to figure out ways to differentiate myself now before next fall rolls around.

Thanks, and cheers!

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by MargaretStrother » Wed Dec 28, 2016 12:30 pm
A lot of great stuff here! Your fabulous GPA and brand-name undergrad, plus a projected 720 GMAT, will go far to raise the interest of top MBA programs.
Now, the biggest question mark for me is leadership: what teams have you led, at work, in your university years, or in community service commitments? Nonexistent extracurricular leadership might be a challenge for you at HBS and other top business schools, but you can certainly use the year coming up to develop some engagements that cover both leadership and community. As a Vietnamese-American, you might have some unique, culturally-specific opportunities to "give back" while highlighting your international perspective; if you have done community work in the past, this might be a good time to reconnect with one of those organizations. If not, that would be a great area for you to crank up, while you're working on your GMAT.
A point to bear in mind is that group leadership is the strongest community service option, so if you have a choice between one-on-one mentoring and, say, recruiting and leading a GROUP of mentors, either in weekly contributions or in organizing annual corporate give-back days -- go for the group leadership.

Best of luck to you! Focus on using community service to differentiate as a leader, and you should be a top contender next fall.

Margaret Strother
Margaret Strother
Senior Consultant
Stacy Blackman Consulting

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