Profile evaluation

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Profile evaluation

by VladMBA » Wed May 04, 2016 2:15 pm
Hello,
Could you please evaluate my profile?

Education: I have both a Master degree from the Chemistry department of Moscow state university (GPA 5.0 out of 5.0) and a Master degree from Financial university in Moscow (GPA 4.9 out of 5.0), Additionally I am a PhD candidate in Quantum chemistry.
Plus, I participated in a few extra no-diploma programs on finance in Russia and in Summer School on Mathematics in Finance in Geneva.

Experience: Currently, I have 4 or 5 years of working experience. I had been working in management consulting at big4 companies, and now I am a head of stream of the big project at Russian Post.

Tests: I have taken GMAT (710 - 50/35 Q/V) and IELTS (8.0)

Extra curriculars: I was a founder of the newspaper at the university and organized sport events there. Additionally, I organized Christmas bazaars at Deloitte.

Race/nationality: Russian/Russia

GMAT: Male / 27 years old.

I want to attend HBS, MIT Sloan and INSEAD. I think that I want to apply for an MBA program because I'd like to get an international learning experience, get new friends, and pursue my career in consulting. Actually, MIT Sloan is my dream

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by CriticalSquareMBA » Thu May 05, 2016 4:51 am
Hi there,

Thanks for sharing your information! It's clear to me that you have the smarts to do well at a top MBA program and beyond, but what about your leadership capacity? Based on your academic profile, you have a great GPA, you already have an advanced degree, and your GMAT is in decent enough shape. It's time to focus on your story. What does the AdComm at MIT need to know about you that they couldn't tell from your resume or transcript?

Your work experience seems to be pretty solid as well, however I'm not seeing the details that demonstrate your performance, achievements, or leadership. I'm sure these are things you have, but given that we're in a forum, it's tough to discuss this properly.

You've named three incredibly competitive schools for your R1 applications this year. What happens if you don't get in? Will you apply again next year? Do you really want to get in somewhere this year? These will affect your application strategy - how many schools to apply to, which schools to apply to in which round, etc. All in all, HBS and MIT are your stretch programs, but could be worth applying to depending on your approach. There is definitely a story to be told - we just need to help bring it to the forefront.

Hope this information helps. Feel free to check out our free resources to get you started for your R1 preparation. If you'd like to chat about how we could help, sign up for a free consultation below. Best of luck this season!
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by mcbMcK » Fri May 06, 2016 2:13 am
A few reflections on your profile VladMBA:
  1. The academic arc looks solid. In that context, the GMAT might be on the modest/average side. If you were scoring better on the mock tests, there might be merit in considering another shot - also because the target list you have is on the aggressive side.
  2. Consulting and Big4 is great. The story however may appear a bit convoluted - consulting, industry, consulting. Make sure you are able to clearly articulate the rationale for this career arc.
  3. Top schools also like multi-dimensional personality. Your ECs seem to be dated or occasional. Be aware of this - not a handicap, but could be a missed opportunity.
  4. For reasons mentioned here, I won't really go into your selection chances at particular school. That said, a slightly expanded school list will certainly help hedge your bets better.
Hope this helps some.

Cheers,
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Email: mcb at mbacrystalball dot com

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by Edison@VeritasPrep » Thu May 12, 2016 9:44 pm
Thanks for sharing.

As note above, you have a strong academic background. It would help your essays to show the logic for the choices you have made and how this fits with your target MBA program, and the post-MBA goal. Showing strong community involvement, leadership, and collaborations skills, as well as self-awareness would provide a nice complement to your extensive education. It would help to show how your education in various fields would help you in your career, addressing this would help dispel concerns that you may be collecting credentials for its sake.

Wish you all the best!
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