Profile Evaluation, Thank you!

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zonia
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Topic: Profile Evaluation, Thank you!
PostSat May 23, 2009 1:42 am
Hello,

I am a big fan of HBS and Columbia, would like to know if I would get a decent chance to get into either school.

School Stats:
- Undergrad 3.1 GPA (Top 5% of the class)
- BBA, Information Systems Major
- Best honours project (Research paper) among 300 undergrad in my final year
- Postgrad A- Average (Top 3% of the class)
- MSc in Financial Analysis - Security Analysis Major
- Designation: CPA / CISA (Information Systems auditor)
- 760 GMAT (50M, 46V 5.5 AWA)

Work
- 4-year at Big 4 public accountancy firm, worked in risk advisory, audit and due diligence and currently on secondment to marketing department
- Assist on family business of wine trading, active business in france, UK, singapore and china (not on full-time nor having a "specific" position)

Extracurricular
- Active volunteer in various organization like UNICEF, Oxfam
- Founding member and EVP of a foreign student assistance club in college
- Fonnding member and Financial Secretary of a young member committee in a professional society

I would also like to know if I really wanna be admitted, is my assistance to family business a positive or I should not include it in the experience? And, if I shall include that, who I should get for a recommendation letter? Will a family member recommendation be less reliable?

Thank you so much!

Best regards
Zonia
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Paxton Helms - Kaplan
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PostSat May 23, 2009 6:09 pm
I would say that you are definitely a candidate. A few thoughts, though:

- Why an MBA when you already have an MSc in Financial Analysis? What can the MBA do that your MSc hasn't already done?

- HBS and Columbia get application from many many many more qualified people than they could possibly accept. Point being, even if you are super insanely qualified, there is ALWAYS a lottery element and NEVER a guarantee. The admissions consultant will tell you the first part; it's up to you to infer the second.

As an admissions consultant, I have been amazed at who has gotten in to HBS and who hasn't. Even with your outstanding credentials, please do not count on getting into Harvard or Columbia.

Good luck and stay in touch--

Paxton
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Keep me in the loop about your thinking and let me know if you have any more questions.

Paxton



Paxton Helms is an MBA admissions consultant for Kaplan Admissions Consulting. He earned his MBA from UCLA and specializes in helping clients that are applying to top twenty and "reach" programs. He can be reached directly at paxton.kaplan@gmail.com.

To begin working with Paxton immediately, follow this link and request him specifically: http://www.kaptest.com/GMAT/Admissions-Consulting/business-school-admissions-consulting.html
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zonia
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PostSat May 23, 2009 8:02 pm
Dear Paxton,

Thank you for your prompt reply.

For the "Why MBA" question, I've also done a self reflection on it and there are two main reason to myself. First, it's MSc to me is a technical enhancement and together with my CPA or working experience, I think those are good tools for me to take up management roles (in CPA firm or family business) and now I would need enhancements of management knowledge and skillsets to polish the tools I have and turn it into use, which I think MBA can bring me. Second, I'm looking for a industry change and planning to either take a management consulting, private banking or family business roles after MBA. Sounds convincing to you?

For the family business part, I would like to know...
1. Shall I include my family business experience in the application? (I spend like 10-20 hours per week on the work there altho not holding a permanent job there yet)
2. In the recommendation letters, would it be a positive point to invite my family member to write me a recommendation? Or it would sound unreliable to Adcom?

Thank you so much for your kind attentions.

Best regards
Zonia
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Paxton Helms - Kaplan
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PostSun May 24, 2009 5:46 am
Quote:
For the "Why MBA" question, I've also done a self reflection on it and there are two main reason to myself. First, it's MSc to me is a technical enhancement and together with my CPA or working experience, I think those are good tools for me to take up management roles (in CPA firm or family business) and now I would need enhancements of management knowledge and skillsets to polish the tools I have and turn it into use, which I think MBA can bring me. Second, I'm looking for a industry change and planning to either take a management consulting, private banking or family business roles after MBA. Sounds convincing to you?
This sound plausible to me. I would need to know a bit more about your MSc degree and your future plans to comment definitively one way or another but --as long as you position the MBA as a management degree vs. a technical MSc degree then I think you should be okay.

Quote:
For the family business part, I would like to know...
1. Shall I include my family business experience in the application? (I spend like 10-20 hours per week on the work there altho not holding a permanent job there yet).
Any work experience is valuable, especially if it is 20 hours a week and has enhanced and informed your vision for your career. Include it.

Quote:
2. In the recommendation letters, would it be a positive point to invite my family member to write me a recommendation? Or it would sound unreliable to Adcom?
This is a always a tricky question but I almost always come out with a "no." A better choice would be to ask a customer with whom you have worked or even a non-family member also involved with the company to write your rec. If you simply have to do this, make sure that the recommender discloses the conflict of interest and that they give a candid review of your skills / interests (skip the "Zonia is just PERFECT!!" kind of recommendations which, frankly, don't really help anyone.)

Paxton
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Keep me in the loop about your thinking and let me know if you have any more questions.

Paxton



Paxton Helms is an MBA admissions consultant for Kaplan Admissions Consulting. He earned his MBA from UCLA and specializes in helping clients that are applying to top twenty and "reach" programs. He can be reached directly at paxton.kaplan@gmail.com.

To begin working with Paxton immediately, follow this link and request him specifically: http://www.kaptest.com/GMAT/Admissions-Consulting/business-school-admissions-consulting.html
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