Profile Evaluation

[luckyfella]

It is a dream of mine to attend Stanford and later start a business venture that will create a legacy for my family to be proud of. If you have any help, please let me know how I can become a more competitive applicant. Anyway, here goes:

Work experience:
-Currently studying for my MD @ a top 10 U.S. research institution/medical school
-Worked as a paid teaching assistant for multiple Chemistry labs and 1 graduate-level Histology lab during my Sophomore-Senior yrs. in college; I was responsible for organizing the curriculum for the Histology lab and grading the students in all labs
-1 medical internship in undergrad at a top 10 U.S. medical center (healthcare)
-1 medical research internship in undergrad at a top 10 U.S. medical center (health-care)

Business-related experience:
-Created a formal business plan for my own business idea and worked with a consultant on logo design, web development, and marketing plan to develop my plan further over the course of a year; did this during a year off after getting accepted into medical school
-3 years of experience with ultimately unsuccessful investments in the stock market (tens of thousands) and the insights gained
-5 years of experience being a co-landlord of a rental property belonging to one of my parents; involved in advertising, creating leases, obtaining notarizations, paying property taxes, rent collection, and updating & maintaing the property


Leadership & Volunteerism:
-Treasurer for 2 years for the Rotaract Club (a division of the Rotary Club for university students) in undergrad
-Coordinated and volunteered in a trip to Mexico to renovate an elementary school as part of Rotaract
-Volunteer Income Tax Assistance for 2 years in undergrad

Academics:
GPA: 3.76/4.00 Pre-Medical Biology B.S. at University of Texas branch university [Took courses like: Advanced Orgo, Advanced Biochem, etc.]
GMAT: 750

Others:
-Fluent in Spanish & English and conversational in a 3rd language
-Received a full scholarship to study my 3rd language of interest abroad in Europe during undergrad
-1st to attend college in the U.S.
-Have traveled to Mexico, Germany, Norway, and Italy on multiple trips; have experience of other cultures

Any suggestions help. Please let me know what I need to stand a better chance of attending Stanford GSB. Thank you.

[mbaMissionJessica]

Thank you for your inquiry.

There are many aspects of your background that I think a top business school like Stanford would find appealing - to start with your academic record is excellent, and your being in medical school will differentiate you as well. Your personal story - being the first in your family to attend a US college, speaking 3 languages and some international experience are also helpful.

Schools will also be evaluating your work experience to understand your leadership potential and here I have a few questions. It sounds like you have a good instinct for leadership but that much of your experience was in college, which may be too far back for you to be able to write about in an essay. It also sounds like the business venture you worked on for a year did not actually launch - and yet I don't see it as a potential topic for a failure essay question, from what you write either. While the experience of writing a business plan and developing an idea is valuable, I am not sure how much of a strength it is. I think your work experience in general might not be sufficient for a top school, although if you plan to apply in a couple of years (after medical school and some work experience) that may offset the concern.

The bigger concern I have is that you do not articulate a clear goal or reason for going to business school. Stanford traditionally asks an essay question about your career vision, and simply wanting to start "a business venture that will create a legacy" isn't specific enough. You may already have a clear idea and simply didn't express it in this post, but be sure you can articulate a very clear logical flow from your past experiences to your future, and why Stanford will help bridge the gap.

Finally, remember that the schools also want to see a high level of engagement with the world. I understand it is hard to do much volunteer work during medical school, but think about ways that you have made a difference in the world, even outside of formal volunteer work. It will be important to demonstrate that level of engagement as well.

Best of luck,

Jessica Shklar