Ask Veritas Prep Admissions Consulting

Hi there, your honest opinion would be highly valued.

Here we go:

Undergrad:
Went to a Canadian Uni relatively unknown. Took 2 extra years to graduate for the reason of my father dying and having to take care of my family.

GPA:
First two years averaged 75%, last 2 years averaged 85%. Honours Econ.

Work experience:
Moved to London UK and have worked for a boutique Private Equity advisory as an Executive where I helped raise $1billion and was promoted.
Spun out with colleagues to start our own Private Equity Derivatives firm currently regulated by the FSA (quite innovative idea).

Community:
Founding President of a PE association with 50 members managing $75 billion.

Age:
29 now, will be 30 when applying in the fall, will be 31 when entering. I am wondering how this will be viewed because although I would be above the average age, I would still have the average amount of work experience..

GMAT:
Have not taken it yet

Here is the thing, I am already in the private equity industry but I would like to get into the principle investing side of it, and generally would like to formally learn the language of business.

It would only be worth it for me to attend a top 5 school.

I am quite confident that after a few months of studying that I could score 720+ on the gmat.

What I am asking is do you think that I would be a good candidate for any of the top schools listed below under the assumption that I score a 720 on the gmat? If the chances are very slim then I would prefer not to waste the time studying for it and just push on with my career. However, if I have a decent shot then it would be worth it to try.

Schools:
Harvard
Stanford
Wharton
Sloan
Columbia

Weaknesses Summary:
31 years old upon entering
worked for boutique firms no big names
Unknown undergrad school
Okay GPA

Strengths Summary:
International experience
Trade association president - leadership
Entrepreneurship - Innovative new company in the PE industry
Great PE contacts

First of all, I think you should expand your list to include at least the top 10 MBA programs and also add a safety school. There are many strong programs outside of the top five.

Your age is not a huge factor however you should thoroughly explain why you it took you so long to graduate from undergrad (taking care of family, etc). Also, explain if this is the reason for your low GPA at the beginning of your undergraduate studies. The fact that your GPA improved works in your favor b/c Admissions Committees tend to be more forgiving of a low GPA towards the beginning of undergrad than towards the end.

Finally, if you can attain a GMAT score of 720+ then you should definitely go ahead with the application process. A high GMAT score coupled with your strong real world experience will make you a very attractive candidate (particularly if you can create a well prepared application package).