kevinab wrote:Hi,
Hi Kevinab, We certainly don't want anyone killing themselves over MBA applications. One thing to keep in mind is that this admissions process is not a reflection of your self worth - it is about do you have the pieces that fit into a particular school's puzzle that they are building...

You have in your favor that you are French! The pool of French citizens seeking US MBA programs is smaller than for some countries so give yourself points for that! Then the work experience and activities are solid too. I would focus on what you can control next... make sure you make the most of your campus visits and also find out about the extracurriculars and clubs where you would get involved. Use this as a chance to learn about the situation there and then in essays and interviews speak intelligently about how you can give back to the school. We have great expertise for HBS/Stanford/Wharton for R2 so if you want help with those applications now is the time to get it! You can learn how we can help from this link:https://stratusprep.com/free-consult/

Best wishes to you! And don't get stressed- look at this as a great adventure.

I am definetely starting to get nervous, after years of prep. Plan to apply at R1 to INSEAD, Columbia and NYU. R2 to HBS, Stanford, Booth and Wharton, maybe LBS.

Here is my profile:
- 28yo, french native
- undergrad BBA from a singular french-american BS (known for sending students to top MBA..., which is unusual in France). GPA 3.4
- Master in asset and risk management from a tier 2 french BS. GPA 3.3

- 1.5y of consulting at a small boutique (american express has an advisory offer for large corporation - basically zero reputation in this field, although managers came from tier 1 consulting firms such as McK or R. Berger). I was 22, in Paris, France.
- today: almost 5y in asset management/private banking in a tier 2 firm (Societe Generale, french bank). started as portfolio manager (1y), moved to quant analyst (1) and, for 2 years i am sell side equity investment analyst, in charge of 3 other analysts.
I passed the CAIA certification (analyst in alternative investment in 2015).

- GMAT: 720, Q48 (not v good), V41 (surprisingly). 94%
- Toefl: 104 (weak).

International experience:
- international professional experience: used to making trips in a dozen of European countries. Also work on daily business with 15 analysts in India, and business partners in 6 european countries. English is our daily language.
- worked in Luxembourg (1y) and France mainly. Study abroad 7 years ago in Monterrey, Mexico,
- internship in Mauritius (3 months)... about 10 years ago..
- have travelled in more than 30 countries (and not only in Europe as some often think ).

Extra activities:
- used to mentor teenagers in difficulties in an association (for 2 years),
- administrator of a small soccer club,
- will start teaching a finance course in a business school next academic year (in 3 weeks from now),
- main hobby is mountaineering: this year I did few trips: one in Nepal, in the Himalayas (on my own in winter... reached 4800mts), last one 6 weeks ago in Iran (with my father), I climbed the Damavand mount, highest volcano in Asia, at 5.671mts. This hobby gives me great content for essays.
- enormous quantity of diverse readings. mainly philosophy and literature. Pretty easy for me to quote and refer to philosophers, which is very positive when discussing with directors and executives.


- Also, i am about to make a quick campus tour, as I have been told that this is important in an application. So i'll visit NYU, Columbia, HBS and Booth before R1. INSEAD is no more than 2 hours away from my location.


When writing this i felt that it should be fine for the top 10. But i am so nervous.
My toefl score is very weak, i don't know if the V41 in my gmat offsets it.

Can you please reassure me or i'll kill myself.