Dear Stacy,
I figured I'd just fire off and ask you if you think my profile is good enough to get me a seat in a premier b-school (at this stage, I'm mainly thinking about INSEAD, but I will probably end up applying to others).
I'm 29 years old, holding since 2000 a MSc in Management (5 years degree) from a leading Belgian university (GPA ~4, graduated in the top 15% of the class) and since 2002 a MA in International Relations.
I started my career at an US firm, leader in management consulting. After only 8 months, I was offered a position as a financial analyst in the CEO office of a local investment advisory company leading the Belgian market. At the same time, I was studying for the MA in International Relations mentioned above.
I left my second job after 1 year, because I took the diplomatic exam organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ranked 2nd on a mere 1500 candidates, and was subsequently offered a position as a young diplomat. I remained in this position for two years. Afterwards, I decided for personal and professional reasons that I did not want to go for the entire diplomatic career.
I had always been attracted by public affairs and lobbying, even more so given my mixed background (public and private sector) which is not very common here. I then took a position of manager in the leading European public affairs consultancy --this is where I am since more than 1 year and a half now. Clients I have been working for in this job include several blue-chip corporations in all industries. My day-to-day responsibilities include client management, strategic counselling to them in the field of public affairs, intelligence gathering, monitoring, and direct representation and lobbying. The job involves a lot of client facing as well as direct contacts with high ranked public officials. Total experience so far: 6 years (just under 7 years at the planned beginning of my MBA).
As far as the GMAT is concerned, it is scheduled for mid-September and I'm currently reviewing it. Practice test scores range from 680 to 740 and I hope to be able to secure a 700+ when the real test comes.
My main concern is my career path. It seems pretty consistent to me, because I always was attracted by both private and public sectors, but I probably changed jobs a little too often. Do you think this could prevent me from securing a seat at INSEAD for instance ? Which points in my profile do you see as positive and which ones as negatives, which ones should I put emphasis on ?
Any feedback you'd be able to give me would be most appreciated.
Thanks a lot in advance,
Piren.
I figured I'd just fire off and ask you if you think my profile is good enough to get me a seat in a premier b-school (at this stage, I'm mainly thinking about INSEAD, but I will probably end up applying to others).
I'm 29 years old, holding since 2000 a MSc in Management (5 years degree) from a leading Belgian university (GPA ~4, graduated in the top 15% of the class) and since 2002 a MA in International Relations.
I started my career at an US firm, leader in management consulting. After only 8 months, I was offered a position as a financial analyst in the CEO office of a local investment advisory company leading the Belgian market. At the same time, I was studying for the MA in International Relations mentioned above.
I left my second job after 1 year, because I took the diplomatic exam organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ranked 2nd on a mere 1500 candidates, and was subsequently offered a position as a young diplomat. I remained in this position for two years. Afterwards, I decided for personal and professional reasons that I did not want to go for the entire diplomatic career.
I had always been attracted by public affairs and lobbying, even more so given my mixed background (public and private sector) which is not very common here. I then took a position of manager in the leading European public affairs consultancy --this is where I am since more than 1 year and a half now. Clients I have been working for in this job include several blue-chip corporations in all industries. My day-to-day responsibilities include client management, strategic counselling to them in the field of public affairs, intelligence gathering, monitoring, and direct representation and lobbying. The job involves a lot of client facing as well as direct contacts with high ranked public officials. Total experience so far: 6 years (just under 7 years at the planned beginning of my MBA).
As far as the GMAT is concerned, it is scheduled for mid-September and I'm currently reviewing it. Practice test scores range from 680 to 740 and I hope to be able to secure a 700+ when the real test comes.
My main concern is my career path. It seems pretty consistent to me, because I always was attracted by both private and public sectors, but I probably changed jobs a little too often. Do you think this could prevent me from securing a seat at INSEAD for instance ? Which points in my profile do you see as positive and which ones as negatives, which ones should I put emphasis on ?
Any feedback you'd be able to give me would be most appreciated.
Thanks a lot in advance,
Piren.
