Hello,
I would like some advice on which schools to apply to and insights into advantages/disadvantages with certain schools. I will give a quick run down of my background to help provide some context
Work Experience:
4.5 years working at one of the big 6 Canadian banks. I am 26 years old and I am based out of Toronto and I work in the international division in payments, which includes mobile payments and payment acceptance. I have received 3 promotions in my 4.5 years and I now have direct reports. My progress is ahead of most of my peers at the bank and I have received high performance ratings throughout. My experience includes having spent significant time in the Caribbean doing product development and project management (roughly 3 months a year). I have been lucky enough to been the project lead on the launch of 2 major products during my tenure, one with a budget of CAD $3 Million and another with a budget of $1.5 Million.
GMAT - 730 and I got 90% in verbal, 83% in quant
GPA - My school didn't have GPA's but it was probably roughly a 3.5. My major was in Economics.
Personal experience - I have been a fairly competitive rugby player the last 4 years and in university. I also have volunteered in several united way events, and was part of a 10 person team to raise $10,000 for cancer research last year. I am also just getting started in volunteering with another organization in my community as my rugby commitments are decreasing and I am getting a bit old to continue to play competitively.
I want to pursue an MBA as I am getting somewhat frustrated with the bureaucracy at a large financial institution and I have been doing very similar work for almost 5 years and I want a change. I would be most interested in either consulting or joining a small business after my MBA. I like the idea of consulting because of the wide range of experiences with different companies and general management experience to be a leader at a company in the future. I also like the idea of working for a small organization in payments or something related where I can really move the needle. I feel like an MBA would help complete my understanding of how to run a business as right now my experience is mostly product development/operational rather than "bigger picture".
Right now I am strongly considering LBS and INSEAD for their international focus and variety of teaching methods, I like the idea of INSEAD's one year program as I am not sure how much is actually learned at business school and I prefer to spend time working than at school. However, I also like the idea of a summer internship and more time to get to know classmates and figure out what you want to do at other schools.
I am also thinking about Dartmouth, MIT and Wharton. Particularly MIT as I like the IT focus although I do not necessarily think I am an IT guy. Dartmouth is appealing to me because of the smaller town and tighter knit community, but I also see it as a disadvantage that it is far from most employers.
Please let me know any recommendations on universities and likelihood of getting in. I am also open to working in any city afterwards. Thank you.
Nick
I would like some advice on which schools to apply to and insights into advantages/disadvantages with certain schools. I will give a quick run down of my background to help provide some context
Work Experience:
4.5 years working at one of the big 6 Canadian banks. I am 26 years old and I am based out of Toronto and I work in the international division in payments, which includes mobile payments and payment acceptance. I have received 3 promotions in my 4.5 years and I now have direct reports. My progress is ahead of most of my peers at the bank and I have received high performance ratings throughout. My experience includes having spent significant time in the Caribbean doing product development and project management (roughly 3 months a year). I have been lucky enough to been the project lead on the launch of 2 major products during my tenure, one with a budget of CAD $3 Million and another with a budget of $1.5 Million.
GMAT - 730 and I got 90% in verbal, 83% in quant
GPA - My school didn't have GPA's but it was probably roughly a 3.5. My major was in Economics.
Personal experience - I have been a fairly competitive rugby player the last 4 years and in university. I also have volunteered in several united way events, and was part of a 10 person team to raise $10,000 for cancer research last year. I am also just getting started in volunteering with another organization in my community as my rugby commitments are decreasing and I am getting a bit old to continue to play competitively.
I want to pursue an MBA as I am getting somewhat frustrated with the bureaucracy at a large financial institution and I have been doing very similar work for almost 5 years and I want a change. I would be most interested in either consulting or joining a small business after my MBA. I like the idea of consulting because of the wide range of experiences with different companies and general management experience to be a leader at a company in the future. I also like the idea of working for a small organization in payments or something related where I can really move the needle. I feel like an MBA would help complete my understanding of how to run a business as right now my experience is mostly product development/operational rather than "bigger picture".
Right now I am strongly considering LBS and INSEAD for their international focus and variety of teaching methods, I like the idea of INSEAD's one year program as I am not sure how much is actually learned at business school and I prefer to spend time working than at school. However, I also like the idea of a summer internship and more time to get to know classmates and figure out what you want to do at other schools.
I am also thinking about Dartmouth, MIT and Wharton. Particularly MIT as I like the IT focus although I do not necessarily think I am an IT guy. Dartmouth is appealing to me because of the smaller town and tighter knit community, but I also see it as a disadvantage that it is far from most employers.
Please let me know any recommendations on universities and likelihood of getting in. I am also open to working in any city afterwards. Thank you.
Nick
