Profile evaluation. what else?

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Profile evaluation. what else?

by Mozartain » Fri Feb 20, 2009 12:16 am
I'll be grateful if you could take a brief look at my linkedin profile and let me know my chances at top-tier schools. Also please let me know if you have any specific suggestions.

[Edit: deleted for privacy reasons]

What's not captured in the linkedin profile is given below.

Post-MBA ambition: Private equity focusing on opportunities in emerging markets

Age: 30 years in next December

Work experience: 6 years in next July

Expected GMAT score: 740+

Undergrad GPA: 3.15 (this is my concern; the school is the best in the country though, highly selective - 75 get selected out of 4,500)

Community involvement and extra-curriculurs: nothing much to write home about. My real weakness.

Not sure if any of these would count -
was involved in an encyclopedic project (on arts and crafts of Bangladesh) of the Asiatic Society as a translator (translated two large entries and reviewed two more); worked as a pronunciation consultant (for foreign names and words) for a book on Frida Kahlo in bangla; published a web newsletter for my undergrad class (the first issue was very popular, but the second issue never saw light); well, I'll have to think real hard to find some more examples

Hobbies: photography (nothing extra-ordinary, but thinking of putting up an online portfolio); learning classical guitar; used to do some amateur programming in visual basic, have forgotten much of it though; self-teaching of languages

Languages: English (very good, IELTS 8.5 out of 9); French (early intermediate, preparing for DELF A2); Spanish (basic); Bangla (native); Hindi (intermediate speaking and listening)

Now if you've come all the way up to here, I must sincerely thank you for your time and interest in my profile. A response will be a real bonus.
Last edited by Mozartain on Fri Feb 20, 2009 11:12 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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by Graham » Fri Feb 20, 2009 6:59 am
Dear Mozartain,

Thanks for your post!

I've read over your profile (both here and in LinkedIn) and have offered my basic thoughts below:

Academics
While your GPA looks a bit low on the US scale, the good news is that you've attended a highly competitive program. The real question now is how your 3.15 compares to others in your class... Were you towards the top of the group?

As to your GMAT, my assumption is that you've yet to take the exam but are expecting a 740+? As such, this is all rather speculative, but a 740+ would certainly be a strong result. Keep in mind that the best way to 'prove' that your ugrad program was truly superb would be to walk out of the GMAT with a very high score.

Work Experience
You clearly have ample experience (actually on the high side in terms of the number of years). As many candidates from your corner of the world have more of an engineering/computer science background (and are subsequently working in IT), you should be able to differentiate yourself nicely. It's somewhat hard to tell the exact nature of your day-to-day responsibilites from the LinkedIn profile (headcount your supervise, budget, etc) but I presume you can clarify that when you begin working on your MBA resume.

XCs
This sounds more promising than you've let on. I should think that between the cultural/publishing work you've done, coupled with your language study, involvement with your undergraduate alumni group and interest in photography there are some interesting stories to share.

Goals
Your goals sound like a good start. Do you have a network in place to land the position you seek? Have you thought of firms that might be logical targets?

Conclusion
While you'll need to do a good job of explaining your work experience and marketing your outside activities/hobbies - as well as securing a high GMAT result - I think you could be competitive at leading programs. Having said that, there are a couple of potential concerns I have:

1) Your are older than the average applicant. Top schools have been trending downward in terms of the average age for students (27/28 years). There are a number of reasons for this, but that's a discussion for another time. In short, your age may make things a bit more challenging at certain top schools.

2) What did you do between graduation from university in 2002 and the start of your professional career in July of 2003? This gap will need to be addressed - if it is in fact a gap.

3) It can be hard to break into Private Equity. The adcom may need some assurance that you have a feasible plan in place - as opposed to merely depending on the brand/b-school's network to get you to your goals.

If you have further questions or would like a free assessment of your background via phone, please send a resume to [email protected].

Best of luck,

Graham
Graham Richmond
Clear Admit, LLC
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215 568 2590

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by Mozartain » Fri Feb 20, 2009 11:05 pm
Hi Graham,

Thanks so much for your insights. As I'm targeting the class starting 2010 fall, I'll have some time to address some of the issues you raised (except my age, which will get worse).
your age may make things a bit more challenging at certain top schools.
Could you please give me any idea which particular schools?

Also, I've seen that the average age at the European schools is at least a couple years more than that at the US schools. So I think I should be fine at the European schools. Don't you think so?

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by Graham » Tue Feb 24, 2009 12:53 am
Dear Mozartain,

Thanks for your reply. I agree that you have plenty of time to work on a strong application strategy in the coming months. That's an excellent position to be in!

As to your question, their are a number of top schools in the States (HBS, Stanford, Wharton) that have been trending towards slightly younger applicants in recent years. Being 30+ at the time of application will make you a bit older than the average student at any leading MBA program in the States. As such, you risk falling into the 'older' end of the pool and may need to make certain adjustments to ease the typical fears that schools have with this group of applicants. Those fears are as follows:

-Some schools fear that older students may be harder to employ post-MBA since employers prefer younger graduates (for a number of reasons ranging from lower salaries to the fact that they are more easily indoctrinated, more likely to work crazy hours, etc). Older applicants are also more likely to be attempting substantial career switches - which some employers may be wary of.

-Some schools recognize that older students bring ample experience into the classroom (a plus), but fear that older students may also suffer from the "you can't teach an old dog new tricks" syndrome (a negative).

-Some admissions officers feel that older applicants often take a very utilitarian point of view on the MBA degree (get in, get my degree, get out) and as such do not participate in campus clubs, social groups, etc. Many older applicants have families/other obligations that keep them at arm's length from the MBA community.

None of this is to say that you fall into these stereotypes. It's merely to say that these are some of the fears in the back of the admissions officers minds when reading files from candidates who are older than the average. Knowing that these fears exist can help you to tailor your materials to effectively ease the adcom's concerns.

As to your point about the European schools, you are absolutley correct; they tend to have slightly older students on average.

Best of luck,

Graham
Graham Richmond
Clear Admit, LLC
[email protected]
215 568 2590

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by Mozartain » Tue Mar 03, 2009 2:21 am
Hi Graham, thanks very much for your detailed response. Much appreciated.