profile eval - emerging PE

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profile eval - emerging PE

by PE Guy » Fri May 06, 2011 7:02 am
I was wondering what you all thought about my chances to get into HBS, Stanford and Wharton. My impression would be that I've got a very solid chance of getting accepted at Columbia, MIT, U-Chicago, etc, but that I might have some trouble going up against the superstars fighting for spots at HBS and Stanford.

UG: Dartmouth/Cornell/Brown w/ 3.50 GPA majors IR & Chinese. Studied abroad at Tsinghua (best uni in china) and had excellent internships in technology and consulting during UG.

GMAT: 730, skewed towards verbal, but still respectable in Q

Work Experience:

(1) after graduating in 2008, I spent 3 months as summer analyst at best in class real estate private equity and development firm in London. I got great training and traveled extensively throughout Europe. This firm, unlike the majority of my experience, has a well respected name (think Carlyle Group)

(2) After London I moved to Beijing/Shanghai, where I live now. I've been here almost 3 years now, working at a small private equity firm focused on making investments in real estate throughout mainland China. I've executed deals across the country and become fluent (or very close) in mandarin Chinese (I'm a white guy). I was promoted from analyst to associate after 2 years. THE ONLY TWO PROBLEMS WITH THIS EXPERIENCE are that (a) our firm is new and essentially unknown in the U.S. even though it's owned by U.S. citizens (b) while we've had some success and are growing, we still have small AUM of under 200m which admittedly could be considered "bush league".

EXTRA CURRICULAR / Leadership:

(1) actively involved in my Uni's club here in China (no formal position, but I could get one if I asked) and I am also a counselor to the kids who come over and study abroad in China in the program. I am in close contact with all the profs etc.

(2) basically nothing else... but i could add something if need be. I have plenty of money and resources around... the problem is I want to apply in 5 months time.

Anyways, sorry for the long winded post, but I wanted to give you the best possible outline of my profile. The central question is HOW IMPORTANT is the NAME RECOGNITION of the firm where you work? Ostensibly working in PE in China is about the best possible pre-mba experience you could ask for... but I'm afraid that the size / relatively lack of prestige of my firm might destroy my chances.

Thanks,

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by Lisa Anderson » Fri May 06, 2011 10:31 am
Dear PE Guy,

Name recognition of your firm is not as important as what you have done in your career tenure, the quality of experience you have gained and accomplishments you can note. Applicants come from many industries and companies of all sizes, so evaluations are more on your actions in that space versus your company's. From the details in your post, you have an interesting profile and your PE experience in China could be the differentiator you need to distinguish your application from the many, many other PE applicants at your target schools. My only other thought would be for you to identify a couple of safety options as your current list is all top 10.

Best of luck,
Lisa
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by PE Guy » Fri May 06, 2011 4:48 pm
Thanks for your input.

I figure I can apply to a few top choices in the first round and then if not I'll head further down the list later on. If I don't get into one of the 'M7' I probably just won't go, at least not this year. I'm still on the early side as it is (would have 4 years WE at start).

Also - follow up question: I have graduates of 3 M7 MBA programs in my immediate family (two brothers and my dad)... are those legacies going to help me? Obviously it's not going to hurt, but does it help as much as it does with UG?

Thanks again.

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by Lisa Anderson » Mon May 09, 2011 8:17 am
Having alumni in your family will not be a significant advantage, but it usually means you receive a thorough review and indicates your familiarity with the program. So, you are right that it does not hurt your chances at all.

Regards,
Lisa
Lisa Anderson
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Stacy Blackman Consulting

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