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Request for Profile Evaluation for Top 10 B-schools

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Request for Profile Evaluation for Top 10 B-schools

by smamsi » Fri Jan 06, 2017 4:47 am
Hi Expert!
Thank you in advance for taking the time to read this post. I would like to see how my profile is shaping up for top 10 B- Schools. FYI, my dream schools are HBS, INSEAD, HEC,STANFORD,and MIT. I'm hoping to get an expert opinion.

My stats

Ethnicity: Ivoirian -Ivory Coast from West Africa
Age when applying: 35
Work Experience when applying: 9 years
- 4 years in IB (M&A and structured finance)in France and West Africa region
- 5 years as geologist in West Africa with Xstrata Nickel and Endeavour Mine

Current position: M&A Associate in Investment Banking focused in Africa

Undergrad Institution: INP-HB the top University in Ivory Coast)
Undergrad Major: Mine and Geology
Undergrad GPA: 3.8
Postgrad Institution : EM lyon Business School (top tiers B- School in France and ranked 3th by FT)
Post Major: Finance- Investment banking
Postgrad GPA: 3.5

Language = French (Native), English and Germany (Basic)

GMAT Overall: I plan to take my GMAT during mid -2017 with 700 as target.

With all elements, what is my chance to get into a top 10 B-School specially HBS or INSEAD?

Thx for all
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by MargaretStrother » Fri Jan 06, 2017 11:59 am
You've got some terrific stuff here! The strengths are obvious: great professional exposure, super GPA, strong differentiating points in geography and industry. There are a few things I'd need to evaluate though:
1) Leadership, currently and as a student
2) Community engagement
3) International exposure -- where have you lived, worked or studied other than Ivory Coast?
4) Goals -- what's your post-MBA vision?

The biggest liability you have is age: HBS and other top MBA programs accept very few applicants over 30, so you'll need to make a strong case for yourself and for the MBA as a must-have for your short and long-term goals. It's not impossible, but it's a definite hurdle to take into consideration.

Biggest asset you can give yourself: take the GMAT a few times, starting sooner rather than later, and apply with a score at or above the school's median (~730 in most cases). I've found that for older applicants, GMAT is one of the biggest success factors. Leadership is the other big factor, so you'll want to highlight all the team leadership you have had, both professionally and as a community or university participant, so that top business schools can see all the terrific stuff you bring to the class.

One thing you might want to do at this point would be to sign up for a completely free consultation with one of our expert advisors. We can answer your questions in more detail, provide advice and help set you up for success in 2017. You can sign up for a consultation here: https://www.stacyblackman.com/contact/

Good luck!
Margaret Strother
Margaret Strother
Senior Consultant
Stacy Blackman Consulting

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