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Profile Evaluation and Advice

by ashkonj » Thu Dec 24, 2009 10:28 am
-23 year old male, U.S. born citizen.

-I graduated with a 3.9 GPA in Finance, 4.0 major GPA from a #30 ranked undergrad business school.

-2 years work experience as a financial analyst at a top technology company. Got a promotion 1.5 years in. Plan to work for another 1.5-2 yrs as is detailed below.

-gmat shooting for 700+

Extracurrics:
-started own nonprofit that is a 501c3 registered U.S. charity
-board of director and treasurer for a nonprofit that focuses on the intersection of business and the environment
-Lead volunteer at a top 5 business school's social entrepreneurship program
-had a small online marketing business on the side
-toastmasters

My whole "angle" and reason for going to business school is to pursue social entrepreneurship. I think my extra currics speak to that fact. I am hoping to get into a top 10 school, top 5 preferably.

Also, in order to achieve this goal and since I've worked 2 yrs in finance, I am thinking about quitting that job and working full time on my nonprofit to really build it up. I think that would speak more to my commitment to the field and why I want an MBA, and is something I frankly would enjoy more than working in my current job.

What are your thoughts?
Would a person with 4 yrs work experience in finance at a top tech company be better off than someone with 2 yrs in finance and then 2 yrs running their own nonprofit? How do you think companies recruiting MBA students would look at that?

Thanks and Happy Holidays!
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by Cindy Tokumitsu » Sat Jan 09, 2010 1:33 pm
Hello,

Your final question, "How do you think companies recruiting MBA students would look at that?" makes it difficult to provide feedback, because it confuses me regarding your goals. If you are interested in pursuing social entrepreneurship, then I consider either path a solid foundation, given your background. So when you say "companies" I'm not sure whether you mean already established social enterprises or conventional companies.

If you leave your job and devote yourself full-time to your nonprofit, on one hand that would demonstrate without question commitment. On the other hand, what would happen to the nonprofit when you enter business school full time? The adcoms expect students to focus full time on their studies and program related activities. You should be prepared to address this issue in your application.

Because of these factors there is not a clear answers to your questions. Therefore I believe you should pursue the path that most interests you, as it will likely result in the best experience base for your application because of your genuine interest and passion.

Best regards,
Cindy Tokumitsu
Senior Editor, Accepted.com
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by ashkonj » Sat May 15, 2010 10:59 pm
Since my last posting (above) 6 months ago I'd like to share some updates. I will be applying early R1 and want to see whether I have a good shot at getting into at least one of these schools. Also, whether I should apply to either or both of the safety schools listed below, or just wait to R2 in case I don't get into any of my 7-8 target schools.

Updated information
-700 GMAT Q47 V40
-My resignation in my prior corporate finance job to run my nonprofit full time has went really well. The organization has received a very generous grant and has made other significant accomplishments since my fulltime involvement.
-I started hosting a talk series in the social enterprise field that is sponsored and published by a top 3 business school where I have been working for the past year (I interview leaders in a variety of sectors and then publish the talks) (I have also received a letter of rec from the Associate Director of the program I'm working with)
-Why an MBA? I want an MBA to broaden my business and management skills in order to scale up my social enterprise, and I'm specifically targeting schools with strong social enterprise programs
-Starting another nonprofit initiative but at the very early stages at the moment

Stanford
Harvard
Wharton
Columbia
Yale
Haas
MIT
Northwestern (not sure if I will apply here)
UCLA (safety)
NYU (safety)
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by Linda Abraham » Tue May 18, 2010 12:18 pm
ashkonj wrote:Since my last posting (above) 6 months ago I'd like to share some updates. I will be applying early R1 and want to see whether I have a good shot at getting into at least one of these schools. Also, whether I should apply to either or both of the safety schools listed below, or just wait to R2 in case I don't get into any of my 7-8 target schools.

Updated information
-700 GMAT Q47 V40
-My resignation in my prior corporate finance job to run my nonprofit full time has went really well. The organization has received a very generous grant and has made other significant accomplishments since my fulltime involvement.
-I started hosting a talk series in the social enterprise field that is sponsored and published by a top 3 business school where I have been working for the past year (I interview leaders in a variety of sectors and then publish the talks) (I have also received a letter of rec from the Associate Director of the program I'm working with)
-Why an MBA? I want an MBA to broaden my business and management skills in order to scale up my social enterprise, and I'm specifically targeting schools with strong social enterprise programs
-Starting another nonprofit initiative but at the very early stages at the moment

Stanford
Harvard
Wharton
Columbia
Yale
Haas
MIT
Northwestern (not sure if I will apply here)
UCLA (safety)
NYU (safety)
Ashkionj,

I am responding while Cindy is on vacation.

I am glad your professional move has worked out so well. Your work experience and grades are very competitive at the programs you are targeting. Your GMAT is a little low. If I were you I would apply to 3 of the programs you do not consider safeties and definitely apply to the two "safeties." FYI, I don't consider UCLA and NYU to be safety programs. You have a competitive profile at both schools and they (along with Yale) are your most likely acceptances, but you cannot count on acceptance to either one.

Best,
Linda
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by ashkonj » Tue May 18, 2010 10:45 pm
You mentioned that I would be competitive (but as always no guarantees) to Yale, NYU, and UCLA. Just wondering why not Columbia and Haas since they share similar stats to the ones listed above.

If I understand correctly, Stanford, Harvard, Wharton, MIT, Kellogg are a reach.
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by Linda Abraham » Mon May 24, 2010 9:30 am
ashkonj wrote:You mentioned that I would be competitive (but as always no guarantees) to Yale, NYU, and UCLA. Just wondering why not Columbia and Haas since they share similar stats to the ones listed above.

If I understand correctly, Stanford, Harvard, Wharton, MIT, Kellogg are a reach.
Yale, NYU, and UCLA are just a little easier to get into than Columbia and Haas. The stats are similar but not identical. Columbia may be starting to get a little easier for internationals because they do not have a no-co-signor loan.

Best,
Linda
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