Hello - I'll be applying to b-school next fall for matriculation in fall 2013 and I've started doing some pretty extensive research. Here's a (long-winded) profile rundown:
Male, 26, Caucasian
GMAT: 710 (92nd percentile), 48Q (82nd percentile) 39V (92nd percentile), 6.0 AWA
GPA: 3.54 from a private college in the northeast with an average reputation - Full academic scholarship, Finance major, Accounting minor, Liberal Arts Honors program. (A weakness will be lack of name brand school and lack of outstanding GPA, though the GPA steadily improved in my four years).
Work Experience:
1)2.5 years at a reputable financial software firm that focused on investment analysis solutions. I worked as a Consultant for investment management clients (my job was much more finance-focused than tech-focused). Two promotions during my time there, including being recruited into a more specialized quantitative analysis department and leading consulting teams (leading 2 to 3 employees, though they didn't directly report to me).
2)6 months in at a mid-sized private bank doing equity research. Joined a brand new Media & Entertainment vertical so my boss and I were responsible for initiation coverage on the entire industry. The firm has a strong reputation for a mid-sized shop and is quantitatively focused (one of the reasons I was hired was because of my quant background)
Significant EC/leadership:
1)Co-founded my college's investment club, which ended up being fairly successful.
2)Recently began working with two small non-profits, one of which I'm working one-on-one with the founder/director on a new initiative, the other of which I'm on the Corporate Council, a team of 4 responsible for launching a corporate outreach program.
3)CFA Level III candidate - If all goes well I'll have the full charter by the time I apply next year
4)Travel (visited 16 cities in 12 countries since graduating)
Recs: One from a supervisor at my old company, one from a client that I worked closely with at my old company and still maintain contact with. I'm avoiding a rec from my current employer because I'm nervous about it impacting my future with the company if grad school doesn't work out.
Targets, in rough order of preference (though this can change and I'm open to suggestions): Booth, Columbia, Yale, Fuqua, Ross
Goals: I have a few ideas, and here is where my question comes in. My "story" works best for a career in investment management (buyside research, portfolio management) due to my pursuit of 1) CFA 2) work in equity research 3) work in quant analysis and consulting for buyside clients. As of now, this is one career path that's near the top of my list, BUT one of the biggest reasons I'm applying to b-school is so that I can explore different paths and give myself options. E.g. I've taken a liking to the media industry (with a tech focus) through my equity research experience and I also like the idea of pursuing entrepreneurship courework in b-school.
Now I know ad coms like hearing specific and realistic short-term and long-term career goals, so I'm wondering if it would be a detriment to my application to mention in some way that an MBA will allow me to keep my options open and explore a variety of fields. Even if that's the truth, should I remain hush about it and focus my app in on being gung ho for the investment management field? I feel like that might be beneficial for my top choices Booth and Columbia, both of which place relatively well in the buyside.
Thanks for listening, and thanks in advance for any advice.
Male, 26, Caucasian
GMAT: 710 (92nd percentile), 48Q (82nd percentile) 39V (92nd percentile), 6.0 AWA
GPA: 3.54 from a private college in the northeast with an average reputation - Full academic scholarship, Finance major, Accounting minor, Liberal Arts Honors program. (A weakness will be lack of name brand school and lack of outstanding GPA, though the GPA steadily improved in my four years).
Work Experience:
1)2.5 years at a reputable financial software firm that focused on investment analysis solutions. I worked as a Consultant for investment management clients (my job was much more finance-focused than tech-focused). Two promotions during my time there, including being recruited into a more specialized quantitative analysis department and leading consulting teams (leading 2 to 3 employees, though they didn't directly report to me).
2)6 months in at a mid-sized private bank doing equity research. Joined a brand new Media & Entertainment vertical so my boss and I were responsible for initiation coverage on the entire industry. The firm has a strong reputation for a mid-sized shop and is quantitatively focused (one of the reasons I was hired was because of my quant background)
Significant EC/leadership:
1)Co-founded my college's investment club, which ended up being fairly successful.
2)Recently began working with two small non-profits, one of which I'm working one-on-one with the founder/director on a new initiative, the other of which I'm on the Corporate Council, a team of 4 responsible for launching a corporate outreach program.
3)CFA Level III candidate - If all goes well I'll have the full charter by the time I apply next year
4)Travel (visited 16 cities in 12 countries since graduating)
Recs: One from a supervisor at my old company, one from a client that I worked closely with at my old company and still maintain contact with. I'm avoiding a rec from my current employer because I'm nervous about it impacting my future with the company if grad school doesn't work out.
Targets, in rough order of preference (though this can change and I'm open to suggestions): Booth, Columbia, Yale, Fuqua, Ross
Goals: I have a few ideas, and here is where my question comes in. My "story" works best for a career in investment management (buyside research, portfolio management) due to my pursuit of 1) CFA 2) work in equity research 3) work in quant analysis and consulting for buyside clients. As of now, this is one career path that's near the top of my list, BUT one of the biggest reasons I'm applying to b-school is so that I can explore different paths and give myself options. E.g. I've taken a liking to the media industry (with a tech focus) through my equity research experience and I also like the idea of pursuing entrepreneurship courework in b-school.
Now I know ad coms like hearing specific and realistic short-term and long-term career goals, so I'm wondering if it would be a detriment to my application to mention in some way that an MBA will allow me to keep my options open and explore a variety of fields. Even if that's the truth, should I remain hush about it and focus my app in on being gung ho for the investment management field? I feel like that might be beneficial for my top choices Booth and Columbia, both of which place relatively well in the buyside.
Thanks for listening, and thanks in advance for any advice.
