Ask Veritas Prep Admissions Consulting

Hello,
this is my profile:
- Bachelor Degree in Finance (expected - Summer 2013) (Bocconi University of Milan) GPA 3.7/4
- Italian native speaker, fluent English, intermediate French and good German (all these skills are certified by the cultural promotion organisations of each country)
- IT skills: Microsoft Office, SQL databases, Bloomberg Terminal and Reuters Eikon (all these skills are certified). Furthermore I've got some skills in Search Engine Optimization, social media marketing and webpages building and management.
- Extra-curricular: member of the the trading-investment and the entrepreneurs clubs in my university (selectively recruitment)

Work experiences:
Last year: (2011)
- Spring programme for an IB company (London)
- Red Bull student brand manager: teamwork, events organization and marketing ideas (Milan)
- Deutsche bank campus ambassador: events promotion, teamwork (Milan)
- Summer internship in small firm (London)
This year: (2012)
- Summer internship for the same IB firm of the Spring programme (Milan)
- Internship in a Tech Start-up (Milan)
- I founded in January 2011 a small internet-based music label; now I promote and distribute about 30 artists worldwide in about 140 e-stores.

GMAT: 710
TOEFL: 114

I think that my IT and language skills are competitive but I think I lack of work experiences. My goal is to reach Columbia or Wharton. I know that maybe MBA is a "too fast" choice for a college senior but doing some internships I've already had a sort of work experience and I would rather start my career from a higher level.
Do you think that my application would be strong enough? And if no, what could I do to improve that?
Thank you.

Most schools are going to want to see post-UG professional experience and will generally discount any work experience you have before you graduate. Having said that, since it appears you have an unusual amount of experience for someone still in college, you should look into programs such as HBS 2+2 or Yale Silver Scholars. Stanford also tends to favor younger applicants, especially ones with so much to offer as you have. Being Italian alone is going to set you apart since Italy is under-represented in US b-school application pools. This gives you an advantage because you come offering a different perspective on the business world. Your challenge with Wharton, is that the average applicant has about 5 years post UG work experience, but if you can make a case for your maturity and how your experience can indeed contribute value in the classroom, you could have a shot.

Thank you for your reply.
What about Columbia? I've heard that they also tend to favor young applicants, is it true?

Average age at Columbia has trended slightly higher than HBS, but still a good option for a younger candidate, yes.