Ask Veritas Prep Admissions Consulting

Hi,

I've just started planning for my MBA education possibly 2 - 3 years down the road, as I know the process is going to be complicated. Here's my basic situation:

24 Y/O Asian Male from Canada
BMath in Statistics from top math program in Canada (University of Waterloo)
BBA in Finance (Econ minor) from tier-2 business program in Canada (Wilfrid Laurier University, it's a double degree program)
4 internships all in finance completed during undergrad
Undergraduate GPA is quite low (70% cumulative GPA)
CFA Level 2 Candidate and I plan on finishing the program and getting the charter
Extracurriculars includes running the finance club on campus and other volunteering/non-profit involvements
So far I have about 2 years work experience in the Cayman Islands (financial services)
About to move to Hong Kong for an US bulge bracket bank (think JPM/MS/GS) in June 2015

Eventually I do want to end up in North America (NYC/Chicago/Toronto), but I plan on spending 3 - 4 years in Asia for the experience
Plans after MBA is returning to bulge bracket bank (not investment banking, but roles like institutional sales on the trading floor)

So I plan on matriculating in 2017 to 2018 but I've began researching already and below are some schools I'm interested in:
Yale SOM
Duke
Cornell (leaning towards the 1 year program, since a CFA charter will make me eligible for the accelerated program)
Kellog (1 year program as well)
Queens (Canada, this is 1 year as well beginning in January)
UToronto Rotman (CFA charter will exempt me from GMAT requirements so it's convenient)

My questions are:
Based on my background, would an Ivy MBA or M7 be a bit of a stretch for me (or completely beyond reach?)
I've read that one disadvantage of 1 year MBA is the lack of internship in the middle, which will affect recruiting upon graduation. If I'm already in Finance and have built a network, does that make the disadvantage a moot point?
What can I do in the mean time to prepare for my endeavors 3, 4 years down the road (other than finishing the CFA program and GMAT)?

Thanks!

Thanks for sharing your profile...few thoughts on your profile and the questions posed below
-I think M7 currently may be a bit of stretch given your low GPA, of course you have not shared your GMAT score so can't totally comment there but the numerical side of your profile seems to be the challenge currently
-The fact that you are currently in Finance and not career switching does make a 1Y MBA a better fit for you, in any application you submit for this type of program make it clear why a 1Y is the ideal next step for your development goals. This is one of the most important aspect of targeting this MBA
-I would say the most important thing is to continue to excel at work, often times applicants forget how important your work experience is. Programs are looking for high achievers so make sure that you remain one.

Hope this helps!