Hello Beat the GMAT, I'd love to hear what you think about my profile.
With the upcoming deadlines approaching, I have already submitted some schools and preparing for the rest. I want to see how my profile stands out and my chances for a top program.
Male/ Asian (Taiwanese/ Chinese)/ mid-twenties/ US Citizen
Undergrad:
UC San Diego/ Computer Science/ 3.3 GPA
Work:
38 months FT experience when MBA starts (08/2016)
Software Engineer at a second-tier tech company (non Google/Apple/Facebook/Amazon)
Quit after two years and co-founded my own startup, currently still at seed stage, has two VCs backed and raised about 1M seed capital. We should finish Series A at end of year, although I didn't mention this in my app since it's not a done deal yet.
GMAT:
730 (taken once)
Schools Applying:
HBS/ Stanford/ Wharton/ Columbia/ MIT/ Haas/ - Round 1
UCLA/ NYU - Round 2 (or Round 1, still debating, but everything is ready, thoughts?)
Possible Applying:
Yale/ Booth - The reason I'm not applying now is simply due to the location
EC:
Co-captain/ VP for robotics club that coaches high school students and competes in regional/ national competitions. Won 1st in Regional and 3rd in National.
Project lead for a medical screening tool back in college and worked with local medical center. Developed screening tools and helped kids from low-income communities.
Later on I co-founded a startup doing similar things (aka my passion/ career path are in line)
Post-MBA Goals:
Short-term is to go back to my startup and expand the service internationally, eventually joining VC and focus on tech startups.
Rec Letters:
One comes from my startup co-founder who currently serves as the CEO. He is also my ex-supervisor from the tech company, we both quit to launch the startup. Another one will come from the angel investor who joined as chairman, he's also an alum from UCLA and a high profile leader in biotech industry. They both guaranteed a well-written letter so I'm not too worried about the quality.
Thoughts:
Personally I think the startup experience either will boost my chance or backfire. I did address the reason why I want an MBA now in my essay, and it is fully supported by the board and my business partner (co-founder). They also mentioned in their recommendation letters as well.
I don't have an exceptionally high GPA or GMAT (consider the median for HBS is 732, not to mention those Chinese applicants with their 780 scores. However, I heard that being a US citizen put me in the US pool instead of international applicants), and not as experienced as the average applicant (5 - 7 years work). I'm simply betting on the unconventional path I have, but to be honest, I don't think founding a startup is as rare as before, so I don't know how it will turn out.
I would love to hear the thoughts and opinions from you. Thanks!
With the upcoming deadlines approaching, I have already submitted some schools and preparing for the rest. I want to see how my profile stands out and my chances for a top program.
Male/ Asian (Taiwanese/ Chinese)/ mid-twenties/ US Citizen
Undergrad:
UC San Diego/ Computer Science/ 3.3 GPA
Work:
38 months FT experience when MBA starts (08/2016)
Software Engineer at a second-tier tech company (non Google/Apple/Facebook/Amazon)
Quit after two years and co-founded my own startup, currently still at seed stage, has two VCs backed and raised about 1M seed capital. We should finish Series A at end of year, although I didn't mention this in my app since it's not a done deal yet.
GMAT:
730 (taken once)
Schools Applying:
HBS/ Stanford/ Wharton/ Columbia/ MIT/ Haas/ - Round 1
UCLA/ NYU - Round 2 (or Round 1, still debating, but everything is ready, thoughts?)
Possible Applying:
Yale/ Booth - The reason I'm not applying now is simply due to the location
EC:
Co-captain/ VP for robotics club that coaches high school students and competes in regional/ national competitions. Won 1st in Regional and 3rd in National.
Project lead for a medical screening tool back in college and worked with local medical center. Developed screening tools and helped kids from low-income communities.
Later on I co-founded a startup doing similar things (aka my passion/ career path are in line)
Post-MBA Goals:
Short-term is to go back to my startup and expand the service internationally, eventually joining VC and focus on tech startups.
Rec Letters:
One comes from my startup co-founder who currently serves as the CEO. He is also my ex-supervisor from the tech company, we both quit to launch the startup. Another one will come from the angel investor who joined as chairman, he's also an alum from UCLA and a high profile leader in biotech industry. They both guaranteed a well-written letter so I'm not too worried about the quality.
Thoughts:
Personally I think the startup experience either will boost my chance or backfire. I did address the reason why I want an MBA now in my essay, and it is fully supported by the board and my business partner (co-founder). They also mentioned in their recommendation letters as well.
I don't have an exceptionally high GPA or GMAT (consider the median for HBS is 732, not to mention those Chinese applicants with their 780 scores. However, I heard that being a US citizen put me in the US pool instead of international applicants), and not as experienced as the average applicant (5 - 7 years work). I'm simply betting on the unconventional path I have, but to be honest, I don't think founding a startup is as rare as before, so I don't know how it will turn out.
I would love to hear the thoughts and opinions from you. Thanks!
