abhi0syal, appreciate that you're trying to help, but there is no school in the world that does not want candidates to reach out to them. Davide is an atypical candidate and it would likely be even more beneficial for him to talk directly to admissions people than most MBA applicants.

Some schools are definitely more inviting in terms of having a formalized process by which you can get a pre-application profile review. Can't say we remember IE doing this but certainly, not for the MBA at least, but some schools do. Such assessments are always free. Typically you request one by filling out a form on their website and maybe including your resume, then they schedule an appointment with you.

We do discourage people from contacting admissions too much - sometimes people have really silly questions that they could easily find the answers to themselves, by reading the school websites etc. But there's also so much misinformation out there that it's often a very good idea to reach out directly. Certainly connections to alumni and current students can help too but they won't be able to offer the most important insights about Davide's situation.

Anyway, congrats on your MIT admit - that's not an easy feat! You clearly did something right.

EssaySnark

The thing is that I really need to get in touch with admission offices because I am aware that some of the top ranked MBA programs might look for profiles different from mine, and I definitely don't want to get a ding just because my profile is atypical. Moreover, it's almost time for me to start working on essays, and since each program requires applicants to focus on a specific set of aspects, it's better to understand which programs I can apply to, and then start writing the essays. This is my idea, if there is something that might improve my strategy I'd be more than happy to reconsider my plan.

essaysnark - I totally agree that Davide should reach out - but certainly NOT for profile review at every bschool - they wouldn't reply back !


@ Davide, you should, in reality ask adcom specific questions - questions that matter to you, related to your profile and are related to the program!

I think I have another question, mainly related with the post-MBA job market: given my profile, are there post-MBA careers that can be considered out of my reach (e.g., consulting, finance,...)? I am asking this because I want to get a better idea of the opportunities I'd have once I completed my MBA.

That's a fair question, and definitely a good one to be asking. We don't really see insurmountable obstacles though. Yes, many employers would prefer to see some more traditional business-world experience, but others may find your academic background and research to be very valuable. You might need to ratchet-down the post-MBA salary expectations; there's often a correlation between number of years of pre-MBA work experience and salary. Lots of people use bschool to facilitate a big shift in industry however so it's not uncommon for someone to be moving into consulting without having had any former consulting background. It may be trickier for finance but also not impossible. Much will depend on how you position yourself and, of course, the work you do in bschool and the internship experience; that will be crucial for you and is a reason you may want to be pursuing a longer MBA program.

essaysnark wrote:You might need to ratchet-down the post-MBA salary expectations; there's often a correlation between number of years of pre-MBA work experience and salary.

I am very interested in this point, could you expand it a little? I mean, what do you mean with "ratchet-down"? Is it something that will affect only my first, let's say, 2-6 post-MBA years? Could you also try to come up with a rough estimation of this "mitigated" increase in salary?

Hey Davide - because you're situation is so unique then you might want to go for our Comprehensive Profile Review - we can answer all your questions in a detailed, personalized report that helps you understand the lay of the land, evaluate your strengths and weaknesses, and form your strategy. You can see how it works here: https://essaysnark.com/tutorial/comprehe ... le-review/

EssaySnark