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Hi Stacey, I present relevant aspects of my application profile for your honest consideration. Thanks very much in advanced.

General:
Male
Age: 29 (when applying)
Nationality: Colombia
Other: 1 child (10yr old)

Undergrad:
Double Degree (BBA) in International Business and Finance
Berkeley College (New York): Relatively un-known college (GPA: 3.9/4.0) (Merit Scholarship-President´s List)
EAFIT University (Colombia): High ranked college in Colombia (GPA: 4.1/5.0)(aprox. 3.4/4.0)
GPA shows consistent ascending pattern throughout the entire career.
Extracurriculars in College: Member (but not director or founder) of Management Club. Received award for outstanding membership. In general however, I think this aspect is weak since I had to combine work and fatherhood during college.

Work experience:
Worked for 2 years as a research analyst at boutique investment bank in NY. (1 promotion)
Worked for 4 years (when submitting application) as senior analyst at biggest investment bank in Colombia (1 promotion)
Ample transaction summary. Closed several deals in M&A and Project Finance, both locally and internationally. Strongest point of the application. Good recommendation letters from current bosses.

Community & Activities:
Juror and advisor for the principal entrepreneurship contest in Colombia (last 2 yrs)
Undergraduate Professor of Financial Analysis at alma mater (Last 2 yrs at EAFIT)
Completed 3 pro-bono projects advising local NGO´s in expansion projects (last 3 yrs)
Lecturer and motivational speaker for low-income young people under Mayor´s Office plan
Recently founded a furnished- apartment rental business on the side for extra-income

GMAT:
Have not taken it yet (Practice tests b/w 650-700 but still completing the prep.)

SCHOOLS:
Sloan, Columbia, NYU, Haas

SPECIFIC QUESTIONS:
Any major holes you spot in my profile? Any interesting aspect that I should exploit more aggressively? Any tip to differentiate from other international Invt.Bankers?
Won´t be looking for job in the US since I´m returning to my employer. Will this give me any edge?
Might apply as Fulbright scholar through my sponsor. Given my profile, would this be a major boost or just another minor piece?

Thanks very much for your advice.

Juanse

Hi Juan,

Thanks for your post. Overall I think you have a solid profile. Academically speaking you are in good shape, however, I strongly suggest that you aim to score 700+ on your GMAT in order to be in line with your peers.

It sounds like you worked awfully hard to raise your child and pay your bills while in school. This is certainly admirable and likely worth noting in your applications. Not only does it show the value you place on education, but it also says a lot about your academic ability since balancing everything while maintaining a 3.9 could not have been easy.

In regard to your question about applying as a Fulbright scholar, yes, if you can indeed do so I certainly recommend it. It's simply another way to display your strengths as well as your value to your employer.

Lastly, I strongly recommend that you take your GMAT as soon as possible so that you can get a jump start on bschool essays when they come out in July. Hitting round 1 deadlines is a great way to boost your odds of admission.

Best,

Stacey

Stacey, thanks very much for your response.

I´ll appreciate if you could give me any thoughts on the extra activities.....How to select which ones to focus on? They certainly provide for different experiences since some may be more "leadership" oriented (juror, professor) and the others more "giving-back-to-community" oriented (NGOs, Speaker). I thinks there´s a lot of essay material to extract here, especially since this is an aspect that many of my peers applying to BS simply dismiss (it´s just really tough to make extra-time in IBanking)

Also, I realize that, when applying, I´ll be two/three years over the median age. My plan is to overcome that with my solid 6/7-year experience and a reference on the optional essay explaining my decision to delay application until my boy was at least 10 (so he can adapt better to rellocation). Am I going into too much trouble over a (perhaps) minor detail?

Thanks very much.

Juanse

Hi,

In regard to activities, I'm not quite sure what you mean by your question. Do you mean which activities to focus on in regard to participation (it sounds as though you are quite involved in several) or to focus on in your essays? If it's the latter, it's a bit difficult for me to pin point without a specific school or set of essays. In general, it's best to find a balance in your essays, using work examples where you can, but then differentiating yourself and using non-work related examples to highlight your skill set such as examples of teamwork or leadership. It appears as though you have many great options to choose from, it's just a matter of matching them with the essay questions for each particular school.

As far as timing of the MBA. I don't think it's necessary to go into the details of your son and his age, but rather to focus on your professional skill level. Essentially you want to convince the adcom that now is the right time for your MBA - that waiting until you have 6-7 years of experience has always been your plan and helps position you to achieve your post MBA goals.

Best,

Stacey