Ask Stratus Admissions Counseling

Hi,

I took my GMAT one month ago and I scored 710 (92th percentile, AWA 5). I was quite satisfied, but now that I am looking at top business schools I am quite doubtful about it. This is my profile:
1-Italian,male,28
2-Double degree (France-Italy) in BA obtained at a very known French Ecole.Final mark was the maximum
3-Assistant of a Professor of Startegy for 1yr at a top spanish business school
4-Corporate Strategic Planning Analyst for almost 3yr at a multinational company based in Spain
5-IELTS:8.0

My biggest concern about the application is the flaw in extra-curricular activities. I have some good stories to write in my applications (I am a volunteer since nov 2011, I managed around 30 people while I was working in a bookshop for earning pocket money during my studies at university, I worked during Olympic Games in my city and I organized a cineforum in a club since I am in Madrid ), but I don't think these are so strong as the most I read in this forum.

Do I have some chances to aim at top business schools (I am looking at MIT,Stanford and LBS) or is it better to focus on 2nd tier BS?

Thanks a lot for your help.

Regards,

Ale

Ale,

Thanks for your request for a profile evaluation. I am very happy to help you with that.

My colleagues at Stratus Prep and I have extensive experience working with European professionals in the strategy and financial sectors. Last year, we had an individual with a very similar profile to yours admitted to INSEAD and Wharton, for example.

Overall, your profile is quite strong; you should definitely plan to apply to MIT, Stanford, and LBS, and I would consider adding a couple more Tier 1 schools. However, it is important to note that at these top schools, your essays and recommendations are the most important components of your application, thus to best position yourself for success at those stretch schools, you may want to consider retaining an admissions consultant.

Your work experience sounds quite strong; it is so strong in fact, that if we work together I think it will be important to convey why you need an MBA if you have already been a strategy professor at a top Spanish business school. You would be surprised how many people get rejected from schools for not clearly indicating why they really need an MBA.

It sounds like you have 4+ years of experience so you are right in the "sweet spot" for MBA admissions in terms of age/experience. As many schools in the US are looking for younger applicants, I would definitely plan to apply in Round 1 of the 2012-2013 season.

I would not worry too much about your extracurricular involvement. I think that it is sufficient. The key is using the examples you have (I especially like the part about the Olympics) to demonstrate team-building, leadership, and communications skills; this can be easily and effectively done with the examples you mentioned, but this is also where the regular advice of a seasoned expert might be helpful to you. The key to MBA admissions is not having more activities than everyone else but instead reflecting more effectively on the lessons learned from your activities.

Your overall GMAT score is high enough for top schools (especially as it seems like you are not a native speaker of English given your personal and educational background). To fully evaluate your GMAT score, it would also be helpful, however, to know the breakdown between the math and the verbal.

Stratus Prep offers virtual admissions counseling (via phone, email, etc.) that has proven very helpful to applicants in Europe and around the world striving to be as successful as possible in the American/European MBA admissions game. As I mentioned previously, the Stratus Prep team and I do a lot of work with European applicants in the financial and strategy spaces. We are confident that we could help you maximize your chances of getting into the schools of your choice. If you would like to speak further about how our services could be of assistance to you, please feel free to email [email protected] to set up a free initial consultation with me.

Best,
Shawn

Dear Shawn,

thank you very much for your help.

I will definitely touch base with you in the future.

Thanks a lot again!

Ale