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Profile evaluation: Low undergrad, but great extras/recs

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Profile evaluation: Low undergrad, but great extras/recs

by Byte » Mon Jun 01, 2015 8:19 pm
Hi Stacy and team,
Following your recommended template:

Target schools: Harvard, Stanford, MIT

Seeking a Top 5 MBA to transition to working on next generation telecommunications infrastructure (think: SpaceX or similar) to bring connectivity to the world, and eventually other worlds.

GPA: 2.5/4.0
Major: Journalism
School: Second-tier state school

GMAT: 720 (47Q, 41V)

Resume:
4 years at a 75 person high technology company in telecom/data center space in the Midwest, USA.
Marketing Manager, 1 promotion.
Oversee and lead all marketing and product management.

Extracurriculars:
VP of a local music nonprofit, 48 years old.
Founder and President of board of a tech nonprofit (coding education). Already running local camps.

Awards:
Bronze medal at national sports competition in high school.
Speak frequently at telecom/tech conferences as a presenter and keynote speaker.

Thank you for your time!
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by MargaretStrother » Tue Jun 02, 2015 5:57 am
Hi Byte,
Interesting background! Before I can weigh in on your competitiveness for top MBA programs such as Harvard and Stanford, I need to clarify a few details: are you 48 years old? or is the non-profit you work with 48 years old? How big is the staff you personally manage at the summer camps you run, and how many attendees typically participate? How large of a team do you lead in your current role, and how many years are you out of undergrad? And to clarify the goal of SpaceX, what is your professional experience with companies in that industry? "Telecom" is a pretty broad term, so we'd want to see what you bring that connects you with your goal companies.

Thanks,
Margaret Strother
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Stacy Blackman Consulting

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by Byte » Tue Jun 02, 2015 8:33 am
Hi Margaret,
Thank you for the quick reply!

I am 25 years old, 4 years out of undergrad. I do not have any direct reports, but work across departmental lines as a Product Manager / Marketing Manager.

At 75 people, the company is relatively small, but I have huge latitude to work directly with the CEO, institute change, and lead the development of new products and services.

The nonprofit I'm VP of the Board of Directors of is a 48-year-old organization.

As President of the technology nonprofit board, I oversee the entire coding camp, so 100+ students each camp and 20+ volunteers.

As far as "telecom" goes, I work for a fiber optics company. We work in wired and wireless communications.

I'd like to take that experience and expand on it by working for Google's "Project Loon" or SpaecX's low-orbit satellite initiative. Both deal with next-gen communications arrays and delivering connectivity to the non-connected world.

Again, thank you!
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by MargaretStrother » Wed Jun 03, 2015 4:41 am
Hi Byte,
Sounds like a great profile! Top business schools should be very attracted to your terrific community involvements and your clear career vision. The only warning I should add is that HBS has a pattern of being really narrow about undergraduate GPA and school brand. I strongly recommend that you branch out a bit, move from the obvious choices to a few other top MBA programs, schools that can deliver for you but which also show more breadth of vision in the area of GPA and undergraduate institution.

Good luck!
Margaret Strother
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Stacy Blackman Consulting

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