Hey all. I will be applying to a number of MBA programs in the next month and was hoping to get some insight on the strength of my application for the schools I have selected. I have a somewhat unusual background which is why I was hoping to get your thoughts.
My profile is as follows:
Undergrad - 3.42 BA w/ high honors from top 3 public university (strong grade trend with a 3.81 my last two years).
Graduate - 3.83 JD Summa Cum Laude from top 50 law school (Order of the Coif, Law Review)
GMAT - 730 (47Q, 42V, 6.0 AWA)
Work - 22 months at matriculation as attorney with top 3 US law firm practicing in corporate finance and private equity
Extracurriculars -
Law School - Member of a clinic in which I worked with business students while in law school to advise them on legal issues facing their proposed start-ups, Law Review, Student member of local Inn of Court (legal society made up of local attorneys that discuss developments in the law on a monthly basis), worked multiple part-time jobs and as a research assistant throughout law school
Undergraduate - varsity athlete for three years before injury, leadership role in pre-law society, member of student run organization designed to help local renters, some involvement with student politics.
Recommendations will be solid but I will not have one from my current employer because I would like to keep my applications confidential until I hear back from the programs. I think I have a persuasive explanation for why I would like to do so.
Career Aspirations - I have a passion for start-ups and the business issues facing new business and would like to be directly involved with working to develop these ideas as opposed to documenting the transactions and advising only on legal issues. That said, I think now is the time to pursue that passion and get into the venture capital industry. The necessity for the MBA is derived for my need to refine my knowledge of finance and unlock networking opportunities that the top programs offer.
I will be applying to Stanford, Harvard, Berkeley, Booth and UCLA.
I appreciate your thoughts on how receptive admission committees will be to this story and whether I am competitive for the above programs (all of which seem to be solid options for my intended career path).
My profile is as follows:
Undergrad - 3.42 BA w/ high honors from top 3 public university (strong grade trend with a 3.81 my last two years).
Graduate - 3.83 JD Summa Cum Laude from top 50 law school (Order of the Coif, Law Review)
GMAT - 730 (47Q, 42V, 6.0 AWA)
Work - 22 months at matriculation as attorney with top 3 US law firm practicing in corporate finance and private equity
Extracurriculars -
Law School - Member of a clinic in which I worked with business students while in law school to advise them on legal issues facing their proposed start-ups, Law Review, Student member of local Inn of Court (legal society made up of local attorneys that discuss developments in the law on a monthly basis), worked multiple part-time jobs and as a research assistant throughout law school
Undergraduate - varsity athlete for three years before injury, leadership role in pre-law society, member of student run organization designed to help local renters, some involvement with student politics.
Recommendations will be solid but I will not have one from my current employer because I would like to keep my applications confidential until I hear back from the programs. I think I have a persuasive explanation for why I would like to do so.
Career Aspirations - I have a passion for start-ups and the business issues facing new business and would like to be directly involved with working to develop these ideas as opposed to documenting the transactions and advising only on legal issues. That said, I think now is the time to pursue that passion and get into the venture capital industry. The necessity for the MBA is derived for my need to refine my knowledge of finance and unlock networking opportunities that the top programs offer.
I will be applying to Stanford, Harvard, Berkeley, Booth and UCLA.
I appreciate your thoughts on how receptive admission committees will be to this story and whether I am competitive for the above programs (all of which seem to be solid options for my intended career path).
