Profile Eval Request - 740 GMAT, 3 Yrs Work

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Hello,

740 GMAT
3.45 GPA
BS in biological science from top 4 US public university
23-year-old Asian-American female

Experience
3 years (at matriculation) in research and project management at a life sciences consulting firm. The firm is not well-known but works with blue-chip clients. Projects are on the technical side, but my role is client-facing and I've had the opportunity to work on the firm's business development and strategic planning. Given project and people management responsibilities after 8 months, and promoted after 16 months after that. My pre-graduation internship experience consists of several selective biomedical research internships and hospital shadowing

Extracurriculars
Currently: STEM outreach to middle and high school girls via speaking at an annual conference
Previously: leadership roles in college's life sciences entrepreneurship club and student self-governance body, and competitive club sport (along the lines of water polo/sailing/fencing)

Goals
(Short-term) Strategy consulting for pharma/biotech and consumer health companies
(Long-term) Management-level corporate strategy in a multinational pharma/biotech/consumer health company

Schools Considering:
Columbia
Kellogg
Tuck
Yale
LBS
NYU Stern
UVA Darden
Cambridge Judge

I've noticed that many schools, especially the European ones, have classes with average work experience around 5 years. Would having only 3 years be a concern to AdComs?

Is my schools list realistic? Also, I'm aiming to apply to all R1 - but in case timing is tight, are there ones that you'd recommend I submit R2 instead?

Thank you!

GMAT/MBA Expert

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by MargaretStrother » Wed Jun 29, 2016 5:27 am
Hi Sailing!
You look like a terrific candidate. I'd like to see more information about your current leadership in the workplace and in your community service, but it looks like university leadership was strong. I'd also like to see what international exposure, either in university or in the workplace, you've accumulated so far.

Your big question is whether 3 years at matriculation is enough experience for the top business schools you're applying to. I'll speak to this statistically: 24 - 27 is the optimal age, statistically, for MBA acceptance (you're right that in some European schools, the average class is slightly older). That translates to 3 to 6 years of experience. Do younger people get accepted? Absolutely, but not in the same quantities. So the data analysis here shows us that if you applied next year you'd have a stronger statistical chance of acceptance, but you could try your chances now and be prepared to reapply if the admissions readers feel you're not quite ready yet. I realize this is kind of an equivocal answer, but I like to work with data first, and then we can bring more subjective material into the assessment.

How many schools per round? I'd say four is a good maximum. Each MBA application requires deep research, and you'll probably burn out after three or four in the first round. I'd recommend picking three top-choice schools and one "safe" school in the first round, and work on the balance in the second round -- it's a good way to keep your mind busy while you're waiting through those long two months for an interview call.

Another advantage to second round is that you will also have time to do campus visits and sit in on classes to help research those applications, which you wouldn't be able to do at this stage for round 1. But however you break it down, four or five applications per round is the absolute most I've seen people succeed at -- cookie-cutter applications are not encouraged, and schools are very sensitive to essay-recycling, so these applications are a lot of work.

Good luck!
Margaret Strother
Margaret Strother
Senior Consultant
Stacy Blackman Consulting

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by sailingintobschool » Thu Jun 30, 2016 11:26 am
Thank you Margaret!