Profile Evaluation Request

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Profile Evaluation Request

by mholmes2101 » Wed Apr 27, 2016 11:43 am
Hi Critical Square,

I'm applying in round 1 this year for full-time MBA programs enrolling fall 2017 and would love to get a profile evaluation as a gut check for my chances at top programs. Any evaluation or advice you could give me would be great!

White male, 24 years old

Education:
"Southern Ivy" (Duke, Emory, Vandy, etc.), graduated in 2014, Mathematics and Economics BA, GPA: 3.25 (started out pre-med which did not go well. Started to do better when I switched to math and econ, but suffered family tragedy fall of senior year which hurt my grades as well)

GMAT:
770 (50Q/46V/8IR/5AWA)

Work:
-1 year as a business analyst in the Operational Excellence department at a large media conglomerate located in Atlanta (working in the automotive division, where they are a global leader in wholesale and retail technology and facilitation). Acted as a liaison between business operations and IT development for the development of enterprise mobile applications, completed heavily statistical analysis to complete the business cases for these applications as well as justify a multi-million dollar acquisition, created operational tools for field use and trained several GMs on their use.
-1 year as a manager in the Financial Planning and Analysis department in the same company. Promoted to manager 3 years ahead of schedule for being recognized as a top performer. Manages 2 contractors and an intern. Currently in charge of budgets and forecasts for several smaller portfolio businesses and on the leadership team of these businesses to provide insights that drive strategic decision-making. Created a service offering that's being implemented at the location level and has proven to be profitable in test runs.
-Internships include summer internship at same company where I currently work and a summer as a finance intern at a wealth management fund.

Extracurriculars:
-Pro Bono consultant at an eCommerce retail store, creating the business plan, social media marketing strategy, and pricing methodology
-Half marathon participant in the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Team In Training program. Raised $2000 for cancer research
-Event planning volunteer at the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society
-Finalist in my company's internal StartUp business plan event
-Liaison between my current company and a start-up non-profit whose goal it is to provide low-income teens with exposure to successful professionals.

Post-MBA Goals:
I want to use my automotive industry knowledge to move into a role with a leader in the transportation tech space (Google, Apple, Tesla, Uber, Lyft, etc.). Knowing that's a narrow niche with high barriers to entry, I would also consider management consulting roles to further hone my strategic planning expertise.

Schools under consideration:
Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, Chicago, MIT, Kellogg, Haas, Duke, Michigan

Thanks in advance for your help!

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by CriticalSquareMBA » Thu May 05, 2016 4:43 am
Hi there!

Congrats on an AMAZING GMAT score! You rocked that thing! With that test out of the way, it's time to focus your time on your story. The few things I notices right off the bat: 1) a low GPA, 2) nice involvement in the community - enough to differentiate yourself! 3) relatively low work experience (on the fringe here).

The good news? Your killer GMAT will remove *most* doubt about your ability to do well in the classroom. You went to a solid UG program and the nature of your work make this a hill you can overcome. I like your community involvement! This should be a big part of your story and demonstration in leadership - I think you have a lot to work with here. Finally, 2 years of work experience will put you on the younger side of the application pool. Knowing this, you need to come out swinging demonstrating your maturity, leadership (again), and ability to be an "influencer". Your early promotion is a great place to start.

All in all, I like your profile for some of the schools you're targeting. I would go after one, maybe two, schools from H/S/W and MIT. Booth and Haas are also good options considering your background and where you ultimately want to be. I think you could spend some time refining your short and long term goals as well. You'll need to be quite specific as to what you want to do at these firms and how you see yourself making an impact.

Hope this helps! Feel free to check out our free resources as you kick-off your R1 applications. Also, if you're considering working with a consultant, give us a shout - sign up for a free consultation below to see how we could help. We'd love to chat. Best of luck!
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