29 y.o. Italian Naval Officer

[mguillot]

Hi,

I would like to know your assessment about my chances of being admitted to any of these top-tier b-schools.

TARGET SCHOOLS: HBS, CBS, LBS, Wharton, Sloan.

GMAT: 750 (Q:48; V:45; AWA:4.5; IR: 6)
TOEFL: 110

AGE/GMAT: 29/Male
NATIONALITY: Italian

EDUCATION:
- 2007: M.Sc. in Naval and Maritime Sciences - 110/110, cum laude (Italian higher-Ed grading system)
- 2005: B.Sc. in Naval and Maritime Sciences - 110/110, cum laude
- I contacted an US company that provides certified evaluation of international academic credentials and its approximate conversions were: B.Sc.: GPA 3.80 - M.Sc.: GPA 3.78
- Both my degrees were issued by a Top 3 Italian University.

BACKGROUND:
- 6 years of active duty as a Naval Officer (Italian Navy).
- Still on active duty.
- Among other activities, I took part to 3 overseas deployments in the Middle East, Indian Ocean and Persian Gulf.
- I attended the Italian Naval Academy (5 years, in addition to the 6 of active duty reported).


Any feedback would be precious and greatly appreciated.

Thank you for your time!

[Heidi Granner]

mguillot,

Thanks for your post.

Your academic achievements (education, GMAT) will certainly put you in the running for the top schools. The average stats for your target schools are as follows: GPA's average around 3.5-3.6 and GMAT scores average 715-730. Provided that you present yourself well in this section, your academic credentials will attest to your competitive candidacy. In order to be accepted to the top schools to which you plan to apply, however, you will need to differentiate yourself and prove that you stand out in other ways too.

Usually, military servicemen are perceived as having strong leadership and teamwork experiences (this stereotype significantly raises the bar for you in essays on these topics) and are assumed to be both regimented and determined in their approach to challenges. On the other hand, adcoms sometimes fear that applicants with military backgrounds will perform poorly outside of a hierarchical environment and will have limited skills in dealing with people. You will need to show through your success in the Italian Navy that these characteristics do not apply to you, but you should nonetheless keep in mind the stereotypes you must work to counteract. All in all, your military service will add a degree of maturity to your application.

One aspect to your background which you haven't mentioned is extracurricular activities. Military background applicants often have a little less to show in this area due to the nature of the work, but it will be important to show how you have made an impact above and beyond your formal role.

I do think you will be competitive at the schools you mention (provided you have a strong track record of success in the Italian Navy and have some extracurricular activities to mention). I suggest thinking of HBS and Sloan as "reach" schools (approximately 1 in 4 chance of acceptance) given their acceptance rates and LBS, Columbia, and Wharton as "target" schools (approximately 1 in 3 chance of acceptance - Wharton being a little more competitive than CBS, LBS). I recommend applying to 4-5 schools overall.

Please feel free to reach out to [email protected] for a free profile evaluation. And good luck!

Best,
Heidi