Profile Evaluation

[jasonhaha]

Dear Experts,

I'd appreciate advice on school selection (i.e. top 10? top20?) and scholarship likelihood

-GMAT 760, AWA 4.5, IR 7
-3.6 GPA, undergraduate degree in Finance from a top Canadian University
-3.9 GPA, Masters Degree in Management (Finance) from a top Canadian Business School
- Master Degree is research focused and equivalent to first year PhD program
- Thesis written, TA/RA experience

-Work experience: 2 years equities sales experience on the trading floor at a non-BB investment bank in Shanghai (current).
-2 years at a boutique Management Consulting firm in Canada
-Volunteer/leadership experience: board member of NGO

-Professional Goal: Equity Research/Sales role in US

-Asian non-US male (age 30 at matriculation)
-Targets: Wharton, Booth, Kellogg, Yale
-Scholarship Targets: Cornell, Duke

What do you think!?Any other suggestions for scholarship targets?

[CriticalSquareMBA]

Hi there!

Thanks for reaching out. Congrats on a killer GMAT score! Also, your academic profile is stellar, so no worries there! Your work experience is solid assuming you've had some good leadership experiences there. Your involvement at your NGO is great as well - not just a member who volunteers, but a board member who is committed and making a direct impact - I love it!

I like the schools you're targeting. Have you thought about CBS? Kellogg is a great school, but I wonder if they have the right job opportunities/network for you post MBA. Did you find anything specific about Kellogg that makes it a good fit? Cornell and Duke are also some good aligned programs - and yes, scholarships will be considered across the board. The earlier you get your applications in, the better off you'll be!

Let us know if you'd like to chat about the details - sign up for a free consultation below! Best of luck!

[Personal MBA Coach]

Dear Experts,

I'd appreciate advice on school selection (i.e. top 10? top20?) and scholarship likelihood

-GMAT 760, AWA 4.5, IR 7
-3.6 GPA, undergraduate degree in Finance from a top Canadian University
-3.9 GPA, Masters Degree in Management (Finance) from a top Canadian Business School
- Master Degree is research focused and equivalent to first year PhD program
- Thesis written, TA/RA experience

-Work experience: 2 years equities sales experience on the trading floor at a non-BB investment bank in Shanghai (current).
-2 years at a boutique Management Consulting firm in Canada
-Volunteer/leadership experience: board member of NGO

-Professional Goal: Equity Research/Sales role in US

-Asian non-US male (age 30 at matriculation)
-Targets: Wharton, Booth, Kellogg, Yale
-Scholarship Targets: Cornell, Duke

What do you think!?Any other suggestions for scholarship targets?

Jason,

Thank you for the detailed post. Your academic record and GMAT score makes you pretty competitive for the schools you listed. I like that you have a mix of consulting and trading to make you that much more appealing. I am interested to learn more about your NGO experience as that will be an important factor, especially when it comes to scholarships.

Wharton, Booth, Kellogg and Yale are all reasonable for your profile, but as mentioned before I don't see Kellogg as the best fit necessarily for your background. That said, what is your post-MBA goal? That could change my opinion.

Have you considered MIT Sloan? I helped a client with a very similar profile to yours get 50% scholarship to Sloan this year. If you are looking for more scholarship money then Cornell and/or Duke makes sense, but I see you doing better than Cornell. How about Ross? I would recommend you target top schools and a couple slightly below. If you have a good story and tight essays, you should get in and get decent scholarship money, but have the lower schools as a safety net just in case (assuming scholarship $ is very important to you).

Send me a note if you want to chat about how I can help you with your applications. [email protected]

Best,
Scott