profile eval

[sean]

hi alex,

thanks for taking time to go over this.

- 29 / male / korean with green card

- gmat: 730 (96%) - q47 (79%) v44 (97%)
(above was my 4th, best, final gmat score; have seen 48 or 49 quant in previous gmats)

- econ major at gpa: 3.42/4.50 (B=3.00, B+=3.50, A=4.00, A+=4.50)
(last two semesters were 3.8x; many of econ and finance courses were B+, A, or A+; got an A from international finance course at harvard extension school this spring)

- 2003: started working at leading internet company in korea as corp development (worked closely with senior management including ceo/founder and cfo for 3 years)
- fall 2006: promoted to associate; went back to school for one final semester and completed undergrad
- year-end 2006: came to US to work at the US company that my company acquired in 2004 (i was a part of acquisition team); promoted to bus dev manager
- recent 12 months (or so): moved from bus dev / corp dev to product management. now am product manager of one of the two flagship products of the company.

- avid guitar player: been playing for almost 20 years; completed summer session at berklee college of music; translated a few international guitar clinics hosted by renowned guitar brands (while in university)
- 6 months ago, a few months after i got a green card, became a mentor for a african-american kid in the area through big brothers big sisters boston

my dream school is harvard, stanford, MIT, and wharton.

thanks!
sean

[sean]

i forgot to add this in the last minute.

econ majora one of top 2 or 3 universities in korea.


thanks!

[sean]

sorry to make another post. just wanted to be clear on career progression:

during my 5.5-year career, i have made 2 (or 3 depending on how you looks at it) with 2 highest % raises in salary in entire org. (i do not think this is anything major, but just wanted to give you clearer picture.)



thanks!

[MBAApply]

You're competitive for any of the top 16 US schools except for HBS and Stanford.

For HBS and Stanford, you're simply on the older side. For the Class of 2010 at HBS, more than 80% of the grads are 26 or younger -- in fact, the distribution is pretty narrow - the majority of the class are between 24-26 years old (!!). Stanford doesn't have as narrow of a distribution, but given the small class and their preference for younger candidates, you're still out of their preferred range. Are there older candidates at HBS and Stanford? Absolutely - but they are typically military officers, PhDs, physicians, teachers, speechwriters, and others - most of whom have had careers outside the private sector.

With Sloan - had you applied in Round 1, you would be competitive. Unlike other schools that have 3 (or more) rounds, Sloan only has 2. As such, their Round 2 deadline is significantly harder to get in - the adcom has gone on record in the past saying that they send out most of their admit letters in Round 1. Given that Sloan also has a small incoming class, you're rolling the dice for Round 2.

So that leaves you with Wharton, which I think you have a shot if you put together an exceptional application AND you have a bit of luck on your side (and assuming you're applying for Round 2). You may also want to look at other schools, such as Columbia, Chicago, Kellogg and Tuck.

Alex Chu
alex@mbaapply.com
www.mbaapply.com
http://mbaapply.blogspot.com

[sean]

thanks, Alex.

i have a couple of follow-up questions:

1. although i am us perm resident, being a south korean (male) citizen, i had (and completed) 2 years of military duty. i heard many of top b schools take this into consideration. would you revise that you said HBS and Stanford are big stretch? i know this is nothing but merely stating what 'i' know, but many of korean males have started their MBAs in top schools, mainly because of 2-y military experience at age of 27, 28, 29?

2. how would they. especially HBS, see my undergrad GPA? successfully compensated by GMAT and a course at Harvard Extension School or still a weakness?

3. just curious. which is better sales presentation: one of my reasons for xyz MBA is to change career or continue to pursue internet/tech?


thanks.

[MBAApply]

Look, I'm not going to tell you not to apply to HBS -- just know that you're fighting an uphill battle, regardless of your GPA/GMAT (it's your overall profile, not your numbers).

As for why you want an MBA, keep in mind that HBS doesn't ask for that in their essays. And for the other schools, it really depends on the specifics of your situation (there isn't some simple one-size-fits-all answer).

All the best on your applications

Alex Chu
alex@mbaapply.com
www.mbaapply.com
http://mbaapply.blogspot.com

[sean]

thanks, Alex. I appreciate it.