Profile Evaluation, 730, limited work experience

[LKY96]

Hello,

I am interested in applying to joint MBA/ masters in international affairs programs, and was hoping to get some feedback on my profile. I realize that, as a recent graduate, I have pretty limited work experience, so I'm debating whether it's worth waiting to apply to grad school, or if I would have a decent shot now.

GMAT: 730 (Q48, V42, AWA 5.5)

Education:
-BA Political Science and Economics from prestigious liberal arts college, GPA 3.5, major GPA 3.8
-Studied abroad at University College London (Economics program) and Fudan University in Shanghai (summer Advanced Chinese course)

Work Experience:
-2 years municipal finance analyst (youngest on my team, constructed analytic models, wrote reports on municipal debt issuers (state and local governments, government enterprises), wrote commentary on market events)
-1 year client support role for portfolio management software

Other:
-Lecturer in local high school investment seminar
-Guest speaker in national investment conference
-former director of intercollegiate afterschool tutoring/ mentorship program
-collegiate internships in government/ foreign affairs (US Congress, international labor rights NGO, business development in China office of a multinational corporation)

I hope to attend a top program that has a government/ public policy schools attached, so I'm aiming for institutions such as Columbia, UPenn, HBS/HKS, MIT/HKS, Haas, etc. Question is...do I have a shot? Should I wait to garner more work experience? Any feedback is appreciated, thanks!

[mili]

Hi there,

I would say that you've got average experience if you apply with 3 years work experience. You'll have 4 years by the time you matriculate. That said, I don't see a whole lot of leadership experience in your work history, so if you feel that you haven't yet had the opportunity to really demonstrate your leadership/teamwork capacity, and that a year or two more on the job would really give you that opportunity, then it may improve your chances to wait. It's difficult to say without knowing more!

Your academic credentials are very strong and it seems like you've had some good college extracurricular activities. However, I'm not seeing a ton of community work or consistent post-college extracurricular activities, and this could be a gap as far as MBA programs are concerned.

I would say that it doesn't hurt to apply this year with your current profile (you have a shot, yes!), and if it doesn't work out, you can always take more time and reapply next year.

Hope this helps,
Mili


Mili Mittal
Senior Consultant
http://www.mbamission.com

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