Mr. AI & Fitness

What’s there not to like in your profile? You hit the numbers: a 3.88 exceeds SOM’s 3.71 class average, while your 720 GMAT is just four points shy of the school’s latest class average. Your major at Yeshiva in business intelligence and marketing analytics is a real plus. That is unusual. I like your passion for sports and how you’ve thrown your heart and soul into it. And your extras line up nicely with your passion and show you have real heart. Your post-MBA goals are easily achieveable. SOM accepts about 25% of its applicants. I think your chances are at least double that admit rate. Bruce DelMonico, you’d be crazy not to let this guy in!

First question: Why only Yale SOM? Your academic and professional profiles, and post-MBA career goal, indicate that you’d have a good chance at higher ranked schools that are an even better fit. That said, I love your undergrad major — very hot — and stellar GPA from Yeshiva. An officer title that includes “stategy” at ML is impressive for someone age 26. What are your most significant, quantified achievements there? Your “board and committee” positions with meaningful non-profits are good, but you can make this work harder for your MBA candidacy by adding formal leadership roles.

Hello Mr. AI & Fitness! Krista Nannery from mbaMission here.
The first thing that caught my attention in your post is that you prevented a shutdown of part of your company’s business?? That seems quite…MAJOR. Make sure at least one of your recs provides management’s view on this!
I am also loving your extracurriculars. In my experience, all schools love this but programs like Yale and Kellogg in particular really just love this sort of leadership outside of your professional endeavors.
My top tip for you would be to go all in in R1. Because you’re a male in finance, even with the great GPA and great ECs, it’s just a competitive pool. Get in there first and wow them with all you have to offer, avoiding a split-round strategy.
I would love to see a slightly higher GMAT score (even 730 would help) to make this an even more fun and interesting process for you, but as long as you have Stern, Yale, and UCLA on your list, I think that 720 will be sufficient. (If you had told me Wharton was your dream, I’d definitely be pushing for a retake.)
I wish you all the best for this process!
Krista

Hi, Melisa from Stratus Admissions. While there is a lot that stands out in your profile, I am impressed with the specificity of your long goals and having a type of company in mind – especially ones that fit so well with your life style. I can easily see the thread that weaves through your story and I think this will help you stand out – especially with a lower than average years of experience. Your job title and listed accomplishments further back up that you have the experience to contribute to an MBA program. As a finance guy, you will want your stories to differentiate you from others in finance – use your goals to show how you are unique. I can see a nice tie in with Yale’s Commitment essay, assuming it stays the same for next year. I think you have a solid list of schools – you may want to consider Haas as it is another school that I think would really value your extracurricular experience. Best of luck!