Mr. Army Bahasa

Hi, Mr. Army Bahasa, this is Julie-Anne Heafey with mbaMission. Wow, I agree that you have a very distinctive and interesting path. I am intrigued by your potential to add life experience and new perspective to the class, but there are a couple of concerns here on the academic and professional fronts that may indicate it’s best to wait to apply. First, your GRE looks low for Wharton. I don’t know how this breaks down in verbal/quant, but I’d worry about the percentiles there. Did you only take it once? I’d retake it if you can. Second, your experience level is on the lower side for top MBA programs, where closer to 5 years at matriculation is the norm. With exceptional impact or leadership at work, you can sometimes overcome this, but I’m not seeing anything on your form that suggests you might have this (?) to merit leaving your PE role a year after joining. My guess is that you would be better off applying in future years to give yourself time to improve your score and build up leadership and work accomplishments that will attract future employers. If you can’t wait, to give yourself an improved chance, make sure to show outsize impact at work, get stellar recommendations, and improve your GRE. Good luck!

Mr. Army Bahasa – Thanks for sharing your profile. Susan Cera here from Stratus.

Your path to business school is certainly not one I’ve seen a lot. I would be curious to know what you learned about yourself and others from growing up in Indonesia. I suspect that as a college soccer player you learned some great lessons about teaamwork and leadership which you will bring to your learning team at Wharton or another program.

While your undergrad performance is admirable, your GRE is sub-par for top programs. I would suggest at you consider retaking.

I’m impressed that you have joined the Army Reserves but curious about what prompted that action. You didn’t note any previous community engagement beyond playing soccer. Wharton wants students who will be engaged and collaborate with their classmates and the broader UPenn and even Philly community. This engagement should build on what you have done in the past.

I suspect that you have a fascinating story to tell. The key to your success at Wharton and other top programs will be convincing adcom that you will add value and their school is the best to prepare you to acheive your goals.

Wishing you all the best!