Mr. Big 4

I am more optimistic about Wharton than others because of several reasons, including your jumbo GMAT score which Wharton will eat up. First off, a Big Four job outside the U.S. is much harder to get than it is in the U.S. It IS a highly selective job to have and you clearly have excelled at it if you rank 20th out of 50,000 students in India. I do agree with Jennifer that you want to explain why your fintech failed, what motivated you to start it, and what you learned from the experience. A well-written essay on this could make a very big difference for you because you just don’t want to be a big GMAT number. The other reason I am more optimistic is because Wharton accepts 23.1% of its applicants. So if I give you a 25% chance that means I think your odds are just two percentage points over the average. To my way of thinking, that is unrealistic given your highly selective job, your achievements in it with a promotion in six months, your valuable experience with a startup, your All India rank and a GMAT score that is 38 points over the Wharton class average. You would benefit from more work experience, however, and I think that may be an important reason why our other experts assign you lower odds. While as an Indian male you are in the overrepresented part of the pool, at least you are not another IT guy. And since your goal is i-banking, you should also broaden your targets to include Chicago Booth, Columbia and NYU Stern. You would also be opening yourself to scholarship money by having a deeper application strategy with that jumbo GMAT.

Hi, this is Deepak Punwani from MBA Exchange. Congratulations on excellent academic credentials and also on the early promotion. Like the fact that you are working in transactions and diligence at big 4 instead of working on tax and assurance or risk. In my experience most applicants have a more competitive profile for business school admissions than they have for their first choice post MBA role. In your case I actually think its the reverse. I see you as really competitive for an I – bank role (with your CA rank holder status, CFA level 3, past financial services exp, high GMAT and consistent academic record). But convincing Wharton that “now” is right time for you for an MBA, may prove to be more difficult. If you can show that you have “seasoning” i.e. you have not only developed your analytical skills but also your people skills in last 2+ years and have a clear idea on how the MBA fits your career goals, you may have a shot. My guess is that average age for an Indian candidate at Wharton is around 27 to 28. You are a couple of years short, so you will do well to justify to them that you are ready NOW and your profile wont become that much stronger by working for a few more years. Good luck.

Hi Mr. Big 4! This is Kate Richardson, Senior Admissions Consultant weighing in on your profile. A promotion within 6 months is impressive, especially within a Big 4 firm as they tend to operate more strictly regarding promotion guidelines. You also have very impressive academic stats — with your strong GPA, the CA and CFA, and GMAT that is well above Wharton’s average. You are applying from a competitive pool (Indian applicants and Big 4 applicants) but I think those stats will help you stand out. They’re not enough though, since MBA admissions is a holistic process. I’m mostly curious about why now is the best time for you to pursue your MBA, and while I’ve seen others pursue a Big 4 to Investment Bankign path, I’m also curious how you see your career unfolding long-term. What will you find rewarding? What kind of impact are you eager to have? Ideally you could tie that vision to your stint as a Fintech entrepreneur, which may be a good topic to explore further in essays. Wharton is very selective, they have a 22% acceptance rate, so I’m putting your odds pretty close to that, and I’d put them slightly higher for Kellogg. With your interests in banking, I’d also consider Booth and Columbia and maybe LBS.

Hi, it’s Jennifer Jackson from Stratus Admissions. You have some very impressive stats, even for your overrepresented demographic. Wharton and other top schools are so competitive that they routinely turn away people with such impressive stats so your job is to show what’s behind the stats. What I find intriguing is your failed startup in Fintech. I bet there was quite a bit of learning and growth that came from that! Don’t shy away from that failure — explain what you learned and how you grew and why you need two years in an MBA program to make you more successful in your next endeavor. Speaking of which — why investment banking after the MBA? Where does that come from? You’ll want to explain that thoroughly and how it connects to what you’ve done as well as what your longer-term goals are. One other thing to note is that you haven’t been out of school very long and would likely be a stronger candidate in a year or two. Be sure to explain why now is the time if you do move forward! If you want a free consult, click here: