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Personally, I am very enthusiastic about lifelong learning and philanthropy, perfectly suiting me in my professional life as a venture capitalist. Outside of work, I enjoy playing ice hockey, and spending time with my now 7-year-old son.
Target School: Wharton
Considering: Harvard, MIT Sloan, Stanford GSB
See More Profiles For: Wharton
Application Status: Open
Watch Candidate's Video Assessment
Undergrad School: Virginia Tech
Undergrad Major: Chemical Engineering
GPA: 3.50
GMAT: 710
Age: 27, Ethnicity: White
Extracurriculars: Global Medical Brigades - Virginia Tech Chapter President & Founder (Raised over $500k, managed over 30 undergrads, recruited two domestic doctors, and planned trip logistics for a medical mission trip abroad to impoverished communities lacking healthcare resources each year of undergrad)
Title: Associate
Industry: Venture Capital
Company: Boutique Firm
Length of Employment: 2 yrs, 6 mos
Title: Analyst
Industry: Consulting
Company: Fortune 100 Top 10
Length of Employment: 1 yr
My biggest win to date is making a successful and risky career change from government consulting at the DoS to venture capital. I stepped into a two-man shop with limited resources. The Fund was unproven in an underserved ecosystem. Ultimately, the Fund generated measurable value to our LPs, resulting in a successful raise of a larger fund, taking AUM from $22mm to $54m. Since my job is in an underserved area for innovation, my VC experience is very community oriented and has grown the ecosystem substantially.
My immediate goal is to join the operating group of a high growth startup or venture capital firm that has an established track record of success. This short-term goal will enable me to build a reputation and track record to ultimately achieve my long-term goal: forming an early-stage, med tech focused venture fund that is social impact driven. I have a strong history of working alongside funds with established track records of success and have had the chance to collaborate with many of them on past deals. This experience will help me optimize the value of an MBA and network into my short-term aspirations.
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Hi Mr. Chemical Engineering Dad, this is Julie-Anne Heafey from mbaMission. I think you’ve got some excellent differentiators in your profile, but for me the holdup is the detail on your work experience. The specifics matter in these situations and boutique VC might mean something very impressive or something that leaves the admissions committee scratching their heads…doubling AUM could be amazing or less impressive if the starting number was very small. So – hard to say how that will land at Wharton unless I know more. What did you invest in and who were the other investors? If bigger names, that will help. I also am unclear when you were a consultant- that is mentioned but what that was …
Hi Mr. Chemical Engineering Dad, this is Julie-Anne Heafey from mbaMission. I think you’ve got some excellent differentiators in your profile, but for me the holdup is the detail on your work experience. The specifics matter in these situations and boutique VC might mean something very impressive or something that leaves the admissions committee scratching their heads…doubling AUM could be amazing or less impressive if the starting number was very small. So – hard to say how that will land at Wharton unless I know more. What did you invest in and who were the other investors? If bigger names, that will help. I also am unclear when you were a consultant- that is mentioned but what that was and where and for how long and what happened, might help to strengthen or weaken your profile..Agree that your GMAT is low for what I see succeed at Wharton for white males in financial roles…while there are exceptions, and personal circumstances may matter here, boosting your score will help your odds. Best of luck!
Hi Chemical Engineering Dad, Melisa and mom of 3 from Stratus Admissions. Let’s start by addressing your questions. Maybe I am biased (and I did not have my children while obtaining my MBA) but I think being a father is a plus to your profile. As an American male in finance, you want to show what unique perspective you can offer to classroom discussions and parental views are generally less common. You might think about how your role as a father has impacted decisions you’ve made or paths you’ve taken. Again, playing a role in growing a VC is going to be a plus. VC is a popular post-MBA goal and the fact that you bring this experience to the classroom is fantastic. Think …
Hi Chemical Engineering Dad, Melisa and mom of 3 from Stratus Admissions. Let’s start by addressing your questions. Maybe I am biased (and I did not have my children while obtaining my MBA) but I think being a father is a plus to your profile. As an American male in finance, you want to show what unique perspective you can offer to classroom discussions and parental views are generally less common. You might think about how your role as a father has impacted decisions you’ve made or paths you’ve taken. Again, playing a role in growing a VC is going to be a plus. VC is a popular post-MBA goal and the fact that you bring this experience to the classroom is fantastic. Think about how you can help others in your class make this transition. I am a little uncertain what you are asking on the philanthropy side, but I am going to answer as if you are asking if it makes a difference that your involvement is maybe deep with the mission trips, but not with one group over an extended period of time. Schools are looking for an indication that you want to make a positive impact on your overall community and your community involvement is also an opportunity to highlight leadership experiences that you have had. It looks like you’ve had some leadership at Tech which shows you are an engaged student. I’d encourage you to think about your involvement in your community rather than philanthropy per se – maybe it’s a nuance but you could be involved with your son as a part of your community or are there things that you did as a part of the VC firm that was outside your ‘role’ that benefited the work community overall. Community can mean different things to different people. One thing you didn’t ask about that want to bring up – and as an engineer with the finance industry there will be no question that you can handle the academic rigor of the program. Your GMAT however can be used as a comparative across other like candidates. Again, you have some things (son, VC) that make you stand out – but your GMAT is lower than average for all these schools – and finance types tend to be even above the school’s average. Not knowing where you are on your GMAT journey – you may want to consider taking it again. If you are past that point, then focus on being authentic and focus on why YOU need an MBA. Best of luck – sign up for a free consult if you’d like to discuss your profile further.
I’d say all of your schools mentioned in your profile are reaches, considering you are coming from an over represented group, below average GPA, below average GMAT. You could craft a unique story from your interesting background and work experience…think you should look at lower ranked programs as well as M7.
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