Mr. Corporate VC Hustler

Hi Mr. Corporate VC Hustler, it’s Julie-Anne Heafey here with mbaMission. Hmmmm. There are some real glimmers of great things here, but I also have a number of questions. The first things that stand out are your grit and confidence. Heaven knows these are must-have qualities for anyone in the entrepreneurial (and VC) world. Second, your monster GMAT – wowza (though it raises questions about your low GPA). It also seems like you have a ton of initiative for launching efforts, though I’m not clear on how big they are, whether they’re lasting/growing, or what’s happened to them since your involvement. You’re only 24, so it’s hard to see what the track record on all your ventures is like from your recap, but the details will matter in the application process (as will who is vouching for you in your recs). I’m a little fuzzy too on this: “1st person in investment group out of rotation program. Worked directly with group head to create the role.” Is this at your leadership rotational program at the tech company? I just wasn’t sure what that was. I do think Stanford takes younger applicants seriously, particularly if they’re in the startup world, but you’re going to have to demonstrate support from names they recognize, I think. Stanford is so tough, with such a low admit rate, it’s hard to give anyone a very high rating. Overall, when I pull back, I see someone with great promise and some yellow flags, so I’m giving you odds of about 10% – just under double the norm. Good luck!!

Hi Mr. Corporate VC Hustler, it’s Lisa Cummings from Stratus Admissions I hope you are staying safe and sane in these crazy times. Congrats on your high achievements based on your grit and determination; I love the fact that you give credit to others for helping you out. Having champions is so key and I am happy to see that you are returning the favor by serving as a career coach. I’d want to know more about that- are you still involved, is it part of an organization, how do you identify your mentees etc? While your near perfect GMAT is notable, your GPA is low for your target schools. So to stand out you want to make sure that the rest of your application is flawless. You already have some impressive big life wins, it is unclear which of them were post college. Your college achievements are worth noting, but in your applications you will want to focus more on your professional wins and the impact you had had on your two workplaces. Your work history seems solid- rotational programs are provide great exposure and experience. What was the impetus for your switch to a different firm after completing your rotational program? As I am sure you know, VC roles post MBA are coveted , your experience should give you an edge. Be sure you have an answer to the “Why MBA’ question given that you are already working in VC. With solid essays and recommendations you will be in the running at GSB and HSB, but both have very low acceptance rates so be sure to have some others on our list if you definitely want to go to B school. Good luck and stay well.