Candidate:

Mr. European Finance

About Me:

Graduated with an upper second-class honors from a top 5 university in my home country (top 300 globally). This roughly translates to a 3.3.-3.7. My final mark puts me around a 3.5. My university awards my final GPA based on results from my senior year only. In earlier years I have poor academic performance but have extenuating circumstances to point to.

Schools:

Target School: Wharton

Considering: Columbia, MIT Sloan

See More Profiles For: Wharton

Application Status: Open

Details:

Undergrad School: Europe

Undergrad Major: Information Systems

GPA: 3.3-3.7 range - Second Class Honours

GMAT: 740

Age: 26, Ethnicity: White

Extracurriculars: LQBTQ+ networks both within organization and external | Puppy raiser & fundraiser for visually impaired | Board member of an organization representing my home country abroad

Work History:

Title: Portfolio Strategist/Consultant

Industry: Banking & Finance

Company: Top Firm

Length of Employment: 4 yrs, 10 mos

Big Life Wins:

– I have been doing ample charitable work for various causes for many years. LGBTQ+ networks, a charity that helps people with disabilities for 10+ years.
– I have competed for my home country in martial arts.
– Currently work for a top finance firm and have a strong history of promotion and internal award recognition.

Post MBA Goal:

Would ideally like to develop leadership skills in a world-class institution and pivot into either private equity or VC afterward.

Odds:

Join in! Click here to assess the odds of Mr. European Finance

The Experts Rate The Odds At: 40%

See what the industry experts have to say:

John A. Byrne, P&Q Founder & Editor-In-Chief | Odds Assessment: 40%

So we already know what could possibly hold you back from an acceptance at three of the top MBA programs in the world: Wharton, MIT Sloan, and Columbia. You say it yourself: In your earlier undergraduate years, you note your “poor academic performance.”

Frankly, I do not believe this will lock you out of all the target schools you have chosen. For one thing, you make clear that your lower grades were due to “extenuating circumstances.” You do need to make that explicit and clear in your application materials.

This is particularly true because you clearly did better in your senior year, posting the equivalent of a 3.5. And whatever the overall GPA is, you have nicely offset any concerns about your academic abilities by bringing …

So we already know what could possibly hold you back from an acceptance at three of the top MBA programs in the world: Wharton, MIT Sloan, and Columbia. You say it yourself: In your earlier undergraduate years, you note your “poor academic performance.”

Frankly, I do not believe this will lock you out of all the target schools you have chosen. For one thing, you make clear that your lower grades were due to “extenuating circumstances.” You do need to make that explicit and clear in your application materials.

This is particularly true because you clearly did better in your senior year, posting the equivalent of a 3.5. And whatever the overall GPA is, you have nicely offset any concerns about your academic abilities by bringing a 740 GMAT to the party.

More important than the stats, however, is your record of achievement in a top finance firm, with “a strong history of promotion and internal award recognition.” That will signal tdo any admissions official that you are a person with the discipline and the skill to achieve success. Your extras show that your ambition extends beyond yourself and that is an important and sometime missing puzzle piece in elite MBA admissions. Your devotion to LGBTQ+ networks is also a very big plus.

Bottom line: If you execute a strong application, especially explaining in detail why you underperformed in your early undergraduate years and why that is not an indication of your ability to do rigorous academic work, you should move into the interview phase at all three schools and probably gain an admit at two of them.

1 month ago Read the full review