Mr. Finance To Education

Mr. Finance to Education: Emily here from The MBA Exchange. I know that MBA admissions officers will love your background story and it will add real depth to any MBA class. Your GMAT and GPA fit into the ranges for the schools you listed but are not at the top. Telling your story in a compelling and appropriate way will be KEY to your candidacy. I recommend finding an experienced consultant who can help you craft this story, particularly as it relates to your future goals. You need to weave your past and future together so they don’t seem so disparate. That will help you stand out from the very talented applicant pools at your schools of interest. Please email me if I can be helpful: emilyb@mabexchange.com Good luck!

Hi Mr. Finance to Education,
This is Debbie Choy, Senior Consultant at mbaMission. I think your achievements in your career, undergrad, and community are impressive, especially given the difficult personal challenges you must have had to overcome. Schools are always looking for candidates who have succeeded against the odds, and pay it forward in their community – and you have certainly done both. Through your volunteering work, your passion for education definitely comes through. So your career goal makes sense to me. Beyond that, I also like that you have a solid GMAT score, and have done well at work. I think you would have a lot to contribute – both in the b-school classroom and in your future career. The key is to balance telling your personal stories (as a first gen college grad and LGBTQ candidate) and professional achievements/goals in a compelling way in your applications. If you execute on this, I think you would be an attractive candidate to the top schools. Good luck! I’m rooting for you!

Hi, it’s Jennifer Jackson from Stratus Admissions. You have so many things going for you in your profile! Being a first-gen college student and doing well in a hard major is a feat in itself, and then your GMAT is very strong and will be at least average for your demographic. Your work experience is very impressive and all the schools are looking for more LGBTQ candidates. It’s wonderful to see your extracurricular involvement tie in not only to your own background but to your career goals in ed tech or ed consulting. The story sounds like it will be a compelling one to tell and one that adcoms will be impressed by. Be sure to explain how the MBA will help you make the switch into the ed space — what skills are you lacking that only an MBA can provide? Why is now the best time? Showing how your background in finance and leadership experiences (including that big win!) will help prepare you to make that switch. I think you have a very good shot at Kellogg and other top schools!