Candidate:

Mr. First Gen Consultant

About Me:

First-generation graduate from Southeast Asia, with 4 years work experience in strategy consulting in the region (1.5 at Big 4, 2.5 at MBB). Passionate about inter-generational social mobility having grown up with parents who started life in poverty.

Schools:

Target School: Harvard

Considering: Stanford GSB, Wharton

See More Profiles For: Harvard

Application Status: Open

Details:

Undergrad School: UK Top 10 school

Undergrad Major: Economics

GPA: 4.0 (First Class Honours)

GMAT: 710

Age: 26, Ethnicity: Asian or Indian

Other Degree/Certification: Masters in Finance

School Name: University of Cambridge

Extracurriculars: Mentor to high-performing underprivileged students, Medical aid & relief program volunteer, Pet Shelter volunteer

Work History:

Title: Consultant

Industry: Consulting

Company: Top Firm

Length of Employment: 2 yrs, 6 mos

Title: Senior Associate

Industry: Consulting

Company: Top Firm

Length of Employment: 1 yr, 6 mos

Big Life Wins:

Led development of a stock forecasting tool for large client (>$10B revenues annually) that was rolled out to 10 markets worldwide | Fast-tracked promotions at both Big 4 and MBB.

Post MBA Goal:

Leverage management experience from consulting and MBA to develop a profitable social venture to help uplift local communities in Southeast Asia.

Odds:

Join in! Click here to assess the odds of Mr. First Gen Consultant

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%

I really identify with you and your passion for “inter-generational social mobility having grown up with parents who started life in poverty.” While I didn’t grow up in poverty, I am a first generation college grad as well. The fact that you already have four years of strategy consulting on your resume and (even better) you moved from the Big 4 to MBB where you have been fast-tracked to promotion is huge. Your 4.0 from a top U.K. university offsets your 710 GMAT, 20 points below Harvard’s class average. Add to this your master’s in finance from Cambridge and we have here a super competitive candidate for HBS. Your extras make me like you more. So the only red flag (if you are looking for …

I really identify with you and your passion for “inter-generational social mobility having grown up with parents who started life in poverty.” While I didn’t grow up in poverty, I am a first generation college grad as well. The fact that you already have four years of strategy consulting on your resume and (even better) you moved from the Big 4 to MBB where you have been fast-tracked to promotion is huge. Your 4.0 from a top U.K. university offsets your 710 GMAT, 20 points below Harvard’s class average. Add to this your master’s in finance from Cambridge and we have here a super competitive candidate for HBS. Your extras make me like you more. So the only red flag (if you are looking for one) is that below average GMAT for Harvard. It shouldn’t make that much of a difference because you check every other box and HBS will give you a truly holistic review (unlike some other schools which say that but over-index on standardized test scores). Still, if you wanted some insurance, I would retake the GMAT to hit the class average number. It would add a few more points to their odds. Do you absolutely need to? No.

4 years ago Read the full review