Mr. FP&A

Hi, it’s Nisha from mbaMission. The good news is that the impact you made in your roles is more important than the name of the company, and your transition to a major airline after your initial 2 years will certainly catch the admissions committees’ attention. (I actually worked with a client last year who also served in finance roles for a prominent transportation company, and he’s now at HBS). In your resume, make sure that each professional bullet explains what you achieved and how you went about it.

I think Ross is a good target school for you, as long as you: make it clear what drives your goals in corporate development or M&A (narrow down to one of these goals) and why it would suit you, and help the admissions committee get to know you outside of work since Ross is all about well-roundedness and community. Great to read about your advocacy volunteer work, so you’ll want to spotlight that in your application and what has motivated you to commit to this space.

Regarding the other schools you are considering, I like that you have listed a range of programs, as that will maximize your chances in this competitive environment. To figure out which schools are the priority, 1.) narrow down your career goals, and see which programs have the closest ties to companies you’d like to work in post-MBA and 2.) go to plenty of virtual events so that you can get a feel for each school’s culture and offerings. I hope that helps for now – I encourage you to sign up for a free consultation if you’d like to discuss in more detail. Best of luck!