Candidate:

Mr. Frog

About Me:

30-year old French working in the financial industry in London. I started my career at Goldman Sachs in London where I worked as an IB analyst (M&A industry group) before moving to a private equity investing role in the same city. For the past 2 years, I’ve been a PE associate at a top firm ($50bn+ AUM – think Blackstone, Advent, CVC, etc).

Schools:

Target School: Harvard

Considering: Stanford GSB

See More Profiles For: Harvard

Application Status: Open

Details:

Undergrad School: Top 3 French Business School (HEC/ESSEC/ESCP)

Undergrad Major: Double Major (Corporate Finance)

GPA: Equivalent to 3.7 GPA

GMAT: 700

Age: 30, Ethnicity: White

Extracurriculars: Volunteer mentor at a non-profit organization giving young people from disadvantaged backgrounds weekly one-to-one support from a mentor (current), Certified first responder and squad leader at the Red Cross (for 4 years during my studies)

Work History:

Title: Private Equity Associate

Industry: Banking & Finance

Company: Top Firm

Length of Employment: 2 yrs

Title: Investment Banking Anlayst (M&A)

Industry: Banking & Finance

Company: Top Firm

Length of Employment: 2 yrs

Big Life Wins:

Consistently rated a top performer at GS / Moved abroad after university to start my career at a top firm before successfully being hired by a top PE megafund / Spent 4 years serving my community as a volunteer first responder and squad leader in parallel of my studies.

Post MBA Goal:

Getting back to private equity and switching from a traditional “corporate” asset class to infrastructure PE investing. The state of infrastructures is a huge challenge in many countries and geographies and I want to make a meaningful impact by funding and developing what are necessary assets for social and economic prosperity.

Odds:

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

The Experts Rate The Odds At: 12%

See what the industry experts have to say:

mbaMission Odds Assessment: 10%

Hi, it’s Nisha from mbaMission. You’ve had an impressive career in banking and PE, and it’s great to see that you’ve made time to give back to your community via mentorship. The motivations driving your career goal of infrastructure PE investing make a lot of sense to me. However, what I find myself wondering (and what the schools may wonder as well) is: why do you need an MBA to make this switch, given that you’re already working in PE and are looking only to switch asset classes? What are the skills and experiences that you need from business school in order to make this switch a reality or to excel in it? You’ll want to make this very clear in your applications. …

Hi, it’s Nisha from mbaMission. You’ve had an impressive career in banking and PE, and it’s great to see that you’ve made time to give back to your community via mentorship. The motivations driving your career goal of infrastructure PE investing make a lot of sense to me. However, what I find myself wondering (and what the schools may wonder as well) is: why do you need an MBA to make this switch, given that you’re already working in PE and are looking only to switch asset classes? What are the skills and experiences that you need from business school in order to make this switch a reality or to excel in it? You’ll want to make this very clear in your applications.

Regarding your target schools: Stanford tends to skew a bit younger in terms of its class, so that program (which already has the lowest acceptance rate among the schools) will be quite a reach. I do recommend expanding your list of schools to others that are strong in finance: Columbia, Booth, and Yale (which also has a reputation for social impact). Hope that helps a bit – best of luck!

4 years ago Read the full review
Stratus Admissions Counseling Odds Assessment: 15%

Hi, it’s Jennifer Jackson from Stratus Admissions. You have some very solid work experience in the finance sector and it’s admirable that you’ve found the time to contribute to the community the way you have. Your GMAT is a bit soft for the top schools but they don’t get a ton of French applicants so I think that will make you stand out a bit. I think it will be critical for you to really concentrate on the Why MBA/Why Now, because you may be able to make this pivot without the degree. Show them the skills you have and why you must get an MBA to reach your goals, including your longer-term goals. You’re on the older side of applicants so this timing aspect …

Hi, it’s Jennifer Jackson from Stratus Admissions. You have some very solid work experience in the finance sector and it’s admirable that you’ve found the time to contribute to the community the way you have. Your GMAT is a bit soft for the top schools but they don’t get a ton of French applicants so I think that will make you stand out a bit. I think it will be critical for you to really concentrate on the Why MBA/Why Now, because you may be able to make this pivot without the degree. Show them the skills you have and why you must get an MBA to reach your goals, including your longer-term goals. You’re on the older side of applicants so this timing aspect is even more critical for you. I would also encourage you to focus on that aspirational part of your LT goal that you lay out — how society will benefit from funding and developing these assets, and what ideas you have to make that happen. I wish you lots of luck!

4 years ago Read the full review