Mr. International Banker

Damn. I wish your GMAT was higher. You are really a terrific MBA candidate, given your vast international experience, your LSE degree and your stint at Goldman Sachs where you have clearly racked up some big wins. But as you know, Stanford is really tough. The school rejects more than 93% of all its applicants. The average class GMAT score there is a mind-blowing 734, a full 34 points above your score. Your 3.4 GPA is under the latest class average of 3.7. I have no doubt that you can walk into INSEAD. And despite your below-average numbers for Stanford, I think that your positives–namely your LSE degree, your Goldman experience, and your accomplishments–will lead the GSB to take a very hard look at you. Whether you crack the code is another issue. But your odds are a lot better than the 6.7% accept rate.

My immediate reaction: go take that GMAT again! You’ve got time on your side – get that score up (or giving the GRE a go) before you run the risk of jeopardizing the rest of your application. Your goal is to shore up every aspect of your application, and this is (somewhat) under your control. Sounds like you’ve accrued some impressive wins in your career – which is great to see, and your international perspective will be welcome in the classroom. Plus, I like that you’re applying with several years of experience under your belt – it has likely given you more time to develop as a leader. But you should still give them a higher GMAT to make it as hard as possible for them to say no to you.

One thing I’d want to explore with you: why impact investing/VC? Why is that something that calls to you? (And why do you need business school to make such a move?) I encourage my clients to really dig deep into their goals and always to be true to themselves – the schools will sniff out if someone hasn’t really thought their next steps through.

Bom dia/Guten Tag (Bonjour?)/Hola Mr. International Banker! Krista Nannery from mbaMission here.

How very international you are! What a smorgasbord! I find that b-schools love Global Citizens like you so play that up in your applications. You add a very diverse perspective to the classroom.

If GSB is your dream, I agree with Mr. Byrne…get that GMAT up up up. Purchase the enhanced score report from GMAC, see where your weaknesses are, and use the time between now and July when applications open to try again. (And possibly again.) But understand that GSB is tougher than tough and there is no shortage of banking candidates, unfortunately.

INSEAD is obviously a great choice but given that they skew older, this could go in a couple of different ways. I’d love for you to have a back-up plan (or three). If impact-investing is your bag, PLEASE look at Haas and Yale. They have great offerings in this space and don’t see candidates like you that often. (Both will still necessitate a higher GMAT though.)

Be careful of pitching schools on VC. In my experience, it’s a tough sell if you have no previous network or exposure to VC. (Or capital!) It’s an exciting job, I know, but it’s a hard one to get a b-schools know that more than most people.

Given the social impact dreams, I’d also want to see the golden thread…it sounds like you have at least one extracurricular where you are giving back with the “Make Things Possible” academy, but have you been doing this for a long time? Have you made a difference? The “why” on social impact investing needs to be really clear and obvious. It’s a hot goal these days, but most people struggle to make the case for it beyond wanting to do it. What makes it a logical goal for YOU?

My guess is that if you did apply to INSEAD today with the 700, you might be one of those people they ask to take the GMAT again. (They do this sometimes with candidates they like who score 700 or below.) Try to avoid that and just go in with a higher number on the first attempt.

Warning: Wharton can be GMAT snobs…plus, there are just too many banking candidates for a 700 to stand out. I hate to be a broken record here on the GMAT but I just thing you are so interesting and I want you to be successful!

All the best for this exciting next step in your career!