Mr. M&A Data Engineer

Hi Mr. M&A Data Engineer, this is Kristen from MBA Prep School. As a former member of the Admissions team that rolled out MIT Sloan’s deferred enrollment program, I love advising college seniors and master’s students considering this pathway. There is a lot to like about your profile. While Texas A&M is not the most reputable school overall, it has an incredibly strong rep in engineering and your 3.75 GPA in industrial engineering is impressive. I also like that you have mentored your peers on making a similar move from engineering to finance. Your GMAT score is also a check in the “plus” column for you, and you’ve had a relevant internship at a top firm (though not MBB)! Your Master of Finance degree can present both advantages and obstacles to your candidacy. On the one hand, you are already showcasing you can transfer your engineering foundation to the business world. On the other, admissions committees may wonder why you pursued a master’s degree right out of school if you ultimately want to get an MBA. They can be wary of “degree collectors” and want to make sure you intend to put all this knowledge to use. One other current unknown about your profile is your post-master’s employment situation. Many deferred MBA programs have a spring deadline so they can assess who has more than just a hypothetical career plan in mind; the most successful applicants in this process are those that have a job offer already and can provide evidence of how they will be spending their deferral period. Look at it this way: if a typical MBA applicant with 5 years of experience is evaluated based on his actual career progression, a deferred enrollment candidate will need to be evaluated based on how they will beginning their career. An offer letter from a top firm is like a stamp of approval and an indicator of the potential they see in them, which speak volumes to admissions officers. This will also help admissions officers evaluate your career goal through the lens of how your first job will help prepare you to make that pivot. Deferred MBA programs are selective, so you need to show them you are someone who deserves to have their seat held NOW as opposed to a candidate they feel comfortable waiting on until they gain the work experiencer. I do think you are targeting the right set of deferred programs based on your background, and where you land that first job can go a long way in securing a seat for you. I’d be happy to chat with you further about how to strengthen your candidacy and set yourself up for success!