Mr. PE To Startup

Hi Mr. PE-to-Startup, this is Julie-Anne Heafey with mbaMission. You are pretty young for your target schools; the days when you went to an MBA program directly or near-directly from undergrad are mostly over…and while I don’t want to say it’s impossible, it’s pretty rare. I appreciate that you have managed to land in a highly competitive role early, and that’s great, but IMO another year or two would make a big difference in your outcome. I work with a lot of PE applicants, and it’s a very competitive category. You’ve got great stats, and a stellar firm (it seems), but so do most of the other applicants in your category. What tends to make the difference for a young applicant in your world is an extraordinary trajectory (beyond-normal, accelerated promotion where you are) or unusual initiative (starting something groundbreaking) that puts you in a one of a kind category. Usually this is on a building-early-momentum-where-you-are story…but you are looking to pivot….so that is not what I’d expect to see. Also, I wonder about your exact goals, because you sound a bit murky and Wharton looks for clarity here (what kind of startup, how does your PE experience translate, what’s your past entrepreneurial experience). So, I’m cautious in expectations because your story doesn’t connect for me here. It’s possible your strong stats could pull you through at some schools to an interview, so if that happens, make sure your message and fit are crystal clear. If not, reapplying gives you time to build more of an understandable path and possibly stronger extracurriculars related to your goals. Good luck!

Hello Mr. PE to Startup, it’s Lisa Cummings of Stratus Admissions. Happy New Year! Your stats will make you an attractive candidate to Wharton and other programs By the time you will be applying (I assume the 2021-2022 cycle?) you will still be a little light on work experience (as you note) but you are coming from an industry that is notoriously hard to crack directly from undergrad, and one that many MBA s are aiming for post graduation so that will certainly play in your favor. I don’t see anything about a big win here, schools will be looking to see what impact you have had at work so think about ways you can highlight your work success and leadership to date in your essays. Many candidates at your target schools will also be interested in entrepreneurship, so you will want to be very clear about your goals and WHY you need an MBA to get there as opposed to going out now and working for a startup. What is driving that passion and where is the tech connection? I like your volunteer engagement – if possible, look for leadership opportunities in that community work that will add value to the organization and give you the opportunity to practice and improve those skills. Assuming you are able to get great recs and put together solid essays and short answers, you should have above average chances at your targets. I wish you good luck!