Mr. Polyglot

Hi Mr. Polyglot, this is Kristen from MBA Prep School. You have a very unique and interesting professional background, which will certainly help you stand out in the application process. You also check most of the boxes in terms of raw admissions criteria: elite employer, reputable undergrad institution with a solid GPA, 740 GMAT right in range if not slightly above average for the HBS admitted class. Your global experience and community engagement with Habitat for Humanity will also score you points. The challenge you face is in “fitting in” from a work success standpoint. Remember, you want to stand out just enough to be different but also fit in enough that the school can see you have demonstrated similar leadership qualities and achievements to your more traditional peers. You will want to think of examples that demonstrate your ability to influence others, solve complex problems, and have a quantifiable impact on your organization. I can actually remember seeing this go both ways for interpreters/translators when I was an adcom at MIT Sloan. Applicants who place too much emphasis on individual accomplishments or whose impact had a limited scope struggled to advance to an interview or admit decision. Others who perhaps were translating in high-pressure situations and navigating tense international relationships were more successful. I don’t think you will have a problem with Yale, but for HBS you will really need to emphasize how key you were to the projects and teams you were a member of. Please feel free to reach out for a complimentary consultation if you would like to talk more about how to position your application for success!

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