Mr. Reach

Hi, this is JP, Senior Consultant at The MBA Exchange. I’ll be short: your background contains most of what’s needed to succeed in your MBA applications. So the critical success factor will be execution. Understanding what the Admissions Committees want to know about you, and which successes and failures to highlight, will be key. Importantly, you’ll need to tie it all together with a strong rationale for choosing specific schools/programs, anchored by an inspired and genuine career vision (aka introspection). Expert guidance can definitely help you achieve your application goals, I’m quite certain of this. I’d be happy to give you additional feedback, just email me at jpo@mbaexchange.com.

Hi, it’s Nisha from mbaMission! You’ve clearly overcome so much, and I LOVE how you work with kids facing the same health challenges now. If you explain your extenuating circumstances that led to the GPA in the optional essay and point out how your strong GMAT score is a more accurate indicator of your academic abilities, schools will certainly take this into heavy consideration. Additionally, you’ve also made meaningful impact at work – if you can communicate your personal and professional impact on your resume get very strong recommendations that attest to your performance, potential, and growth (which sounds like it won’t be hard at all) this will put you in contention at top programs.

One thing i’d do a bit more thinking about is your post-MBA goals. VC is notoriously tough to get into, especially post-MBA. However, an incubator/startup role post-MBA is becoming increasingly feasible, as schools are starting to build relationships with organizations that offer such opportunities. And VCs ideally seek a combination of finance and startup experience anyway, so working in an emerging org post-MBA can set you up for a VC down the road. Just be sure to communicate your motivations in your application, since schools always want to understand this clearly – why does working at an incubator/startup appeal to you based on your experiences and observations so far, and what impact do you hope to make in the short and long-term? Definitely check out mbaMission’s Career Guides on VC and on Tech, available for free on the website – their insights will help you communicate your goals effectively.

Best of luck!

Hi Mr. Reach, this is Donna Bauman from Stratus Admissions Consulting and I see the positives here—and don’t think you should call yourself Mr. Reach at all. I think Mr. Resilience is much better! I love that you are now helping kids who have the same neurological disease you have and that you are trying to help others avoid issues with their gpa by helping to mentor them. You have a 730 GMAT and went to Northwestern and majored in math and economics. I went to Kellogg for my MBA and I know how tough Northwestern is – I remember seeing highly stressed and very capable undergrads when I was at Kellogg. Focus on your positives and I think you have a great story for MBA admissions. I have seen my clients get big scholarships from top programs with profiles that are similar to yours. I can see you being successful at Fuqua and Johnson and Tuck and yes even CBS. If you are up for a quick ride, you might even be able to turn around a quality application by June and be sitting in a classroom at Fuqua (covid willing) by August. I would be glad to talk to you further on a free consult if you want to reach out