Mr. Social-Innovation

You are a really impressive candidate for Stanford from a country that is underrepresented in the elite MBA applicant pool: Columbia. Your numbers clearly check the boxes and your track record of accomplishments–both professional and personal–should make Stanford extend an invitation to interview. The fact that you are in strategic planning for a top consumer products maker also puts you in the underrepresented part of the pool. And your extras show your heart, a very important part of a successful Stanford GSB profile. I just checked to see if there are any Stanford MBAs from the Class of 2020 who also attended the Universidad de los Andes and there are none. But that shouldn’t make a difference because of your outstanding CV and the fact that the class does include one student each from Universidad Anáhuac, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Universidad de San Andrés, Universidad Metropolitan, Universidad ORT Uruguay, Universidad Pontificia Comillas, and Universidad Torcuato Di Tella. I predict that a future Stanford class will have someone who did his undergrad at Universidad de los Andes. Good luck to you!

Hi, it’s Nisha from mbaMission! What a well-rounded and international profile you have. A lot of amazing elements here: solid academics, an underrepresented background (not a lot of Chilean applicants to GSB or other top bschools), meaningful community involvement, and significant early progression at the CPG firm. GSB is extremely competitive (and unpredictable – I’ve seen very strong candidates get denied) and you’ll want to expand your list to other top programs, but you certainly would be a contender for the program with a well-executed application.

One thing I did want to touch upon is your career goals. I really admire your social entrepreneurship-focused ambitions (and how your volunteer experiences have inspired them), but schools do recognize the difficulty of starting your own organization right after graduating from the MBA program. Therefore, you’ll want to think about the type of post-MBA role that will give you the skills/experiences that you need to be successful in your venture in the longer term. Perhaps management consulting, as it would give you the strategic thinking frameworks and broader industry exposure? Definitely do some reflection on short and long-term goals – and, if you present in your application an ambitious yet logical path, you’ll be on the road to success. Best of luck to you!

Mr. Social-Innovation – Thanks for posting your profile. Susan Cera here from Stratus.

Your impressive academics and global exposure will make you a compelling candidate for any top program. Kudos to you for your patent and quick progress at work – these will allow you to stand out from other applicants.

Given the list of countries you have worked and lived in, your citizenship is unclear. Regardless of whether it is Chile or Colombia, you have an opportunity to stand out. Since you already have a master’s degree, it will be important for you to clearly articulate why you want an MBA and what areas you need to develop during an MBA to put you on track to acheive your goals. I admire your passion for helping others to learn and grow. This aligns with Stanford’s Change Lives, Change Organizations, Change the World. You would be well served to be able to show that beyond changing individual lives through your mentoring and guidance, you have taken steps to change organizations (either your company or the outside organizations you work with) to make a bigger impact.

In the past two admissions seasons, I’ve worked with two candidates who were engaged in social impact and innovation in Colombia. One is at Kellogg. The other is heading to Berkeley Haas. You might take a look at these schools as well. Reach out if you want to discuss your profile.

Wishing you all the best on your MBA application journey!
Susan