Mr. Swings For The Fences

Hi, it’s Nisha from mbaMission. I admire those who swing for the fences. You’ve had an intriguing career, with a mix of Peace Corps and accounting. What I’m not completely clear on is: why do you want an MBA – what drives your interest in strategy consulting/M&A? Also, why do you feel that INSEAD is the best fit for you? It very well could be a good fit, but I’d want to understand what it is about the international aspect of the program that you feel would drive your career goals, and the admissions committee will want to know this as well. From a competitiveness standpoint, academically – your GPA is slightly on the lower side (but it was in statistics, a challenging major, and the CPA will help offset it somewhat). While your GMAT is right at the average for INSEAD, since your GPA is slightly below, I recommend giving it another shot to get above the average, which can only help. Aside from that, as mentioned above, you’ll want to make it clear what motivates your career goals and the global impact you want to make. You’ll also want to get recommendations that attest to your strong performance, potential, and growth, particularly versus your peers.

Hope that helps – best of luck!

Hi, it’s Jennifer Jackson from Stratus Admissions. You have some interesting experience in both accounting and the Peace Corps — not that common a combination! I like also that you’re bilingual (verging on trilingual) and that you were a 4-year college athlete. All great to add color to your applications. Adcoms will want to understand the why behind your goal in strategy consulting? You didn’t share much about what may lie ahead after consulting or why consulting is a great next step for you. Lots of people pick that route and it’s a great way to get a lot of experience across a lot of different functions and industries and geographies in a short amount of time. But your application will benefit if you can really point out that that is the perfect stop on your path to…what? Think through that and then tailor your explanation of your career path accordingly. Your GPA is on the lower side but far from a deal-breaker, and your GMAT is solid especially from an under-represented demographic. Insead will like your background in the Peace Corps and your languages, but be sure to be specific about how that school is the best fit for you. Good luck!