Candidate:

Mr. Tech CPA

About Me:

1. I was not a good student in undergrad which is reflective in my GPA, however, I learn best through application. I also had a lot of family challenges through undergrad with my late father being diagnosed with cancer. I plan to retake the GMAT (goal: 725). 2. I currently work for a unicorn startup and worked at a large tech firm previously.

Schools:

Target School: Harvard

Considering: MIT Sloan, Berkeley Haas, Wharton, UCLA Anderson, Chicago Booth

See More Profiles For: Harvard

Application Status: Open

Details:

Undergrad School: Northern Illinois University

Undergrad Major: Finance

GPA: 2.9

GMAT: 700

Age: 29, Ethnicity: Asian or Indian

Other Degree/Certification: Master's in Accounting

School Name: DePaul University

Extracurriculars: Podcast - Created a podcast focused on interviewing early-stage startup founders, Volunteer Consultant at Nonprofit - Work on a team to support projects for clients in the environmental space, Director of Career Development at National Fraternity - Develop career program for undergrad students including mentor connections, resume workshops, etc.

Work History:

Title: Finance Manager

Industry: Technology

Company: Start-Up

Length of Employment: 2 yrs

Title: Senior Financial Analyst

Industry: Technology

Company: Fortune 100 Top 10

Length of Employment: 2 yrs

Big Life Wins:

1. I defined & implemented core financial management processes at my current company (unicorn startup). This consisted of defining unit economics with business stakeholders, building forecasting logic, and implementing processes. 2. Launched a podcast interviewing early-stage founders to provide a window into entrepreneurship.

Post MBA Goal:

Ultimate Goal: Venture Capital; Willing to start in Consulting to get to Venture Capital I just have a passion for startups & no longer find FP&A challenging or fulfilling which is leading me to pursue VC. VC or Consulting will fill a gap in my experience by working more with executives & condensing complex analyses making me a better leader.

Odds:

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The Experts Rate The Odds At: 5%

See what the industry experts have to say:

mbaMission Odds Assessment: 5%

Hi, Mr. Tech CPA. I wish I had better news, but you’re facing an uphill climb here. In my experience, it is incredibly rare to see a candidate with lower than a 3.0 succeed in the admissions process at HBS unless there are some seriously incredible things to offset your academics. Granted, your profile might not fully be capturing your achievements, but I’m not seeing the kind of leadership and impact here that you’d need for a decent shot at HBS. So, if you have that– make sure to bring it out in your app! How have you made a huge difference in your organizations, and shown the kind of leadership that makes them see you as a mover and …

Hi, Mr. Tech CPA. I wish I had better news, but you’re facing an uphill climb here. In my experience, it is incredibly rare to see a candidate with lower than a 3.0 succeed in the admissions process at HBS unless there are some seriously incredible things to offset your academics. Granted, your profile might not fully be capturing your achievements, but I’m not seeing the kind of leadership and impact here that you’d need for a decent shot at HBS. So, if you have that– make sure to bring it out in your app! How have you made a huge difference in your organizations, and shown the kind of leadership that makes them see you as a mover and shaker in your industry? Beyond that, expand your list to include some target and safety schools in addition to a reach name or two. Keep in mind that as a male in finance/tech, you face some strong competition, so your stats probably need to be a notch above the schools in your “target” range. Finally, VC is a tough, clubby industry to break into — if you don’t have a clear/easy path in through connections, I’d pick a more reasonable (but ambitious) goal. Consulting is OK, if possibly tricky given your GPA/GMAT, so be specific on what kind…I suggest you leverage the expertise you’ve built. Also, it’s fairly unusual to go from consulting to VC later on so that’s probably a tough LT goal sell. Why do you want to do VC – do you want to be an investor or guide operators? I’d look at alternative jobs (biz dev? consulting?) that might have friendlier odds but serve these basic functions. Do some homework on that. Good luck! Julie-Anne Heafey, mbaMission

4 years ago Read the full review

The Community Currently Rates The Odds At: 4%

5% | 4 years ago

The bad: - Your goal is not realistic. - Your GPA is terrible. - You haven't presented mitigating factors - Your GMAT is low. - Your target GMAT is low. - Your target GMAT isn't even a valid score. - Your WE is weak. - You have no examples of leadership. - Your bucket is tough - You come from a non-feeder university The good: - Not trying to be mean, but none of those schools are happening. Take a look at the T25.

The bad:
– Your goal is not realistic.
– Your GPA is terrible.
– You haven’t presented mitigating factors
– Your GMAT is low.
– Your target GMAT is low.
– Your target GMAT isn’t even a valid score.
– Your WE is weak.
– You have no examples of leadership.
– Your bucket is tough
– You come from a non-feeder university

The good:
–

Not trying to be mean, but none of those schools are happening. Take a look at the T25.
10% | 4 years ago
5% | 4 years ago