Mr. White Finance

Hi Mr. White Finance! This is Kate Richardson from mbaMission, and it looks like we never weighed in on your profile. I completely understand about keeping the details light here, but am glad that you are willing to share those hardships in your application. I think Kellogg especially likes persistent leaders who are able to overcome challenges. So the essays will be really important for you to bring life to your story, so that you are not perceived as a typical finance applicant. Otherwise, you’ve got an excellent GPA so hopefully you can round that out with a strong (720+) GMAT. Good luck!

Hi Mr. White Finance, This is Donna Bauman with Stratus Admissions—I’m familiar with the Trulaske School as my husband grew up in Columbia, Missouri. A lot of your success in these deferred admit programs is going to hinge on the GMAT score so I encourage you to get crackin’ on your test prep. There has never been a better time to look into the deferred admit programs as there are so many new ones being added every year. While Kellogg has waived test scores for R3+ you still have to submit a test score if you are not from Northwestern undergrad and I believe the deadline was earlier in June. There may be a few of the other programs where you have extended deadlines—usually Darden has a later round for deferred admits even before Covid. I would need to see more about what you have accomplished at Mizzou and see that early leadership and also see some insight on why you are interested in leading the finance area for a pension fund. I think no matter what, you will gain clarity on your goals and some valuable experience in applying to MBA programs in trying for these deferred admit options and you will not be at a disadvantage if you need to apply a few years down the road. Your first job out of undergrad will also play a role so if you have not yet secured a job post college that will make acceptance into these deferred admit programs harder. Regarding your personal challenges—remember that you need to share how you grew from the hardships. There is definitely a nuance around sharing tough situations—if done right it can be helpful to give that context to adcom—but if done with too much emphasis on the hardship without connecting to the growth it can distract. Please reach out if you want to talk about any of your upcoming applications as we can help. Good luck!