Candidate:

Ms. Civil Servant

About Me:

Colorado based adopted Asian American who received a BS in international business from the University of Colorado after studying and living in the U.S., China, and Spain during my undergraduate years. Now I’m a Peace Corps volunteer in the middle of a two-year commitment to teach math and physics at a secondary school in a rural farming village in Tanzania

Schools:

Target School: Stanford GSB

Considering: Harvard, INSEAD, Columbia

See More Profiles For: Stanford GSB

Application Status: Open

Details:

Undergrad School: University of Colorado

Undergrad Major: Business

GPA: 3.3

GMAT: 730

Age: 25, Ethnicity: Asian or Indian

Extracurriculars: Grant proposal writer, Piano and tennis teacher

Work History:

Title: Peace Corps Volunteer

Industry: Nonprofit / B-Corp

Company: Major NGO/NPO

Length of Employment: 2 yrs, 3 mos

Title: Waitress

Industry: Hospitality

Company: Small-medium sized business

Length of Employment: 2 yrs, 8 mos

Big Life Wins:

Native English speaker fluent in Spanish, Chinese, and Swahili. I imagined my dream job, and before devoting myself completely to this aspiration, I placed myself in a position that is just the opposite. The goal of volunteering for two years in East Africa is to challenge myself, and question my ambitions to work for the Devil (go the corporate route). In addition to volunteering, I’m working with a team to create a social business to bring formal digital employment opportunities to low-income communities in Tanzania.

Post MBA Goal:

I desire to gain expertise on high impact investing and business management, expand my network, be exposed to ideas of other driven professionals, and gain hard skills and technical expertise.

Odds:

Join in! Click here to assess the odds of Ms. Civil Servant

The Experts Rate The Odds At: 15%

See what the industry experts have to say:

John A. Byrne, P&Q Founder & Editor-In-Chief | Odds Assessment: 5%

Does anyone know how many University of Colorado undergrads are Stanford MBA students in the Class of 2020? None. Now this doesn’t mean you would fail to get an admit from Stanford GSB because that class does include one undergrad from the University of South Carolina and one from Colorado State University. But it tells you that if you come from a public university that is not among the so-called public Ivies–UVA, Michigan, UNC, Berkeley & UCLA, Texas or Wisconsin–you aren’t going to get any credit for that credential at a school like Stanford or Harvard. Now that we got that out of the way, let me say I really like you and think you would be a superb MBA classmate. Anyone who is fluent …

Does anyone know how many University of Colorado undergrads are Stanford MBA students in the Class of 2020? None. Now this doesn’t mean you would fail to get an admit from Stanford GSB because that class does include one undergrad from the University of South Carolina and one from Colorado State University. But it tells you that if you come from a public university that is not among the so-called public Ivies–UVA, Michigan, UNC, Berkeley & UCLA, Texas or Wisconsin–you aren’t going to get any credit for that credential at a school like Stanford or Harvard. Now that we got that out of the way, let me say I really like you and think you would be a superb MBA classmate. Anyone who is fluent in four languages and also plays piano and teaches tennis is someone I would like at my dinner table. Leaving a job as a waitress and landing in the Peace Corps in a fascinating role in East Africa is super impressive and speaks volumes about you as a good soul. And while your GPA is a bit low for Stanford, your GMAT is on target–just three points lower than the latest class average. But that super low acceptance rate at Stanford of less than 7% means you have a real uphill climb there. The GSB is likely to see other Peace Corps volunteers in its applicant pool with higher GPAs and GMATs from more prestige schools and is more likely to tilt in that direction.

4 years ago Read the full review
mbaMission Odds Assessment: 25%

Hello Ms. Civil Servant! Krista Nannery here from mbaMission. Thanks for posting!
A couple of things I want you to know and think about…
1. Fee waivers! Many MBA programs will give fee waivers to current PC volunteers and/or alumni. If they are offering you a waiver while you are currently in the PC, I think that’s a great sign that they are interested in you NOW even though you may have a bit less experience that the average.
2. Networking. You have a great network of PC people. Scour LinkedIn and find PC people who have attended the MBA programs you are most interested in. Start collecting information about each program, which will help you judge fit and also make your essays more interesting.
3. Build out …

Hello Ms. Civil Servant! Krista Nannery here from mbaMission. Thanks for posting!
A couple of things I want you to know and think about…
1. Fee waivers! Many MBA programs will give fee waivers to current PC volunteers and/or alumni. If they are offering you a waiver while you are currently in the PC, I think that’s a great sign that they are interested in you NOW even though you may have a bit less experience that the average.
2. Networking. You have a great network of PC people. Scour LinkedIn and find PC people who have attended the MBA programs you are most interested in. Start collecting information about each program, which will help you judge fit and also make your essays more interesting.
3. Build out your portfolio of schools a tiny bit more. GSB and HBS are tough nuts to crack for anyone. INSEAD typically prefers candidates who are a little bit more experienced. Not to say that you won’t be successful, just look at the odds here and plan accordingly. CBS is a great choice. Take a look at Yale and Haas too…I think they mesh with your “high impact” goals.
4. Refine your goals. Right now, your goal statement seems to be more about what you want to take from a program than what you want to do with your life! Dig into the employment reports of the programs you are interested in and see who is hiring. Where are you naturally drawn to? Is there a golden thread that connects your past to roles at these companies? (This is where student convos will be helpful…make sure you understand the recruiting process!)
I hope that helps!
Krista

4 years ago Read the full review

The Community Currently Rates The Odds At: 20%

10% | 4 years ago
20% | 4 years ago
30% | 4 years ago

Certainly an interesting background which will appeal to your schools. I think you should be ready to address two main questions: 1) In undergrad, was there a reason for the lower than average GPA (compared to target school averages)? What were leadership roles? Any involvement in business-related organizations? 2) How serious are you about developing business acumen / skills? Or are you solely hoping to go to school to meet people who will invest?

Certainly an interesting background which will appeal to your schools. I think you should be ready to address two main questions: 1) In undergrad, was there a reason for the lower than average GPA (compared to target school averages)? What were leadership roles? Any involvement in business-related organizations? 2) How serious are you about developing business acumen / skills? Or are you solely hoping to go to school to meet people who will invest?