
Candidate:
Ms. Comeback Kid
About Me:
High achiever prior to undergrad (2370 SAT, student class president, sports, city council youth rep, ranked in national math competitions (MathCounts, AMC, AIME) and went to top 10 public university. Performed poorly during undergrad- with 2.6 (withdrew for 2 quarters as well). Treated condition that contributed to undergrad performance and excelled at work as a financial analyst for Fortune 500 company- Promoted from 1 to Lvl 4 and became a team lead of all-male team in 3.5 years (average time to reach to 4 is 8-15 years). President of largest club in company (5000 members). Top 5% performance rating every year. Selected for emerging leaders program for top 0.2% of performers. Retook 12 finance & accounting courses and got 3.8 overall.
Details:
Undergrad School: Top 10 Public University
Undergrad Major: Economics
GPA: 2.6
GMAT: 780
Age: 27, Ethnicity: Asian or Indian
Other Degree/Certification: Certificate in Financial Planning
School Name: Top 10 Public
Extracurriculars: president of largest employee engagement club (5000 members), volunteer as after school STEM program teacher in underserved middle school, volunteered to lead employee drive for school supplies, Volunteer teacher for after school STEM Program
Work History:
Title: Financial Analyst
Industry: Aerospace
Company: Fortune 100 Top 10
Length of Employment: 5 yrs, 3 mos
Big Life Wins:
Won 1st place in annual case competition and won funding for idea. partnered with engineers to design and 3-D print a part. Rapid progression in career leading to promotion to Team lead as the youngest and only female on team. Recognition for analysis to aid senior leaders on $5B capital investment.
Post MBA Goal:
Pivot careers to financial services at top IB, specializing in aviation.
Schools:
Target School: Harvard
Considering: Wharton, Stanford GSB, Columbia
Hi Ms. Comeback Kid, Kristen from MBA Prep School here. Your 2.6 GPA is definitely a hurdle to overcome but I have to admit you cover all the bases necessary to make it a possibility. You obviously have a story behind the grade, and it sounds like more of an explanation rather than an excuse (big difference to the adcom). You’ve also done everything right to “right the ship”: retaken courses with a nearly perfect outcome, jumbo GMAT score, and rapid career progression in a competitive, male-driven, “hot topic” industry and a widely-recognized organization. You obviously have been recognized for your hard work by being selected for the emerging leaders program and winning the case competition, and being the youngest and only female team lead …