Evaluate my profile- Chinese female, new immigrant

[lihong]

Hi there,

I have been reading a lot of profiles on this forum, non of them are similar to my cases. So I am posting my profile to see where I stand in the competition. I am only interested in the top 10 MBA program that is in San Francisco Bay area: Stanford, Hass, Santa Clara are on my list.

Undergraduate GPA: 80/100 in China, I guess it is a B?
Work experience: since 2005.
First 3 years of my career I jump from job to job, or do multiple jobs at the same time to pay my school loan.
1. worked as a teacher at a community college level school in China. (Intern before graduation, left because not challenging enough.)
2.work at an export company.(big in China.) less than 1 year.
3. a HR assistant at Lenovo.(top 3 IT company back then.) 1year.
4.Work as a tour leader for the world's largest adventure company in China and southeast Asia. Not a tour guide, but mainly responsible for running the trip. Best job ever for young people, got paid to travel the world and meet cool people. 3.5 years.
5. Move to US. 2 years ago, and starting and running a tutoring center similar to Manhattan GMAT. (immediately profitable since opening)
6. will quit and soon run my husband's new startup. ( the first of its kind in California!)

GMAT score: took it today and got 700 (Quant 49, verbal 35) I didn't have enough time to finish the verbal today because I used too much time at break. Will probably retake.

extra info: I am from a poor Chinese village, where I was one of the first few girls go to college.
I am sponsoring couple high school kids who are similar to me in China, to help them get to college. Will this help?

my reason to go to MBA.
1. interest to learn: I didn't have the opportunity to learn what I like in college.- Fiance
2. gain management skills.
3.networking.
4. develop Entrepreneur skills.

[mili]

Hi,

Thanks for sharing your profile with us! Sounds like you've had a lot of unique experiences and have overcome some hardship in your life. Congrats on all your success.

Your career history is a bit zig-zag, as you know. While this can add color to your profile, it does not necessarily show that you've had a clear vision for your career... I would worry about the inconsistency in your profile in the sense that you're less able to show (relative to your peers) that you've consistently taken on more responsibility and demonstrated more leadership over time. However, your entrepreneurial experience could help counter that... although it sounds like you are quitting that, too?

I don't see mention of any extracurriculars or community service activities (except for sponsoring children back home), so this will be a weakness. Your academics are good, but won't set you apart from your peers.

All in all, I'd say your profile is a bit of a wild card, and it's all going to depend on the execution and career narrative you build. I think GSB will be a stretch, Haas a reach, and Santa Clara a good bet. There are likely other west coast schools you could consider, such as UCLA and USC.

Good luck!
Mili




Mili Mittal
Senior Consultant
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