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[FredericB588]

Hello,

I am at the very start of my MBA and GMAT journey and I would welcome your advice on my profile in order to have a realistic, unbiased view so that I can trim down the list of schools I should be targeting. Currently I am looking at schools who offer dual programs in Strategy and Corporate Finance in the US, Europe as well as Australia. The catch is that these schools tend to be first tier schools which I might not have a shot at getting in,

- 35 year old Caucasian male
- Canadian citizen currently living in Australia
- Fluent in French and English (IELTS overall band score 8.5 with multiple 9.0 individual band scores)

- Designated CPA
- 11 years of work experience including:
- 3 years at big 4 accounting firm in audit in Eastern Canada (promoted twice from associate to senior associate)
- 4 years at big 4 accounting firm in audit in Australia (promoted 4 times from associate to experienced manager)
- 4 years in finance/accounting department of US and Canadian listed companies (the first Company was acquired by the second during my time)
- Promoted twice with the last promotion as Director of Finance Transformation (transformational leadership position reporting to Senior VP)

- Academic record is where things get messy:
- BBA with 3.0 GPA
- Graduate Diploma in Public Accounting with 3.0 GPA
- A year ago I had started a Certificate in Corporate Finance (before deciding to go for MBA instead) out of personal interest and I was half-way through the program with stellar grades (A+ overall average).

- In terms of extracurricular stuff I have loads: BBA I was VP Finance of the CPA committee in charge of managing the internship process for over 350 students, 3rd place in taxation case study competition, lecturer to new interns at Big 4 firm on top of my daily work, etc.
- I am (almost) a black belt in multiple Japanese martial arts (which is on-going), in Canada I facilitated financial literacy talks in a few communities, on top of extensive travels including a full exchange semester in Europe.

Any thoughts? My original intention was to move into M&A investment banking but on recommendation from senior VP and school lecturer who were impressed by my profile and recent academic performance they strongly advised that my profile might be best suited for management consulting and an MBA hence why I am starting to look at schools and where I could realistically get in.

GMAT study is currently in progress so I can update later once I have a first score.

Thank you for your time!

[mbaMissionMichael]

Hi and thanks so much for your post.
While you are older and have more work experience than the average applicant, I do think it is worth applying to a first tier program. The admissions committees will look at your stats (GPA and GMAT), work experience, and extracurriculars.

Your GPA is solid although for a top tier school, it is a bit below the average. Hopefully your GMAT score will make up for that. I suggest taking it up to 3-4 times. You have nothing to lose since schools will only look at your highest score. And even a slight increase can boost your profile. You must illustrate to the schools that you have the academic ability to succeed in the classroom. Thus, you could also showcase your quant ability in your resume, your recommenders could do the same in their recommendations, or you could even take a supplemental course such as stats or calculus. It sounds like you would do well given your success in Corporate Finance.

It is hard to gauge your work experience without knowing your accomplishments and impact you have made there. However, it is clear that you have succeeded there as evidenced by your many promotions, so I assume you have made an impact on your teams. Because the average years of work experience is closer to five though, you will need to make sure you demonstrate why now is the time for an MBA. It will also be important to illustrate the skills you already have which are transferable to consulting. Be sure your story makes sense, and is realistic and specific.

Regarding extracurriculars, they do sound impressive. Make sure to really emphasize your leadership roles you have taken on.

Without knowing more about you, and without an idea of your GMAT score, I would not want to select specific schools at this time. In general though, I suggest apply to several schools, including reach, target and safety. Hopefully they will see that you have a compelling story and are someone who will add value to the classroom and community.
If you would like to discuss your story, your work accomplishments or anything else in greater detail, please sign up for a free consultation.
Good luck!

[FredericB588]

Thanks a lot for the prompt feedback Michael.

I will sit through the GMAT and report back on here for an update.Afterwards yes, I intend on taking up the offer for a free consultation to start with.

I am considering getting more help down the track too because whilst I reflected on whether to start this MBA journey or not, I also did a lot of reading on MBA vs. EMBA. Generally, my feeling was that I am too "old" for the typical MBA class intakes … but too "young" for some of the larger EMBA programs which are geared towards very senior and seasoned executives.

Kind regards,

Frederic

[monaw498]

I'm considering getting even more help because, even if I'm planning to start this MBA journey or not, I've also read a lot about MBA vs. EMBA. In general, I have the feeling of being too "old" for a typical MBA class ... but too "young" for some great EMBA programs aimed at experienced managers. After MBA you can also get into the field of game app development company USA because their is a vast opportunity in the field of game development and other development platforms.