A little bit about my background:
-
MBB consultant at a tier-2 European city (think Paris/Frankfurt/Madrid), with 2+ years of experience by the
time I’ll apply -
A few internships here and there at random FTSE100 companies in undergrad
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Master’s degree from a top European university (think Oxford/Cambridge/LSE/LBS/HEC) – didn’t graduate with Distinction, but programme has a no-grades disclosure policy
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Bachelor’s degree from a complete non-target (think of a school you’ve never heard of, not even top 200 in Europe) – graduated with Distinction & top 2% of my intake class though
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Gmat 720
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Fluent in 4 languages
My firm places very well into Columbia and Booth in the US, with colleagues holding a profile very similar to mine.
However, do I stand any chances at H/S/W? Also, which schools in the US are the most welcoming towards candidates who may not have a long story of successes, but rather a steep improvement trajectory (no name school -> top masters -> MBB)?
Happy to hear your thoughts!
I am a 2nd year at HBS right now.
There are plenty of people with your profile (or even worse) who are in my class at HBS. Assuming you don't have any "hooks" (e.g. development or legacy), it's all about how you craft your narrative/story and market yourself.
Remember, H/S/W are reaches for everyone (aside from candidates with the aforementioned "hooks"), so you have nothing to lose to prepare and submit an application. With HBS, if you are able to, make sure you reach out to the admissions department and do the campus tour and info session (it's more of a check-the-box type thing, but still worth doing in my opinion)
Thanks for the reply!
Since you mention there are many consultants with similar profiles at HBS, did you notice anything in them that differentiated them from the stereotypical consultants? (e.g., volunteering experiences, social sector work, sports, etc.)
What is your nationality? I ask because you will likely be compared based on your country of origin and your industry (in this case, consulting)
If you like, I can go through the HBS student database (called "Classcards") and filter results based on students from your country and see if anything sticks out. Or perhaps (if I happen to know some students from your country) I can even do a warm-intro and you can reach out to them them directly for advice, etc.
Feel free to PM if you prefer to keep things private.
Could you please do a post/expand on "how you craft your narrative/story and market yourself." ?
At a high level, we all understand what that entails. But was wondering if you had any specific pointers for us monkeys.
Thank you,
Well, for HBS, they care a lot about the personal statement. I don't know what the specific personal statement requirements are for Class of 2020 (mine for Class of 2018 was very open-ended), but you want to make sure that the story you craft in it is consistent with the other parts of your application.
One potential idea for inspiration:
On a student's first day at HBS, they will participate in a thing called the portrait project. It's from a poem by Mary Oliver called "The Summer Day" which asks the question: "Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?" There is a strict word count of 200 words for this particular exercise
One thought is to answer this question in 200 words and then expand it into a larger personal statement (while making sure to satisfy the other requirements of the personal statement - if any)
Leadership is always a plus, and if you can weave something into your personal statement that highlights your leadership experience or qualities, that would be a big plus. Worth noting that it doesn't have to be formal leadership (although that is also useful). It's ultimately about making the lives of other people better. Leadership is about inspiring people to work towards some common goal or vision and also allowing others to find greater meaning in their individual work than they would get by working on their own.
tl;dr
Assume you check the boxes on work experience, grades, GMAT score, etc., the most important part of the application is the personal statement.
Craft a personal statement that shows who you are while gently highlighting some of your leadership qualities.
H/S will be tough due to non MBB and sub 740 GMAT but you should likely be competitive at the other M7+tuck/haas
OP said he was MBB at a tier-2 European city
my mistake thought that said non-MBB. Given MBB, HBS is in the running but a 740+ would help your case if you can retake
I know someone from P&G brand manager program who made it to HBS. They had okay stats though but their nationality was one of the under-represented in bschool applications so I think that played a role plus P&G experience.
So yes, your nationality matters. Suppose you're an Indian, bschools get tons of apps from Indians and you will have tougher competition because you're from the over-represented group.
Do you think P&G experience is that good?
It’s long been considered one of best marketing firms on the planet. Very selective about hiring. Promotes from within. Thought to be best place to learn consumer marketing. Terrific exit opportunities. The Goldman or McKinsey of marketing— every one of its brands is #1or 2 in its market. But it’s in Cincinnati.
If I were HBS, I’d consider P&G person as desirable as Goldman spreadsheet dude. Maybe more desirable. Seen one IB analyst, seen them all.
You might get into good business school. Before you apply check the top business schools entry requirements. You should have language proficiency certifications and also the recommendation letter from your current/previous organization will help you to get admissions.
HSW is a reach for everyone, regardless of your background. As an MBB consultant, the city isn't relevant as much as the country of origin. You just being at an MBB puts you in the running for any of the MBA business schools">M7. They're interchangeable TBH, the only thing that may be of an advantage are the very bespoke buyside industries, in which
Harvard>>> for PE
Stanford>>> for VC
Wharton>>> for IM
Otherwise you'll get pretty much the exact same opportunities at any of the top schools. Go to whoever is giving you money.
EDIT I think there may be some misconceptions about required work experience here... The point of admissions is to make a balanced class. There are going to be folks from all walks of life in there, although it'll be disproportionate to industries that naturally send people into MBAs (E.G. Consulting, Banking, etc.). You can't change anything about where you work by the time you apply, all you can do is focus on the story and make sure your test scores are as solid as possible and you'll be fine.
I've got a project team for a final made up of a consultant, a dude that worked in marijuana tech, a chick from TFA, and 2 PE dudes. The class makeups are not homogeneous, but admissions is worried more of the brand level within the industry than the industry itself, (e.g. The folks from Marketing at P&G have a better chance than the folks from Booz Allen Hamilton, all else being equal)
Are you 100% fixed on the US? I think your profile is golden for going far in Europe and some European MBAs aren't bad (Oxbirdge, LBS and HEC)
PM me I'll give you my experience and I agree with Deo et Patriae the marketing is key.
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