Profile Review for Deferred Programs : Ask mbaMission

M, Asian-American

Computer Science/Data Science double major, minor in Policy from T5 undergrad. 3.62 GPA

Will be doing a part-time MS in CS from a T5 CS grad school during the deferral period while working as a SWE on a tech company's user data insights and machine learning modeling team.

GMAT: 710, 47Q/40V/7IR (debating on whether to retake and shoot for 740+)

Work experience:
Internships in software engineering and data privacy/tech policy research.
Completed 5 contract PM and Product Strategy roles for organizations of various sizes/in different sectors (startup, Fortune 500, sports, etc.).
All the above experiences can be tied back to user data collection/utilization/privacy.
Co-founded startup and released product but did not have enough time to see it through for more than half a year.

Extracurricular activities:
Undergrad research building out a web application and user data collection tool to measure psycho-business concepts (1.5 years).
Leadership positions in 3 different professional/academic student organizations. Directly train/mentor ~10-12 other members in each organization. In the org I've spent the longest time in, I spearheaded the effort to propel it to become the most technologically successful chapter of the org in the world.
Animal shelter volunteer.

Post-MBA goals:
Product Management at tech company to influence product decision-making to be more cognizant of user privacy using technical knowledge and MBA education.

Target schools:
M7 (HBS, Stanford, Wharton, Columbia, Kellogg, Booth, MIT) + Haas, Yale, Darden deferred programs

Other information relevant to your profile:
Split rec letters from policy/PM work supervisors and undergrad research mentor. Also worked under a former professor at Haas, have asked him to write a letter of support.
Went through some pretty serious stuff during COVID which tanked my GPA for a year. Not sure if given this and my school/majors I'd be cut some slack on my GPA. Regardless, wondering if I'm competitive for the above programs

Hello bean0824, and thanks for your post.

The deferred deadlines are fast approaching so hopefully you have been making good progress on your applications. The application process is truly holistic, and committees will look at your stats (GPA and GMAT/GRE), work experience, and extracurriculars.

Your GPA is strong, so that is a good start. And you could still mention why it was low during one year, in the Optional Essay. Your GMAT is also strong, though if you haven’t already, I suggest taking it again. You have nothing to lose since schools will only look at your highest score. And even a slight increase can boost your profile. These deferred programs are very competitive so I would definitely suggest improving your score.

It is hard to gauge your work experience without knowing your accomplishments and impact you have made there, but hopefully you can show that you made an impact despite the short stints as an intern.

Regarding extracurriculars, make sure to really emphasize your leadership roles you have taken on. Helping your chapter become so successful certainly sounds impressive; that is one aspect of your profile on which you can elaborate.

I feel that you do have a chance at some of these schools, but it will be pretty difficult, especially if your GMAT doesn’t increase. It is definitely worth applying to as many as possible though, since you have nothing to lose, and it won’t hurt you even if you decide to apply in the future to the traditional MBA programs.
Good luck!