Profile Review - Malaysian Lawyer 28M; 3yrs WE; 730 GMAT : Ask mbaMission

Hey all,

I'd appreciate an evaluation on my profile. Most importantly I need an idea of what schools I'm competitive in, and how problematic my age/work experience is.

Background and nationality: Mixed Malay-Turkish. Malaysian Citizen. 27 years old by R1 deadline.

Undergrad Information:
Upper Second Class LLB Bachelor of Laws from Ranked 7th Uni in UK (as of when I matriculated). 60% merit-based scholarship. ~3.3 GPA.

Postgrad did Bar + Masters in Law dual degree, achieved distinction. ~4.0 GPA. Full-ride merit-based scholarship.

GMAT: 730 (Q49, V41, IR 3, AWA 6)

Work experience and leadership:
- 3.5 years (by time of R1 deadline) Lawyer at Sovereign Wealth Fund in Southeast Asia; top 25 in world by assets. One of 7 lawyers in organisation. Extremely competitive they hire lawyers only once every few years.
- Regularly negotiate on behalf of company with international PE/HF fund managers to get favourable deal terms. Total deal value of several billion USD so far. Worked and closed investments based in US/EU/Singapore/China/India
- Proposed novel approach to a hotel management negotiation on a 20-year management contract renewal and US$300m renovation. Hotel team took the approach and managed to close deal in weeks rather than months.
- Was Head of logistics team of 6 for work events. We proposed first ever charity bake sale, as head of logistics my team organised event space and traffic of 1000+ customers over 6 hours; raised 4x expected revenue.

- Founded a tech startup in 2022, managing a team of 4, all working in spare-time. Startup spun out of a prototype I coded and won a national pitching competition with. It’s a web-platform helping SMEs scale sales on social media. Awarded micro-grant.

- Co-Founded (50%) an agriculture startup in 2022 growing orchids (first to be commercially grown in country, but I’ve been growing them for 3 years). US $150k capital raised. Wrote proposal and presented directly to minister of agriculture. Awarded land grant of 1 hectare, with government support to expand to 20 hectares in the future. Projected revenues of $600k/hectare/year after Year 4 [Note: Is projected revenues relevant to put in application?].

Community and others
- Founding member and Legal Counsel to mental health advocacy group. Group has brought innovative events into country including first-of-kind mental health retreat, workshops. Overall impact 5k+ people, events sponsored by government and foreign NGO.

- In undergrad I was a head analyst in Uni’s fund management society. Taught basic financial analysis to team of 20. Gave presentations to larger groups of 40+.

- Undergrad I was captain of university esports gaming team. Two top 8 finishes in regional tournaments.

- In undergrad I was member of regional branch of anti-human trafficking charity rescuing trafficked women/children. I fundraised for the charity.

Post MBA goals
- Short Term: Career switch to investment role in PE/VC department in my firm: Already discussed with director. Firm has recently been exploring direct investments into companies which is a new direction for us, and they are badly in need of people with good business management understanding, and after speaking to a director he said an MBA would absolutely be a great fit and they would be happy to make the move if I get it.

- Long Term: Launch a digital infrastructure tech startup to revolutionise SMEs in Southeast Asia. Either something that helps make transactions faster/smoother, or a solution to help under-resourced entrepreneurs achieve greater business success through digitisation.

Anything else?
- Why Low GPA: Lived life with undiagnosed ADHD and only got diagnosed after uni. Turned my whole life around and I am able to pursue academics/work/extracurriculars with far greater focus and intensity than ever before. (Should I retake GMAT for 760+? I got two 740s, one 750 and one 770 on my mocks, or should I spend that time on other parts of my profile)

- Age + Work Experience Issue: I’m worried about my age and work experience. I’m 27 right now and have exactly 3 years’ work experience. Reason is because I took gap year before undergrad (funding issue) and spent 1 year doing bar (as lawyers do). I feel like I have 2 less years of work experience than those of a similar age and I’m worried whether this means my window to apply to MBAs are comparatively short (just this year and next year, I guess!?)

- No promotions: Only 2 levels of seniority for lawyers and its average 6-10 years between promotions. I’m on a fast track and my referees will say so, but I’m worried this is a problem.

- Raised by single mom, eldest of 4 kids.

- CFA Level 1 passed.

Hi Shazamo,
Thank you for posting your profile! I grew up in Singapore, so we're practically neighbors!

Apart from your solid academic track record, I'm particularly impressed by your entrepreneurial drive and success in starting startups - all while being a lawyer. Congratulations on winning grants and growing your agricultural company. Projected revenues are of course great to include in your MBA applications.

It looks like you also have strong community engagement - during university and currently. That's something the Admissions Committee wants to see - that you are an active leader in your community.

To answer your questions -

1. It is well worth explaining the circumstances that affected your GPA in the optional essay. ADHD is a real health issue and you can point to how you have been able to perform well in the GMAT post-diagnosis.

2. If you are planning to apply this fall (2023), then you still have time to retake the GMAT since it sounds like you have been scoring pretty high on your mocks. I think it's worthwhile to retake it at least once more.

3. The Admissions Committee is not simply looking at the *number* of years of work experience. They are also looking at the impact of your role. In your case, I think you are more than qualified to apply this fall 2023!

4. Promotions - I don't think it's an issue. You can certainly ask your recommenders to mention this point.

5. Congrats on passing CFA Level 1. It's a hard test and I think passing it showcases your academic capabilities even more.

As you pull your apps together, be sure to describe what motivates you to be passionate about your career goals. Why MBA? What specific skillset or knowledge are you seeking at business school that you are not already learning given your track record as an entrepreneur?

If you can articulate this compellingly in your essays, that would be the key to your application success. If you would like to discuss your profile in more detail, feel free to schedule a 1:1 consultation with us. Wishing you the best in your MBA journey!

Sincerely,
Debbie