Profile Review Request : Ask mbaMission

Hi all -- Looking for a profile review and any advice you can offer me!

Gender: Male
Race: Black
Sexual Orientation: Gay
Undergrad: Large State School in the South - First Generation
-Also studied abroad, twice
Bachelors Degree: Mechanical Engineering
GPA: 3.6/4
GMAT: 650 (Q44, V35) -- I have such horrible standard test anxiety. Started at a 470 and was able to get it here, not looking to take again.
Target Schools: Was shooting for M7, specifically HBS, Sloan, Booth, Wharton...don't know if this is possible given my GMAT, please recommend any schools you think I should look more into. Have aspirations to work internationally (at least in the short term), so targeting schools with some international presence/connections.

4 Years work experience: Have two engineering internships I did in undergrad, did tech consulting for 2.5 years, and now been at a BB Investment Bank doing equity research for a little over a year

ECs: Treasurer of my college's LGBTQ alumni association for 2 years...everything else I did was in college but included
-Treasurer of National Society of Black Engineers
-Treasurer of Greek Fraternity
-Vice Chair for our Homecoming Weekend (was also on homecoming court)
-On the board for campus wide volunteer day
-On of 4 students to run orientation weekend for freshman -- much more, too much to name

Reason for MBA: 1) I came into finance in a round about way, so while I love the on the job training, I would love to go back and learn the fundamentals of the finance industry/world and get the technical knowledge that comes along with it. 2) Expand my network of people.

Post MBA: I want to work internationally in the Energy space. I currently cover the energy industry, and think its importance in the global space will only increase. I would love to work in M&A, hedge funds, or private equity for the energy space. I think that ultimately people with clean energy try to innovate without including big oil and gas companies, and I just don't think that is feasible, I think the goal really should be working together on it. I see a lot of opportunity in developing countries to spearhead this efforts as they don't already have the infrastructure in place. So getting an MBA would provide me the opportunity, and network, to work on developing these new projects.

Hello Art6870; thanks for your post!

Well the good news is that the application process is truly holistic, and committees will look at not just your stats (GPA and GMAT), but also your work experience and extracurriculars, as well as the type of person you are and how you would contribute to the classroom and community.

You are right that your GMAT is below average of top 25 schools, but I am impressed that you raised it from a 470, and the schools will at least see that improvement. Your GPA is strong, so that does help compensate. However, you may still need to illustrate to the schools that you have the academic ability to succeed in the classroom. You could showcase your quant ability in your resume, your recommenders could do the same in their recommendations, or – and this is something I suggest – you could take a supplemental course such as stats or calculus.
It is hard to gauge your work experience without knowing your accomplishments and impact you have made there. But equity research sounds quantitative so that will be a big plus. And I like that you have already started thinking about your story. It will be very important to explain why you want your MBA, and to also illustrate the skills you already have which are transferable. Be sure your story makes sense, and is realistic and specific.
Regarding extracurriculars, make sure to really emphasize your leadership roles you have taken on, especially in the alumni association.

If you continue to strengthen your profile, you do have a chance at top 25 MBA programs. I would say you have the best chance at schools where the GMAT average is below 700, but I still suggest apply to several schools, including reach, target and safety. With a really strong application, you could still be admitted to schools with a 700 average GMAT score.

Good luck!

Need to re-attempt and improve the GMAT score. All the Best.