Profile Review - South Asian Management Consultant : Ask mbaMission

· Demographics: 26 y/o male from Pakistan

· Education: LUMS (top b-school of the country), majored in accounting and finance, GPA 3.35/4.00

· GRE score: 329/340 (V 166, Q 163)

· Work experience: Currently working in Mckinsey as a management consultant within their Middle East office
Prior to McKinsey worked in tech centric companies in stakeholder management roles - One of them being a unicorn startup and the other bring the largest fintech company in the country

· Extracurricular activities: Running an NGO which focuses on ensuring food access to the needy

· Post-MBA goals: Work within consulting in the US/EU regions.

· Target schools: HBS, Wharton, Insead, Stanford, Columbia

· Additional info: I’ve secured an A- grade on UC Berkeley’s 6 month long course titled ‘Math for MBA’. This would show the ad-coms that my low GPA isn’t indicative of my future academic performance

Would appreciate your insights on:
My chances at the target schools mentioned above.
What can I do to further improve my odds at the aforementioned schools
Which schools suit my profile more (in terms of greater chances of getting in)

Thankyou!

Posted from my mobile device

Hello and thanks for your post.
The application process is truly holistic, and committees will look at your stats (GPA and GRE), work experience, and extracurriculars.

Your GPA is really not that low. It’s a bit below average but not by much. Your GRE is pretty strong, and that will compensate for your GPA too. If you haven’t already, 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 may still want to illustrate to the schools that you have the academic ability to succeed in the classroom though, in addition to MBA Math. You could 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. I don’t think this is completely necessary, but boosting your quant profile would certainly not hurt your application.

It is hard to gauge your work experience without knowing your accomplishments and impact you have made there. Working at McKinsey is impressive though. It will also be important to explain why you need an MBA, especially since you are already in consulting, and yet your goal is to continue to do consulting. Just make sure your story makes sense, and is realistic and specific.
Regarding extracurriculars, make sure to really emphasize your leadership roles you have taken on. Running an NGO certainly sounds impressive; that is one aspect of your profile on which you can elaborate.

If you continue to strengthen your profile, you do have a chance at some of these schools, but they are extremely competitive, and each school simply does not have the room to admit all the world's qualified applicants. For that reason, I suggest apply to several other schools, including schools where your GRE is above each school’s average.
Good luck!

A high GRE score has increased your potential to compete. All the Best.