Berkeley / Haas - 11-23-2022 | Clear Admit ApplyWire

November 23, 2022 4:20pm ET

Applying: Berkeley / Haas, Columbia, Cornell / Johnson, Duke / Fuqua, Harvard Business School, MIT Sloan, Northwestern / Kellogg, NYU Stern, Stanford GSB, UPenn / Wharton

Intake Year: 2023

Pre-MBA Career: Architect/Real Estate Development

Post-MBA Target Industry: Technology, Family Business, Entrepreneurship

GMAT: 720

GPA: 3.6

Years of Work Experience: 5.5

Location: Latin America

Notes:

Hispanic 28 Female
Light on ECs, professional license and certifications
Currently working on a family-business, previously worked at a large design-firm.
Undergraduate was at Cornell, which is the #1 Architecture program in the US.
Post MBA: interested in innovation within real estate in the form of technology, but also innovative investment vehicles that make it accessible to more people. Continued interest in development, but looking to reach a broader international market taking advantage of existing vertically integrated structure. Programs in Real Estate generally focus on the RE sector exclusively, while I am interested in intersection and cross-disciplinary work. Have covered the fundamental parts of RE through UG minor and experience - more interested in further development of innovation and entrepreneurship.

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Show Comments (6) Last: December 6, 2022

alexbr4 Verified User. Likes Earned: 1583 I’d think there’s a lot to like, here. Not least of which, knowing your pathway, etc. Showing impact and growth at work will be key. Are you applying to all these programs in Round 2? Are you returning home, directly or planning to remain in the US? Any geographic preference, post MBA? (1)

grichmond Verified User. Likes Earned: 1153 Frankly, I should think that any number of these target programs will be thrilled to see your candidacy. You have a niche set of experiences (architecture, real estate, design) presumably with some leadership/accomplishments, an interesting and logical set of career goals, and competitive numbers (not to mention an ugrad degree from a highly-regarded institution in your field). Add to that that you are a URM, and I see positive results ahead. You'll need to execute well in your applications, and think carefully about all of your hobbies/ECs so as to at least put your best foot forward in that domain (even if they are limited), but I am confident based on what you have shared. Thanks for sharing your profile and best of luck!
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onamusing Likes Earned: 4 Hi alex and graham- Thank you for your replies! I actually retook the GMAT (had scheduled it after feeling testing conditions were suboptimal and affected my performance) and scored a 760 Q49 V45 IR8. ** I did not intend for the reply to be this long, but always appreciate feedback from those with more experience and a fresh perspective. ---- @alexbr4 I am applying to these for R2, but will be applying to 3-4 through Consortium. The real goal is to ultimately share time in between the US and a second market (home presents the best option in terms of access to network, knowledge of market, opportunities). It is likely, however, that I end up doing either Consulting or RE Acquisitions/Development at a US firm for some time in order to gain some more knowledge to supplement my entrepreneurship goals/possibly even tap into a wider funding network. Post MBA, given the Real Estate intentions, East Coast makes the most sense for non-Mexico LATAM. However, I am currently exploring a partnership with a former colleague who is now at MIT on their start-up - this one would benefit more from West Coast perhaps. I think a really excellent West Coast program (e.g. GSB, Haas) would still be a great asset - ---- @Graham The second part of the experiences (real estate) are actually within a family business, which is a slight concern for me - because I don't know if that is gonna be seen as nepotism vs actual competency. As far as the earlier experience in architecture and design, I did end up in leadership and client facing roles, managing 1-2 people for delivery of projects. This, however, is something that is not necessarily evident in my title/role. My letters of recommendation will be from the firm I worked at earlier, as letters from family are not a thing. ----- ECs Here is where the thing falls apart a little. I have an interest in real estate, sustainability and technology. It is reflected in my work and school experience, but there aren't many titles to go with it. During UG I was part of a small organization which worked with underprivileged youth in the town near the school. I was not an officer, but of the 2 projects in the year, I co-led one of them. I developed a project for an elective which was picked up by one of the school's environmental labs which eventually published a paper on it. I briefly worked with the two professors towards development of the paper, but was not included as co-author as I left the team (they still mention me as a collaborator on the overall lab's page though). I have joined a few organizations, but just as a member. My primary interest has always been to do work in areas I have more control over to have immediate impact - which to me meant working within the organization I was at. I found I had more impact when pushing leadership within the organization to embrace new practices or encouraged and mentored co-workers in pursuing certain goals. In this sense, I pursued certifications in sustainability and workplace wellness and pushed for implementation of better practices in that regard. I was also a member of the founding cohort within the firm of a committee that aimed at having better data analysis and tech implementation strategies (better efficiency, better delivery, less manual labor, more effective strategy). (0)

alexbr4 Verified User. Likes Earned: 1583 Nice improvement on the GMAT! I honestly think you’ll land somewhere great, and that would likely have happened with the 720, too. Lots to like here! (0)

grichmond Verified User. Likes Earned: 1153 GMAT result is outstanding. I am highly confident that you will find success at some of the top programs on your list. In fact, I don't actually know that it makes sense to target 10 programs - even if a few of them are via the Consortium and perhaps less time consuming as a result. Maybe aim for something more on the order of 5-6 to ensure you can really put your best foot forward in R2? As to your questions; if your recs cover your leadership/client facing work, you should be fine in that domain (regardless of the titles you held). I am not concerned about your current work being in the family business - it sounds like it's been plenty interesting and challenging, and you did forge your own career first. The only thing I do wonder if whether their might be someone out there who could comment on your most recent work experience - especially if that experience has had some nice milestones and accomplishments...perhaps an outside advisor, client, etc. who isn't family? Pairing a letter like that with one from your former role in the USA could be a great strategy. Finally, I feel like your ECs, while not a strength, are likely to be just enough to keep you strongly in contention, especially if you can demonstrate a desire to be active in the MBA/campus community you will be joining. Best of luck!
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alexbr4 Verified User. Likes Earned: 1583 More details on this candidacy in this episode of Wire Taps: https://www.clearadmit.com/2022/12/mba-wire-taps-264/ (0)