MBA ApplyWire

29Yo ORM
8 YOE in Finance
4 years Big 4 M&A - Investment Banking (Closed 6 deals)
4 years at domestic venture debt fund, last 15 months led my own team of 5 people and managed a $40 million portfolio (primarily in healthcare investments)
Part time CFO/operator advisor role for last 18 months for a consumer startup, helped raised seed funding of $120,000 and scaled monthly revenue 6x during this period
Founder Investor of an angel fund with 3 others since the last 3 years, managing AUM of $50,000 of combined personal capital into domestic impact-focused ventures

Background:
U.S. diplomat with 10 years experience across Latin America, Asia, and Eurasia, currently posted in Moscow. Career focused on crisis response, policy analysis, stakeholder coordination, and public-facing engagement in complex political and diverse social environments. Have led interagency initiatives, advised senior leadership (ambassadors, U.S. congresspeople, foreign supreme court justices) and managed high-stakes issues involving reputational risk, public trust, and institutional decision-making.

Academics:
Undergraduate GPA: 3.2.
Graduate GPA: 3.7, including strong performance in graduate-level quantitative coursework.
GRE: 319 (169V 150Q) - planning to retake and update on Feb 21 - anticipating a quant increase to 155-158

Career Goals:
Short term: transition into brand or experiential strategy roles (agency or in-house) with exposure to senior brand leadership, partnerships, and investment decisions, particularly within marketing, media, and consumer-facing organizations.
Long term: build a boutique strategy firm focused on helping brands engage LGBTQ+ audiences in durable, values-driven ways that hold up under political and cultural pressure.

Why MBA / Why Now:
Seeking formal business training to complement public-sector leadership experience, gain analytical and financial grounding, and credibly pivot into strategy-facing commercial roles. Interested in programs that combine rigorous general management training with proximity to marketing, media, and cultural ecosystems, particularly in NYC.

Target Schools:
CBS, Kellogg, Yale, Stern, LBS (in that order)

Demographics / Other:
37, Public-sector background, extensive international experience, LGBTQ+.
Post-MBA location preference: NYC.

I applied to HSW in the previous admissions cycle and was rejected without an interview. I plan to reapply next year to the same schools, along with the additional M7/T15 programs listed above.

My work experience includes employment at a Tier 2/3 technology consulting firm in Canada. I currently have five years of experience with two promotions and will have six years by the time of matriculation. My background includes leading global teams on B2B2C initiatives, with end-to-end responsibility for implementation and delivery. Post-MBA, I aim to pivot into either MBB consulting or a product management role at a large technology firm.

Academically, I completed an associate-level diploma at a Canadian college (CGPA: 3.8/4.0) before transferring to a university to earn a BSc in Computer Science (CGPA: 3.6/4.0), while working full time throughout my studies.

My extracurricular involvement includes participation in firm-wide mentorship programs, serving as an onboarding buddy, supporting campus recruitment initiatives, and extensive engagement during college (e.g., Peer Mentor, Learning Assistant).

My GMAT score appears to have plateaued, though I am willing to make another attempt before the next application round. Demographically, I am an Indian-origin male with Canadian citizenship.

Any tips on how to stand out at selected schools since I do have almost a year to prep for the applications?

This is a follow up to Wire Taps 221. I was featured on the Podcast 3 years ago when i was 22. Would love to be featured again if i am allowed to be greedy :). Your insights were really helpful the last time

I have been working as a co-founder and CMO, in a D2C luxury tableware company in India. We have grown from about 20k USD in Sales, when i first joined, to about 1.5 Million USD now.

Being in the luxury industry, i realized we could never have spectacular year on year growth, so i started a clothing brand as a solo founder in August 2024. But we are close to shutting down because of unit economics issues and lack of growth.

The more i read about industry stalwarts, i realized i have been getting basic business fundamentals like market sizing wrong and maybe a MBA would 'polish' me more in these aspects.

I had a question about school selection as i understand my profile is very untraditional in MBA circles. What would be a natural fit in terms of 'school hierachy'. I was thinking:

Reach
Harvard
Wharton

Fit
Kellogg
Columbia

"Safety"
Yale SOM
NYU Stern
Tuck

Does this sound about right? For additional information, i have been seeing quite a few admits in the M7 from my undergrad university. I also have done all 3 levels of the CFA. Great extracurriculars during college.

For recommendations, i was thinking of the CEOs of the suppliers for our products, as they are fairly big companies.

Sorry if this was a big post. Just wanted to provide you with all relevant information and give you updates from last time. Cheers!

I'm Latino, I have MBB sponsorship although I'm not very interested in going back to MBB, is more like a back-up plan. I have very solid LoR.

Applying for GMAT waivers from selected schools. LoR's from current senior director and previous director who's now head of finance

Hi. I pivoted from litigation to credit research (worked with Evalueserve India, Crisil India) post my first mba. I did my mba from Symbiosis School of banking and finance in 2021. And altogteher i hold 6 years 4 months of work experience. I am targeting for 2027 fall. I hold an undergraduate degree in Law (BA.LLB (Hons)). I am looking for a change in roles/ geography.

Additional Notes:
1. MBB consultant w/3 years at the firm + one promotion
2. Took a secondment at a nonprofit focused in sustainability in countries below the equator (although have programs above too), including the one I am from (mentioned the link in essays)
3. Choosing to go to MBA for network opportunity to continue sustainability-focus, and inch closer to being ready to be in fields like impact investing (think MBB gives me general knowledge, but doesn't get me to where I want to go)
4. Will return to MBB because of sponsorship
5. Am worried about GRE; got a 158Q and 169V - so avg is around school avg, but the split is bad. Biggest worry here.
6. URM

URM with strong extracurriculars mentoring and tutoring low income students of various ages. Worked 25-40 hrs per week in undergrad which explains the lower GPA. Have led automation projects at work and should receive strong letters of rec. Goal is to pivot to management consulting at a B4/T2 in the financial services space since it matches my prior experience.

Intended R1 applicant to the listed schools. Targetting MBB post-MBA (with one eye on returning to corporate strategy)

I am 25 Indian male and would like to introduce myself as a Chartered Accountant from India working as a Risk Analyst ( Third Party Risk Analyst ) in Citi Chennai.

In addition to 2.5 years of work experience as a Risk Analyst with a promotion .I also have a 3 year CA articleship experience in an audit firm (1.5 years) and as an industrial trainee in one of the start ups of a renowned car manufacturers primarily handling tax compliances audits accounting aspects

Further I have a cgpa of 7.5 in B.Com ( Distance education) since I was pursuing my CA. After my CA I did ACCA (UK based CA) , CIA (Certified Internal Auditor) and completed my CFA Level 1. I want to make a career change to finance and targeting M7 , LBS AND INSEAD. Need a review of my profile and suggest me what would be good gmat score for my application