USC / Marshall MBA Essay Tips 2025-2026

Applying for Round 2 (CBS) and Round 3 (Stern). Taking the GRE soon, practice test: 320. Aiming for 320-325.

Undergrad: Top 20 public, top 50 in US. International student from HK.
Honors: Psychology Honors, Communication Honors, Honors Research Scholar, received several awards for thesis.

Been working at Ivy League as a Research Assistant in the Department of Psychiatry for 3.5 years. Have led 7 different projects on teen mental health and digital technology, and collaborated with 15 different clinical sites. Trained 10 new RAs in my time. Done UX development and testing in collaboration with behavioral health startup for mental health app. Recruited suicidal participants from emergency departments and outpatient clinics.

9 research publications (1 first-author, 1 second-author), 3 conference presentations.

Story: Want to pivot into healthcare consulting to make tangible impact on healthcare organizations operations to improve patient outcomes.

First things first—Alex and Graham, I listen to your podcast every week without exception. You guys are incredible, and I truly appreciate the work you do. It has helped me tremendously. My name is Flavio Amboss. I'm originally from Brazil, and I moved to the United States in 2021 to pursue my master's degree in Construction Management at the University of Illinois at Chicago. During school, I received a job offer from a general contracting firm, where I currently work. As an immigrant, I’ve been facing some challenges with the visa process. My green card application was rejected earlier this year, and I had to restart the entire process. My company will enter me into the H-1B lottery in February 2026, and if selected, I will finally be able to pursue my dream of attending the Booth Part-Time MBA (unfortunately, full-time is not an option for me). Sports have always played a major role in my life. I competed in and won several events throughout my childhood and adulthood—including soccer, judo, and tennis. More recently, I began training for triathlons, and in my first year, I placed 4th in my age group at the Tri Gravel Lemont event. I have also always been very involved in volunteer work. In my latest experience, I joined the Willow Creek Church choir in September, singing and serving with children with special needs. Since then, I’ve been performing regularly at the South Lake campus. Professionally, I bring nine years of experience at the largest development and construction company in Brazil, where I worked primarily in the field as a civil engineer. I also spent three years at a mid-size construction company as a preconstruction manager. Given my background, my short-term goal is to transition toward the real estate development side to strengthen the areas where I have less experience. In the long term, I aspire to become an entrepreneur and build my own development and construction company. I’ll admit that I’m not the strongest standardized test taker, and with my first son arriving in May, I don’t expect that I’ll be able to retake the GRE. Please see my GPAs and GRE scores below:
GRE Q: 165 V: 145
UERJ – Civil Engineering GPA: 3.2 (Google conversion from Brazilian GPA 7.22/10)
FGV – Project Management MBA GPA: 3.9 (Google conversion from Brazilian GPA 8.75/10)
UIC – Master’s in Engineering and Construction Management GPA: 3.77

Is there any way I could also attach my resume and essays for you to give me your thoughts on my application?

I am trying to decide whether to apply to Booth or Haas in Round 2 this cycle or wait a year, focus on my new role, and apply to H/S/W for the 2027 intake with a stronger story and possibly better scholarship chances.

My profile: • Nepali male, 25 • Computer Engineering undergrad • GMAT 740 • 3.5 years in Public Sector Consulting at a Big 4 in India • Recently joined the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) in an Africa country office • Two month into the role

R1 status: • Interviewed at CBS and Kellogg • Waiting for result • I will be taking loans for the MBA, so scholarship likelihood matters

My dilemma:

Right after submitting my R1 applications, I accepted the CHAI offer and relocated to Africa. Now I am confused about whether I should send R2 applications to Booth or Haas while I wait for R1 outcomes, or whether I should settle into the CHAI role for a full year and apply next year to H/S/W with a clearer path and more impact.

Extra Curriculars:
Ran a bootstrapped startup during college and been investing and advising startups in underserved places across Nepal and India.

Goals:
Growth Equity firm post MBA

Applying to NYU, UCLA, and CBS round 1 with EA score of 160. Interviews with all 3 complete. If I get into CBS, I will only apply to Sloan (that's my number 1, number 2 is CBS). My GRE score is lower (321, 156V 165Q) but the quant is significantly higher... hopefully this offsets for Sloan? Strong profile, Masters in CS, undergrad in CS from service academy.