MBA Handicap: Big 4 consultant, 33 years old, 2.9 GPA. . . keep reading
You would be hard-pressed to find a more unusual candidate for an elite full-time MBA program.
Jose is 33 years old and graduated undergraduate degree last year with a 2.9 GPA. But while his age and grades might raise red flags in admissions circles, he also has a compelling story of a hard-working, rambling young professional.
A first-generation graduate, he immigrated to the United States from Guatemala at the age of nine when his family moved to Los Angeles. On his SAT, he scored in the top 1% of all applicants, earning him a spot at the highly selective Cal Poly. But after a year and a half of studying computer science, he dropped out to help his family.
Jose eventually took a job as a bank teller and quickly rose through the ranks to become a personal banker. He joined Molina Healthcare in what was originally a part-time position and worked his way up to a senior analyst in corporate finance at Fortune 500 health care providers. After a seven-year stint with Molina, he landed a plum job as a senior business consultant at EY.
And along the way, he returned to Cal State University in Long Beach after a ten-year hiatus to earn his degree in business administration and information systems. He helps mentor Latino professionals. He has organized fundraising events and organized supply shipments for a non-profit organization that helps underserved diabetics in rural areas of Guatemala, and he
also personally delivered food and supplies to children in his home country.
Now he has set his sights on a highly rated MBA. His target schools: Harvard, Stanford, UCLA, USC or UC-Irvine. What are his chances and how can he tell his story in a way that surpasses his age and grades?
In this episode of Friday’s With Sandy, HBSGuru.com founder Sandy Kreisberg and Poets&Quants editor John A. Byrne assess her chances of admission and offer some critical advice. Sandy being Sandy also provides Jose with a dose of tough love.
If you would like to participate in a future Fridays With Sandy webinar, you can contact Sandy and John here.
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