Dartmouth / Tuck - 02-10-2020 | Clear Admit ApplyWire

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February 9, 2020 4:21pm ET

Applying: Dartmouth / Tuck, Harvard Business School, MIT Sloan, Stanford GSB, UPenn / Wharton, Yale SOM

Intake Year: 2021

Pre-MBA Career: Pharmaceutical Operations

Post-MBA Target Industry: Pharmaceutical, Entrepreneurship

GPA: 3.68

Years of Work Experience: 2

Notes:

Hi Graham and Alex! Thanks so much for all of the work you do on the Clear Admit MBA podcast, I’ve listened to most of the WireTaps episodes and found them to be very informative. I’d really appreciate it if you could review my profile on one of your upcoming shows.

I studied biomedical/mechanical engineering as an undergrad and was able to show significant progression starting with a 2.77 my first semester and ending with a 3.68. During this time I was also extremely involved on campus as treasurer of a non-profit organization, student justice on hearing board, supervisor of 20+ students working at student union, and president of leadership honor society. Spent a semester abroad in Ecuador where we started a female economic training initiative that still exists today. Also filed for patent on senior engineering project and inducted as honorary member into the National Academy of Inventors. I am currently working at a top pharmaceutical company in an operations leadership rotational program where I’ve gotten to work on several high level initiatives with positive impact. I will be finishing the program in a few months and will receive a promotion, however I need to decide on a department to join after program completion. I am stuck between supply chain and quality assurance/control...do you have any insight as to whether adcom will look down on Quality assurance/control as it does not involve as much high level strategy as supply chain? I am worried if I pick that department I may be at a disadvantage applying. My short term goal after business school would be to transition into a strategy/finance role at a large pharma company where I can leverage my existing experience yet move away from engineering. As for current extracurriculars, I serve on 2 national HQ level committees for the leadership society I was a part of in undergrad and also am the alumni advisor for my local chapter. I also am working with Big Brothers Big Sisters organization as well as a few other volunteer engagements. My experience with my undergrad extracurriculars has led me to start a youtube channel focused on college organizational strategy as well as general leadership/professional tips. I am hoping to grow this into a business with podcast/book in the future as there is a large gap/market in this area. My mid-term goal would be to start or work for a non-profit in the leadership/professional skills development area. The MBA would also benefit me here in learning business operations and adding to my leadership knowledge.

I’m planning on applying to Business Schools in the fall of 2020 and will have 2.25 years of experience at the time of application with 3 years of experience upon matriculation. I have not taken the GRE/GMAT yet but have a strong history with standardized tests (took SAT cold and got a 2200/2400 which included 800/800 in reading).

My main questions are which department you think will look better to the adcom, are undergrad extracurriculars given much weight, and if I can get some success going with the youtube channel will that look positive on my application?

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Show Comments (8) Last: February 17, 2020

alexbr4 Verified User. Likes Earned: 1677 You are aiming high with your target programs, which is good. You'll need to show that at 3 years of professional experience (which is on the shorter end) you can show impact. Thus which of the two options you have will likely enable you to show most impact, soonest? Your undergrad sounds good, with great progression. Assume you combine that with a stellar test score 740+ or 330+ that will be really helpful. Please don't underestimate the importance of strong prep for the test score. It sounds like you are active in activities outside of work, and in ECs during undergrad. Another platform to share your leadership. The YouTube stuff will also be great if you can build up a strong following. I'm guessing that's also tied to your goals? How is your short term goal, post MBA connected with your medium term goal? (0)

anon44910 Likes Earned: 1 Hi Alex, thanks so much for the candid feedback I really appreciate it. I understand 2 years is a rather scant amount of work experience and have stretched myself to take responsibilities/assignments typically not given to employees at my level and have made a quantifiable impact in each rotation (mfg, quality, supply chain). Taking your advice to heart, I will definitely work to elevate this impact in my next role. In regards to the GRE, I am not taking it lightly and have begun studying/leaving 3 months before test date. This will also allow some time for a retake if necessary. I'm definitely not leaving it up to chance like I did the SAT in high school. Lastly my goals. As can be seen in my earlier post, I definitely have some work to do crystallizing my goals and articulating a compelling reason as to how it relates to the MBA. I am aware that this is a critical part of the application. In short, through my work in school, in my professional assignments, and in my extracurriculars, I have come to develop a passion/aptitude for organizational strategy and leadership development. I hope to use the MBA experience to hone these skills and allow me to pivot from engineering to more strategic focused groups (eg. business development, finance) where i can apply them and continue to learn at a large Pharma company leveraging my previous experience. However, I ultimately want to take my learnings from my MBA and strategy experience at a large corporation and use them to create my own company/non-profit focused on leadership development/strategy coaching for aspiring leaders. This is where the YouTube channel connects in and will grow to include podcast, publications/other services. I find my passion to be developing others and helping aspiring leaders realize their potential (yes this sounds cliche) as there is a lack of focused information for the undergraduate age demographic. I am very confident in the long term business potential and impact this will have based on research/early feedback. Perhaps this is too much to share with the adcom and I should sharpen focus on short term goals in Pharma? (1)

alexbr4 Verified User. Likes Earned: 1677 Yes, I'd add clarity to your short term goal, make sure it's connected to the transition from engineering, remaining in pharma, in a strategy role. Your own biz is your long term goal, YouTube channel etc makes perfect sense, in terms of enabling and developing your long term goal. You could Consider Kellogg and Duke, re your pharma goals, too. (1)

grichmond Verified User. Likes Earned: 1245 All things being equal (in terms of leadership opportunity), I suspect that Supply Chain will come across as a bit more meaty. Also, I think the pharma strategy/finance storyline will be more compelling / easier to follow than the leadership development for college kids, so I’d definitely push that angle. Consider Wharton HCM - as that offering is truly unique and could give you a leg up at getting a spot at a very top school. Finally, are you male or female? If the latter, be sure to connect with the women’s groups at target schools and begin networking finding advocates. Best of luck!
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anon83225 Likes Earned: 26 Interesting story, good luck studying! I have a similar background (engineering/leadership program) and was wondering (this is more a question for Graham and Alex) how the adcom perceives these types of rotational programs? I worry that having two years rotational (with only 8 months in each role) is going to be looked down upon when compared to other candidates with a lot of impact in one role for 2 years. Curious what your thoughts are! Thanks! (0)

alexbr4 Verified User. Likes Earned: 1677 It is a balance regarding the rotational programs. Generally they are looked on positively as you're selected for the programs, and they provide you with a breadth of experiences which can then help you develop a sharper focus on your next steps. (0)

anon29029 Likes Earned: 118 For pharma, I would add Duke and UNC. All the top pharma companies recruit at both companies in abundance (1)

alexbr4 Verified User. Likes Earned: 1677 More details on this candidacy in this episode of Wire Taps: https://www.clearadmit.com/2020/02/episode-82-wire-taps/ (0)