HEC Paris - 11-29-2020 | Clear Admit ApplyWire

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November 28, 2020 4:29pm ET

Applying: HEC Paris, Imperial, INSEAD, London Business School

Intake Year: 2022

Pre-MBA Career: Business Analyst, Big 5 Bank in Toronto

Post-MBA Target Industry: Consulting

GRE: 325

GPA: 2.64

Years of Work Experience: 4

Location: Toronto

Post MBA Location: Europe (open to US schools top)

Notes:

Looking to pursue my MBA in 2022. Will be applying in R1 next year.
Dream school: INSEAD because of its diversity and culture. Also aligns with my short and long term goals. Greate alumni network located globally.
GRE: Wrote the GRE once and scored 325. Since I'm quite far out from intake, I'm thinking of writing it again.
GPA: Graduated with Honors Major in Econ, minor in stats, minor in political science from the University of Toronto. CGPA 2.64 - family issues and overall immaturity (should have seeked out help). Cant go back and change it but wanted to know if taking a stats class in Jan from a local college will help.
WE: Currently a business analyst in financial risk management at a top 5 bank in Toronto. Lots of experience working with teams situated across the world (India, Singapore, London, New York). Been at the bank for 2.5 years now(WE will be 4 years at matriculation). In line for a promotion and have interviews for a high position (albeit not manager level) at another bank. I also founded (Jun 2020) my own ecommerce brand that sources products from around the world and sells them in Canada. I manage a team of 5 where individuals are located in Canada, India, France.
EC: Little bit of volunteering but adding to that soon!
Prof. Designations - CFA level 1 complete in Jun 2019.
Background: South Asian female, born in one country, brought up in another, moved to Canada for undergrad.
Short term goals post MBA: Strategic Consulting (step learning curve, high paced environment) at a global firm.
Long term goals post MBA: Own company focusing on providing reg tech solutions for fintech companies that operate globally.

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Show Comments (8) Last: December 7, 2020

anon86405 Likes Earned: 3 OP here, should add that I'm currently part of a mentorship program that helps university/college students build their careers. Not sure if this matters but - as a BA, I am a woman in tech and a woman in finance - both are underrepresented here. (0)

alexbr4 Verified User. Likes Earned: 1677 The undergrad GPA does appear to be your weak point, so taking additional coursework should help. Decent GRE, but any improvement will also help (due to GPA). Good progress at the bank, or at another bank will help. Showing impact is important. Your e-commerce adventure, with proven success might also help, even if it is unrelated to your goals. Mentoring is also good. (1)

anon86405 Likes Earned: 3 Thanks Alex! Yes, cam show impact at my current position in terms of cutting costs associated with automation, freeing up resources, streamlining process flow, mentoring and training new members on the team. Are there any other schools I should consider? Would love to be in Europe due to general diversity in European programs but would be open to US school recommendations from you too. (1)

anon86405 Likes Earned: 3 Forgot to ask but: should I take more courses in addition to the statistics course? And should these additional courses be of a high level or would introductory courses work too? (0)

anon20916 Likes Earned: 224 I hope this gets featured on the podcast. I am sure it would provide a lot of value to people with similar conundrums. Good luck to the poster! You have another year to make some great improvements on your profile that would probably make a lot of difference. (1)

anon86405 Likes Earned: 3 Thanks anon20916! Yes, its really frustrating to have this GPA lurking in the dark while working to strengthen your overall application since you dont know how the adcom will react to this. I'm extremely proud of the work Ive done not to mention the skill set Ive developed outside of the work place. Just hope this comes through well in my applications and essays. Will definitely be using my optional essay to address the GPA, highlight the concrete steps Ive taken to ensure it doesnt happen again, and what Ive learnt from it. In fact, mentoring people in their undergrad was one way to make sure that students have someone to turn to for personal advice so they can avoid repeating the same mistakes as me. (2)

alexbr4 Verified User. Likes Earned: 1677 Taking additional courses will depend on the specifics of your transcripts. Generally, taking 2-3 courses, getting As, is good. Stats, calculus, micro economics type coursework, if you don’t have that in your undergrad (or have poor grades in those subjects). Intro level should be fine. MBAMath and HBS CORe are also popular alternatives. For US programs, might be worth looking at 1-2 in the top 16, Ross, for example. (1)

alexbr4 Verified User. Likes Earned: 1677 More details on this candidacy in this episode of Wire Taps: https://www.clearadmit.com/2020/12/episode-135-wire-taps/ (0)