Selling a career change to Wharton

Allison successfully proposed a career change, from a technical role to an management position in a different area of finance.

The Challenge

Even a solid GPA and GMAT score couldn’t help differentiate Allison from the extremely competitive Chinese applicant pool. Because she had been so busy with work (everyone is!) she didn’t have very many extracurricular activities or unique experiences to showcase. Additionally, she was making a career switch from investment banking to venture capital, which is a common proposed switch among finance applicants. We needed to make her story stand out from the crowd!

Possible Approaches

We could have focused on the client’s deep expertise in a particular technology area, discussed her international experiences, or try to play up the few extracurriculars that she did have. With regard to her career switch, we could have encouraged her to choose a more realistic goal along her current career trajectory, which may have been a more assured path to success.

The Admissionado Approach

We decided to double down on the client’s deep passion for a specific tech sector as a core theme. This also allowed us to highlight that she was a rising star at work, partly due to her subject matter expertise. It also placed the focus on a different industry rather than showcasing her as just another finance applicant. Despite her lack of extracurricular activities, we highlighted the ones most relevant to tech and her career goals. We also pulled out all the activities that she had volunteered for at work to show that although she had a demanding work schedule that limited her to the office environment, she was still able to go above and beyond her normal responsibilities to make an impact on her company. We walked through what a potential career switch would actually entail and identified what she would need to meet her career goals.

The Result

Allison ended up getting into Wharton and MIT, among others!

Personal Shoutout

“Initially, I had my reservations with MBA Consultants. I had applied to four business schools last year with a consultant from {competitor}, and she did little to help me with my applications. I was rejected from all four schools without interviews.

After my intro call with Admissionado, I knew immediately I would work with your team. You were able to help me identify key experiences and tell my story in a clear, concise way. You were also extremely supportive, easing all my fears and keeping me stay motivated and focused. I cannot thank you enough for your hard work, dedication, and kindness throughout the process. I am recommending Admissionado to all my friends!”