Profile:
25 year old male US citizen, born in St. Petersburg, Russia

Education:
Undergrad GPA 3.5 from a decent college (non-ivy league), CFA Level 2 candidate

GMAT:
710 (49Q 38V)

Experience:
2 years project management experience in a Bulge Bracket bank.

1 year experience in private wealth management, as junior banker at a top tier Wall Street firm. Communicated directly with the firm’s high net worth clients. The position was regarded as “associate level” and I was the youngest individual on my team. (23 years old when I started)

Extra Curriculum:
Volunteer at a non-profit as a tutor and guidance counselor to inner-city New York City high school students. (The inspiration was to give back to community, as I, myself, received my education from an NYC public school and saw the need to help first-hand)

Notable accomplishments: Implemented initiatives to improve the tutoring process, and partnered with a high school to expand our services. Inspired students to be positive thinkers and attend college.


Post MBA Ambitions:
To continue working in the investment management field, but more closely with investments. An MBA will solidify the required business knowledge and make me a more credible investment analyst. I am also considering focusing on Emerging Markets, such as Russia, as I am fluent in the language and have the understanding of the culture.


Goal: To target top-finance focused schools (Wharton, Columbia, NYU)

Do I have realistic chances? Are there any other programs that are more suited for goals/profile that I am ignoring?

Given your profile, you have enough of a chance at Wharton, Columbia and NYU to at least give them a shot -- you're a "middle-of-the-road" candidate for them - folks like you get admitted, folks like you get dinged. It comes down to how well you execute the application, and luck (since it's such a subjective process and unless you are really an exceptional candidate for the school, it does come down to how much an adcom "likes you" or not).

The other school that you should also take a close look at is Chicago. For some schools that have a healthy mix of students interested in finance, you may also want to look at Cornell and Yale -- schools where it'll be a little easier to get in compared to the aforementioned schools.

Alex Chu
alex@mbaapply.com
www.mbaapply.com
http://mbaapply.blogspot.com