Thank you in advance for taking a look at this.

My profile:

Me: 28 year old white male

Undergrad: B.A. in Economics from the University of Maryland
GPA: 3.31
Worked about 15 hours per week during school. Volunteered as well.

GMAT: 710 (47Q [76%], 40V [89%]) 92% overall

Work Experience: 5 years on a fixed income trading desk at a Fortune 500 bank. Started out as a sales assistant and was promoted to trader in about 18 months.
Series 7, 66, 53 certified
Passed all three levels of CFA program on first attempt. Currently a charterholder.

Volunteer Experience: From 2000-2006 I was a volunteer EMT/firefighter at my community’s fire station. I stopped volunteering when I got my job because I couldn’t dedicate enough time to training as I needed to. When I left I had achieved the rank of sergeant.

Leadership Experience: I don’t have many good examples of this recently. I was the President of my high school’s astronomy club and an officer at my fire station but since that there isn’t much. I have asked my boss to emphasize my role as leader in the few projects where I would be considered in the lead. It’s not much but it’s better than nothing

Other: I have taken 3 classes after undergrad. 2 math courses and 1 computer science course (2 As and 1 B). I took these because when I did my undergrad, I completed about 90% of the requirements for a degree in statistics. These three classes should complete the requirements. Therefore, I will have a BA in Economics from the University of Maryland (2006) and a BS in Statistics from the University of Maryland (2012).

Reach: Wharton, Chicago
Target: Columbia, NYU
Only if God pulls some strings for me: Stanford

Career goals: After business school, I want to join and investment fund (preferably a hedge fund) as a research analyst. Later in my career I want to direct my own fund and lead my own team.

I would love to hear your thoughts about the schools I’ve chosen and the possibility of getting in with a profile like mine. If you need any more information let me know. Thank you again!

Hi! Thanks for writing in. Your work experience appears to be strong. Even though you say you don't have many examples of leadership, you might want to consider looking for experiences where you took risks, showed initiative or made important decisions. Presenting anecdotes that highlight such things will show the AdCom that you have leadership potential - something they look for in MBA applicants.

In addition, your GMAT score is strong at a 710, though your quantitative part is just below the 80th percentile that many of the top schools look for in applicants. In pulling together your application, you might want to highlight the quantitative skills you use at work as well as those you've built through your education. That might help your case with the schools on your list right now, which are all very focused on strong GMAT quant scores.

Best of luck,
Rachel Beck
http://www.mbamission.com

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Thank you so much for your advice. I really appreciate you taking the time to look over my profile. I have a few more questions if you don't mind:

1. Do you think those schools are in reach for me?
2. One of my LOR is going to be from my boss who has been my boss for my entire career. I don't have a mentor or someone else that can comment on me professionally (I could ask my boss's boss, but I figured that would be more of the same information). I can ask a family friend, but they would be writing about me simply on a personal level. What do you think AdComs would prefer to see?
3. Any other weaknesses you see in my profile that I need to address with the essays?

Again, thank you for helping me out. Have a great day.

Hi! You seem like a competitive candidate for those schools. Remember that the AdComs will look at your entire package - work, GMAT/academics and activities - which is why it is important to highlight your strengths and leadership potential as much as possible.

As for your recommender, your direct manager is someone who should be writing you a recommendation. You want recommenders to know you and your experiences, so they can include rich details in the letters to the schools. I often tell my clients to give their recommenders a "cheat sheet" that recounts some of their top accomplishments. That will then help the recommender pull together a strong letter.

Rachel