Doctor to BSchool. Want to get into VC
Hi Everyone,
Can a 33 year old get into a MBA business schools">M7 bschool? Want to transition to life science VC. really passionate about reaching patients on a larger scale. Obviously it's a "big" decision but I really have been obsessed with the startup world. I always read about the newest biotech startups and love learning about the science behind it. I can help so many people buy providing capital. And I think working with entrepreneurs would be amazing
-non target 3.2 gpa (were talking 10 years ago haha)
-680 GMAT
-about 6 months in corporate banking pre-DO school
-med school
-internal medicine residency
-practiced and paid off loans, and saved some money.
Who knows. Med school might be a nice mid life break. No wife or gf so I can think about just myself right now haha. Is it even worth it? Do I even need an MBA. Kinda new thought popped into my head but I want to pursue it.
680 gmat is borderline where you could get accepted to a few lower M7. Your gpa, however, is incredibly low for m7 standards. You'll need to get 730+ gmat to offset this.
Being a non-traditional applicant, you may get a boost. Were you a practicing physician or did you do medical research?
And I agree, biotech sounds amazing.
Oh, and this goes w/out saying, but make sure your entire application makes a compelling case WHY you want an mba. The story you told us in short sounds great. Elaborate on how you became infatuated with biotech, startups, and how your skills and abilities, combined with an MBA from their school, would allow you to accomplish this dream.
The problem I see for you is that VC is a pretty small, selective field, and business schools want to make sure that you will be employed once you graduate. So the question in their mind will be, "What happens if you can't get a VC job?" Something to talk about with an admissions consultant, perhaps, when crafting your essays.
Considering your age and professional experience, an EMBA might also be an option.
cakepie: I have been in clinical practice for a little more than a year. LBJ's Hair: What are my other options? Entrepreneurship? Do I even need the MBA is the question to get into the vc world. I need it for the network I think. That's why I'm trying to M7 and Haas I guess.
You've got a lot of things working against you: 680 GMAT needs to improve 3.2 from a non target The fact that you couldn't get into an MD program Your age
You're gonna have to do a lot of spinning and up that GMAT.
My opinion is a little different. You're so far out of school and into the working world that your stats aren't going to matter too much. Your accomplishments will be far more telling regarding your potential. I'm not super familiar with the doctor path, but what you've described seems to be an "average" career in your field. This is going to count against you in the admissions process. Furthermore, while your stats will be worth less than they would for a typical applicant, they don't really support the doctor stereotype. Doctors are supposed to be incredibly smart and studious types. With your stats I think it will be difficult for you to demonstrate to the top schools (where VCs recruit) why you want to be there.
Given all of this, I think you should attempt to work your way directly into VC. There are a ton of VC firms that focus exclusively in Life Sciences and many of them prefer professionals that have worked in the field rather than finance types. So load up your Google and LinkedIn. The direct approach won't jeopardize your current career and seems to be equally likely.
Thanks for advice everyone! I was actually thinking this as well. It seems like since VC is really my goal getting involved in healthcare entrepreneurship and biotech startups is the best plan. Maybe get 1 or 2 lucky exits and I get into VC from there. This work for tech and I'm assuming the same works for LS sector.
Biotech is becoming huge in Asia (not sure about the US/EU) atm, if travel doesn't deter you from finding a VC position then you might want to expand your geographical scope. You wouldn't even need a PhD.
With your profile, EMBA might seem to be a better fit for you. You can still have access to the class and alumni network, which can help give you the right connections.
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