I am setting a course for Stanford in the next application cycle (2021 intake.) This is the only school I would like to apply to. Can anybody provide feedback on my profile and offer some advice for what I can to do maximize my chances over the next year?

About me:

- Undergrad: 3.6 GPA, majored in engineering. Good school (top 50). Some extracurriculars, including volunteering in a medical clinic, doing outreach for my university, and serving as a resident advisor in a dorm.

- Work experience: 3 years in a client facing role at one of the Big 4. Worked on a couple big projects and have received one promotion.

- GMAT: unknown now but I am planning on taking a first crack in April. Of course looking to get a good score.

- Other: fluency in Spanish, basic Arabic. Volunteer for a local homeless center.

- Goal of doing the MBA: short term: consulting (MBB). Longer term: leverage my background in a nonprofit or make some other kind of social impact. I hope to explore this more @ Stanford.

I'd say that your general profile looks quite strong, but your issue will be that many incoming applicants have strong profiles, and probably quite a few look very similar to your own.

Your work experience will be quite important, so take great care to illustrate a decent career arc, and highlight any relevant accomplishments, awards, and promotions. Landing another step in your career between now and when you apply - whether it be a promotion, leading a team, etc. will make a big difference.

And take great care to let them know about what makes you stand out from the rest of the applicant group - why are you special? Why should they take you over the throng of similar applicants?

And finally, your goals are laudable and generally fit in with what they'd be looking for. I'd suggest fleshing out your longer-term career goals, because "make some other kind of social impact" is rather vague. Try to be as specific as possible.

Really appreciated, thanks.

Just an idea, but maybe you can use the time to add a couple of MOOCs related to your goals (in addition to landing a great GMAT score)
PRE-MBA courses like
CORe from Harvard
PreMBA essentials from Imperial
MBA Essentials from LSE

Or something like the Micromaster MBA Core from Maryland.
Or small individual course outside MBA but related to social impact.

I look at applications (for jobs not studies) differently when they have some extra certifications

[Edited by George Patsoulis on Jan 21, 2020]

Yes, that's a great idea. Maybe not as impactful as a nice promotion, but good to show that you are interested and engaged with learning on this level.

Just an idea, but maybe you can use the time to add a couple of MOOCs related to your goals (in addition to landing a great GMAT score)
PRE-MBA courses like
CORe from Harvard
PreMBA essentials from Imperial
MBA Essentials from LSE

Or something like the Micromaster MBA Core from Maryland.
Or small individual course outside MBA but related to social impact.

I look at applications (for jobs not studies) differently when they have some extra certifications

The Harvard, LSE, and Imperial courses are all Pre-MBA, so the overlapping will be minimal if any. (CORe has pretty good reputation).

It is true that the MBA Core from Maryland may have overlapping. That won't hurt your application, it may help it. The schools want people to succeed. Having done some of the work already, means better chances for success, better participation etc.
The only thing affected is your time and money (it is pretty cheap though).

I am setting a course for Stanford in the next application cycle (2021 intake.) This is the only school I would like to apply to. Can anybody provide feedback on my profile and offer some advice for what I can to do maximize my chances over the next year?

About me:

- Undergrad: 3.6 GPA, majored in engineering. Good school (top 50). Some extracurriculars, including volunteering in a medical clinic, doing outreach for my university, and serving as a resident advisor in a dorm.

- Work experience: 3 years in a client facing role at one of the Big 4. Worked on a couple big projects and have received one promotion.

- GMAT: unknown now but I am planning on taking a first crack in April. Of course looking to get a good score.

- Other: fluency in Spanish, basic Arabic. Volunteer for a local homeless center.

- Goal of doing the MBA: short term: consulting (MBB). Longer term: leverage my background in a nonprofit or make some other kind of social impact. I hope to explore this more @ Stanford.

It looks like the above advice is pretty solid, even without a GMAT score. Of course, having an actual GMAT score will help with providing more concrete advice but I think this candidate is just looking for a general sense of what to do beyond what they've already done (and assuming they'll get a good GMAT score...)

For myself, I got a fat rejection from Stanford, unfortunately. I wish you the best of luck!

I am sorry to hear that. Are you trying again next year? I will be aiming to start in the fall of 2021 (if all goes as planned!)

Good luck to you... I have a friend who got 740 on the GMAT but was still rejected by Stanford. It's a tough school to get into!