HEC Paris with a 645 on GMAT

When Jaslove came to us with a 645, along with fairly workable work experience, we were very frank from the get-go about how that score could hurt his chances at INSEAD and HEC Paris, his dream schools. However, he was clear that he didn’t have the time in his already busy schedule to fit in GMAT prep alongside applications.

With that clarity, we had to quickly shift focus to the standout aspects of his profile.

As an introvert, Jaslove didn’t naturally talk up how strong his work actually was, so it took some effort on our end to really get beneath the surface and help him confidently present his best work. More importantly, we worked closely with him to reframe his experience in a way that clearly showed the scale and relevance of what he had been doing, not just the “what,” but the “so what.”

Once we did, it became clear he had been operating at a much higher level than his years suggested—setting up and managing investment vehicles across Luxembourg and Abu Dhabi, working closely with central banks and ministries across 50+ frontier markets, and unlocking capital flows into economies that traditional investors often overlook. Whether it was structuring investments to help governments like Malawi raise critical infrastructure funding, enabling global investors to access restricted markets like Azerbaijan, or helping navigate debt situations in places like Zimbabwe, his work sat at the intersection of investing and real economic impact.

We also pushed him to highlight how he was actually building things: putting systems in place, shaping investment strategies, and helping scale his firm’s capabilities from the ground up. That shift in positioning made a big difference, combined with the fact that he had transitioned from an engineering background and taught himself the skills needed to succeed in this space.

Alongside this, we spent time brainstorming and sharpening his story for HEC’s presentation and interview. Jaslove ended up hearing back from the HEC adcom with an admit just a day after his interview, the earliest we have ever seen.

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