Ask an MBA Admissions Consultant

Hi, first of all, I want to say thank you for your time reading this any feedback that is provided. This is the beginning of my journey and your advise is greatly appreciated! - Jimmy

Targeted Schools: Top 10

Target Round: Pre-GMAT, Fall of 2016

26, Male, NYC

Education:

• 29 ACT
  3.1 GPA, B.S. in Mathematics, Ohio Dominican University

Resume: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxwLiN ... BGSlk/view
Work History:

• High School Math Instructor for 5 months - 2012
  Jr. High Math Instructor for 4 months - 2013
  SQL Developer Intern - 2013
  Quality Assurance Analyst for City of New York for 1 year - 2013 / 2014
  Promoted Management Analyst for City of New York for 1 year / current - 2014 /2015

Main Concerns:

• Low GPA
  Degree from a college with no reputation
  So-so career history (two teaching jobs in one year and then switching careers)

Questions:

• 1. If I want to get into a top 10 business school, how high of a GMAT score do I need given my background?
  2. Should I try to gain a better job in a a more business orientated role (and if so, what) or should I remain where I am?
  3. My previous extra-curriculars are 8 years of lacrosse coaching and a few humanitarian trips. What are the best extra-curriculars (and other things) I can do in the next year to make myself even more appealing (besides a high GMAT score, job and networking)?

*Additional context: I am thinking about working for a one of the large consulting firms out of Grad School so I want to focus on their targeted schools.

Jumping straight to your questions Jimmy:

1. I am sure you are aware that GMAT is just one of the several factors that schools consider. There is no minimum even at the top 10 and you will find a huge 'range'. In general though, to be out of the harm's way and not making this a potential handicap, you should at least aim for a bit above the average GMAT of these schools. Given your not so attractive undergrad acads, this is even more important - so higher the better is your mantra
2. This really depends on what you want to do an MBA for and what are your post-MBA plans. If that resonates with what you do today, don't change. If not, absolutely!
3. I always say, don't just do something for the heck of a bschool application. Identify your hobbies and cultivate at least one of them, but do it seriously. Within this context, you can then pick and choose those that will have more direct relevance to your MBA application. We have created our Profile Builder for exactly folks such as yourself who are grappling with multiple parameters in their MBA application journey.

Hope this helps,

Cheers,

Jimmy,

To answer your questions:

1. You would want to obtain as high a GMAT or GRE score as possible. Given you were a math teacher, your quantitative section score should be in the 90+ percentile.
2. Your age will soon approach the average age of a student at a top 10 business school. I would focus on packaging your existing experience as optimally as possible. That said there might be things you can do in the short-term to improve your profile which are detailed in the Improve tab on the MBAPrepAdvantage MBA Early Application Planning page.

- Expand your responsibilities and leadership.
- Seek different assignments and roles.
- Seek to serve on cross-functional task forces and teams.
- Sign up for employee training.
- Join professional associations.

3. Look to deepen your community engagement in existing activities and volunteer for new activities. Scroll down on the Improve tab and you can see some suggestions. We also have a list of about 20 websites that detail volunteering opportunities.

Good luck,