Beat The GMAT

jontan81 · Fri Jun 06, 2008 12:57 am

Hi

I would appreciate if you can advise me on my best possible course of action.

Background
I am from Singapore. Native Chinese. 27 years of age. Good command of english. Served mandatory National Service in the Civil Defence Force for 2 years.

Undergrad
Initially, i was enrolled in a Polytechnic as an Engineering student but didnt like it so i dropped out and I did the University of London External Degree in Accoounting and Finance in Singapore but only graduated with a second class lower honours. the reason for my low grade is not because i played too hard but becuase i took my first year part time while i was serving national service and had to work part-time as a waiter to fund my second and final years.

Current situation
I have 2 yrs of work experience. 1 year in the sales team of a mutual fund house. 1 year corporate banking role at an int'l bank. although both roles were in front office teams, i was mainly restricted to a support role.

i have been told by industry insiders that my 2nd lower external degree is the thing that is holding me back from jobs which i would like to pursue such as investment banking or consultancy.

Now, i have saved enough to fund my further education. and i am preparing for my GMAT. Assuming i score 650-7XX, do i have a decent chance in being accepted to the top 15 MBA progs?

If not, realistically, what MBA progs should i consider?
&
Are MBAs not from the tier1 programmes even worth it? i dont want to spend only to find out that it does not add value to my career prospects.

Sorry for the long post. I woudl greatly appreciate your input.

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VP_MBA_Guru · Fri Jun 06, 2008 10:16 am

Hi Jon,
Thanks for your post!

You have good credentials and could be competitive for a top MBA program. As you know, its hard to gauge your candidacy based on profile/stats, as much of the decision is based on your essays, LORs, interview. That said - here is my feedback.

Since you have somewhat diverse WE (military, sales, finance), its important for you to have a good 'story' of why you went this route and how these experiences are linked together and how they will help you in the MBA program and also your post-MBA career. Maybe think of positing each one as separate business skills (i.e. military - teamwork skills, finance - analytical skills).

I am not sure how to interpret your undergrad GPA, however you mentioned it is a bit lower than average. Therefore, you really need a strong showing on your GMAT. You should shoot for 700.

Top 15 might be a stretch... unfortunately you are in a competitive applicant pools - International/Asian applicants. I would recommend doing research on schools and figure out which would be a good fit for you based on your background and interests - there are many good schools in the 10-25 ranking range that will help you achieve your post-MBA goals.

For more help on schools, also check out Veritas Prep free School Selector application, which can give you a sense of schools could fit your background. See top post for link.

Good luck!

NP

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jontan81 · Sat Jun 07, 2008 1:28 am

Hi Nikhil, thanks for the reply.

a 2nd lower is prob a GPA of 2.8-3.0 (at the very most)

would an MBA from outside the top 15, lets say a rank 40+ type of school add value to my career prospects?

would my chances be good in landing a job in the US/EU in the MNCs/international banks/Big4?

Thanks

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VP_MBA_Guru · Mon Jun 09, 2008 9:26 am

Hi Jon,
Most top MBA programs will help in your career. The key is to find the right school with right opportunites/resources/connections in your career interests (including function, industry, region). I am sure you can find this within the 15-40 range.

Regardless of what program you attend (whether it is a top 10 or top 50 program), the onus is on you to effectively utilize the school's resources to get the carer you want.

For example, a school like USC is not typically ranked in the top 15, but has an incredible alumni network, strong ties to Southern California businesses and great programs in M&E, Marketing and Finance. There are many great schools that are under the Top10/25 radar.

Regards,

NP

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