Ask Stacy Blackman

I'm an electrical engineering working on satellite radio terminals at Hughes Network Systems in Washington D.C. I plan to pursue a part-time MBA program at NYU Stern as I aspire to become an Engineering Manager. My GMAT score is 710.

What are the chances of my getting into the Washington Square campus??
What are the pros and cons of pursuing an MBA at NYU Stern? Do they primarily concentrate of financial courses???

Thanks,
-Prakash

I also recently became interested in NYU's part-time MBA program. I would probably wait another year or so before applying. My background is as follows:
-Economics degree from decent state university, minor in Russian
-weak undergrad gpa 2.9 overall. But my last year in school I showed stronger performance (ie, took 23 credits and got over 3.0 in my last semester)
-The past year or so I have taken some graduate classes to build an alternate transcript. Statistics (A), Math for Economists (B+), Macroeconomic Theory(A, hard class but scored well above the curve), Programming (A). Courses toward and MA in Econ, but I'm thinking I want something more practical so I want to switch to an MBA. plus I have interests in fields like market research as well.
-610 GMAT (V76th percentile, Q58th percentile), strange because I usually do better in quantitative. Nevertheless, I did not prepare too much and feel I could do much better if I take it again.
-Work: Was a volunteer in the US Peace Corps doing agriculture and business development work. Won a grant for a project, spoke mostly Russian at work.
-Currently working for a small midtown company doing work with economic data. More the managing of the data and developing databases rather than doing analysis. But analysis/research is what I'd eventually like to do but it would probably mean I'd have to switch jobs at some point. Also work odd hours 1am-10am to deal with european data and clients.
-about 2.5 years work experience in total.
-Volunteer 1-2 times a week for various things.

Would I be competitive for Stern's Part-time program or would more work experience/higher gmat benefit me? I feel I can't really go any further in my current job so I'd need to pursue a advanced degree. I know the part-time program at stern is designed for people who want to stay in their current companies and advance within but for me it would require changing companies at some point. I don't really want to get into massive amounts of debt and do a full-time mba.

I am a credit analyst for a private chemical and textile company, where I have been for about 1.5 years. Before that I worked as an equity trader (daytrading) for about another 1.5 years. I graduated from SUNY Albany with a 3.37 GPA in Business Administration with a dual concentration in marketing and finance. Before I went to Albany I was enrolled in flight school where I earned my pilot's license. This was my original career goal but with the way the airlines were going bankrupt at the time and the amount it cost to train I decided to change career paths. For quite some time I have not been sure what exact career path I would like to take. Perhaps some type of mix between aviation and business perhaps. I have been considering the MBA at NYU recently because of my desire to take the next step and see what doors this could open for me. I do have a strong interest in business. Both my father and brother graduated from NYU and were very successful. I still have yet to take the GMAT, but does my profile sound like someone who would fit in this school and have a chance at getting in?
-Thanks for your help
Chris

Hi Lisa,

I have around 12 yrs of IT industry experience and average GMAT (610 -44/28) and GPA(2.8). What are my chances of getting into the Part Time considering the fact that i am 37 now and would be one of the older member of the class. I truly feel that i need the MBA now in my career which has kind of reached a plateau and have articulated this in my essays.

Thanks

Hi Lisa or anyone else that's familiar with NYU's part-time program... help will be greatly appreciated!

I'd love some help/input on my background for the part-time NYU program. My quick stats are below and I'm interested in the Spring 2012 start date.

-29 yrs old, white male
-Certified public accountant-external auditor (hedge funds, private equity portfolio companies, technology clients), manage approx $1m in client business, 5k staff hours annually, 7+ years of public accounting experience, 2.5 with international firm, rest as manager with regional, 3 years internships in accounting firms in college
-Certified fraud examiner
-undergrad GPA 3.74 (3k student Baltimore private school), honor's program graduate, several honor societies and local awards, concentrations in economics and spanish language
-undergrad study abroad for 4 weeks in Mexico
-GMAT 660 total-82%, 41Q-58%, 40V-89%, 6.0 AWA (optional essay will focus on quant ability as CPA)
-undergrad NCAA division 3 soccer player 2 years
-undergrad president accounting association
-founded non-profit for used soccer clothing/equipment for Maryland and Mexico re-distribution
-board member of local educational/economic advocacy group in Baltimore
-board member undergrad alumni association

I'm planning to travel to NYU for the weekend program and keep working in Baltimore if possible. My essays will indicate that relocation is an option though if they accept me for the evenings instead. Career goals are getting into CFO or other management positions in asset management, private equity, or hedge fund industries (I work in this field as an external auditor).

Was really frustrated with GMAT score, stuck on some problems early on Quant which hurt that section. Did better on most practice tests I took so if I had to retake the test, I think getting to 700 is reasonable with ~80% for quant

Any help would be awesome, I can retake the GMAT if needed or pursue another professional certification (which I'll probably do before the program starts anyway). I'd definitely appreciate your thoughts if those things will help!

Thanks so much for the input. I'm somewhat concerned that my plan to work in Baltimore while completing the weekend part-time program in NYC will not be well perceived. I know that the interaction with students and involvement in networking/educational speaking events are invaluable parts of the program and are highly encouraged to support NYU's culture. I know this is an important part of the experience as one of my primary motivations is the NYU network and relationships I'll develop. I will try to address my work flexibility in my essays (to spend more time as needed in NYC) but I'm not sure that will be enough. Not sure how much more I can address/communicate in this regard. Anyway, thanks again and if I need any very detailed help with essays or applications, I'll definitely reach out for your help!

Hi Lisa,
How do you exactly go about setting up a meeting with an Admissions Professional at NYU? Based on my email exchanges, they do not set up such meetings unless an interview is needed for admission into the part-time program.
Thanks.

Hi Lisa,

Thank you very much for taking the time to speak to us informally online. I'd like to know whether or not I'd be a strong candidate as well. Here are my qualifications:

Honor student in junior high school and high school
3.35GPA at University of Buffalo with dual degrees in Business and Psychology
Vice President of Buffalo Campus Literature Club
Psi Chi Honor Society
Golden Key National Honor Society

Since graduating from university, I have joined large companies such as AIG and Starwood with various roles that are not related to finance. I have international business experience in Japan, where I led consulting teams at a prestigious firm. Currently, I am in the world's largest marketing company, one of the best companies to work for and I want to pursue a part-time nyu mba in order to be qualified for managerial role within the company in the future. I haven't taken the GMATs yet, but I had a score of 1300 on the SATs, if that serves as a a predictor of the GMATs. Would NYU see my international experience, my challenging dual degrees in university, and working for a Forbes 500 company as high-caliber benchmark for applicants?

Thanks once again!