PROFILE EVALUATION - PENDING GMAT SCORE

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PROFILE EVALUATION - PENDING GMAT SCORE

by KLilly » Tue Jul 29, 2014 10:58 am
Hi There,

I'm currently in the process of studying for my GMAT with the test scheduled on Sept. 27th. Here are my stats:

27yo Female
B.A. in Psych and Film Studies from an Ivy League university - 3.9 GPA. Not a ton of math classes. Some Psych/Research focused stats classes, took AP BC Calc with a 4 on the exam which passed me out of college Calc.
GMAT: Pending, aiming for 680+ pref, 710.

5 years work experience in the Entertainment Industry - working in post-production for various television shows for a major cable studio/network. Job is heavy in project management, meeting deadlines, determining creative solutions. Also manage the payroll and track all accounting expenditures.

Outside activities -
College: Club Volleyball, President for 2 years, sorority, active in various other clubs and organizations related to film and television (no leadership positions)
Member of the Producers Guild of America AP Council (elected position)
Westside German Shepherd Rescue - Hike organizer/Volunteer coordinator

Career Goals -
I'm currently torn between 2 career goals (and yes, I'm aware they're very different.. for my application I intend on focusing on one).
1) Transition from contract based production work to an Entertainment and/or Tech company focusing on New Media and Technology, development, marketing, and analytics. (Companies like Amazon, Google, Hulu, and Netflix particularly interest me)
2) Move into a non-profit sphere - again, marketing and new media.

Target schools:
UCLA
USC
UMich
Kellogg - Reach (however both parents have Kellogg MBAs, not sure how much that matters in MBA Admissions though)

I know my past experience is not typical of a B-School applicant, but I'm hoping this would work in my favor as I'm looking at specifically schools with strong connections to entertainment and media (UCLA/USC). Looking to get into a full-time program to launch more of a career trajectory change and move into more of a business role rather than pure creative.

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by Eliot » Thu Jul 31, 2014 12:38 pm
Hi KLilly,

Thank you for your post!

As you are aware, your industry background is not typical of b-school applicants; however, professionals from outside traditional pre-MBA industries and functions are generally valued for the atypical perspective and diversity they can bring to the MBA classroom. Your job will be to forge connections between your career history and how your skills, lessons and experiences would add value to the student community. Given the creativity and project management involved, it looks like you could make such connections. You will also need to present your accomplishments and impact in terms anyone could understand, given that the adcoms will not likely be familiar with your industry.

It looks like you will have some brand strength from your undergraduate institution in your favor, too. That said, a 700+ GMAT score could open up more doors for you in terms of MBA programs. Success in the math section in particular would serve as a positive, recent data point to show that you could handle the rigorous quantitative coursework of the program. So, I recommend spending as much time in the coming weeks working hard to prepare for the GMAT.

In regards to your goals, it looks like you are targeting some big brand name firms. This is perfectly feasible, but you should be aware that it's possible many applicants will be pitching the same story. You need to differentiate your plans with richer details. Even taking the time to contact these firms, learning about their culture and determining a specific role you could take on would help set you apart.

With only four schools on your list, it would be feasible to apply to Kellogg. Kellogg's program entails a lot of team work, so you will want to emphasize your collaborative leadership experience in your application. You may be able to refer to seeing how the Kellogg MBA has positively influenced careers in the long term or had a longstanding impact, based on your parents, but you would really need to balance this with engagement of the current student community. I could see this fact adding a personal touch to your applications, but it would need to be handled very delicately-if you include it at all. You should also check the data form, as it may allow room to account for their education; this means you may not even need to mention it in your essays. That said, adcoms in general appreciate applicants who take that extra step of getting to know the community and determining one's fit.

Good luck on the GMAT! If you'd like to discuss your applications further, please contact us directly at https://www.clearadmit.com/services/free-consultation/.
Eliot Ingram
Clear Admit, LLC
[email protected]
215 568 2590

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by KLilly » Mon Aug 11, 2014 9:55 am
Thank you for your thoughts and tips!