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jaydas86 · Thu Oct 29, 2009 11:37 am

University of California, Los Angeles
Major: Mathematics-Economics
GPA: 3.50

PriceWaterHouse Coopers- Senior Associate
-2.5 years of experience
Highest rating in all 3 evaluations

GMAT - 720

Others:
Worked full time during college
Graduated in 3 years
International student
NASA and Capital Group Internship during college

Please evaluate my chances for UC Berkeley part time, ISB (India), Kellogg's part time, and Yale, and also it would be great if I you can give some pointers to stand out in the competitive pool.

Thanks again for your time.

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stacey · Thu Oct 29, 2009 8:16 pm

Hi Jaydas and thanks for your post. Please see my comments below:

University of California, Los Angeles
Major: Mathematics-Economics
GPA: 3.50

PriceWaterHouse Coopers- Senior Associate
-2.5 years of experience
Highest rating in all 3 evaluations

GMAT - 720

Others:
Worked full time during college
Graduated in 3 years
International student
NASA and Capital Group Internship during college

Please evaluate my chances for UC Berkeley part time, ISB (India), Kellogg's part time, and Yale, and also it would be great if I you can give some pointers to stand out in the competitive pool.

Academically speaking, your solid GPA in undergrad (add that to the fact you were working full time) combined with your GMAT score put you in great shape.

Your work experience and career trajectory to date seem on par with others in your field. Hopefully you are able to secure some solid recommendations from your supervisor(s).

I need a bit more information before I can fully assess your profile. Can you share your short and long term goals? Additionally, can you let me know a bit more about your life outside of work? What are your extracurricular activities?

Once I hear back from you I'll be able to offer up my thoughts on your school selection.

Best,

Stacey

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jaydas86 · Thu Oct 29, 2009 10:11 pm

Academically speaking, your solid GPA in undergrad (add that to the fact you were working full time) combined with your GMAT score put you in great shape.

Your work experience and career trajectory to date seem on par with others in your field. Hopefully you are able to secure some solid recommendations from your supervisor(s).

I need a bit more information before I can fully assess your profile. Can you share your short and long term goals? Additionally, can you let me know a bit more about your life outside of work? What are your extracurricular activities?

Once I hear back from you I'll be able to offer up my thoughts on your school selection.

Best,

Hi Stacey,

I really appreciate your reply.

On your questions, here are my answers:
1. My recommendations are going to be great since I have a really good relationship with my VP and Partner, and have consistently been ranked the top analyst in my class.

2. My short term goal is to join back a Consulting job, and move on to the Partner track. I want to go to business school to learn the ability to think like a CEO and develop managerial/leadership skills. My long term goal is to run the global practice of Consulting, specializing in Pricing and Valuations, at a blue chip firm.

3. Outside work, I am one of the Directors of my Family Foundation, working to provide 100 scholarships every year to capable but underprivileged students in Asia.

4. Also, I lead my Company's Golf team, in corporate tournaments. Personally, I have a keen interest in water sports such as surfing and scuba diving.

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stacey · Fri Oct 30, 2009 12:31 pm

Hi,

Thanks for the additional information. Your goals seem quite sound and logical, you will want to be as specific as possible when writing about them in your essays. For instance, do you plan to return to PWC or do you want to join another consulting firm? I'm assuming that given your interest in part time programs your goal is to return to PWC. However, it's always best to list the name of the company you wish to work for post MBA. This kind of detailed information is a great way to demonstrate to the adcom that you have done your research. You should be as specific as possible in detailing how the MBA is critical to your future success. The adcom can't for a moment think that perhaps you can achieve your goals without the MBA.

In terms of standing out in the applicant pool, you will want to balance your essay topics by selecting examples not only from your professional experience, but also from your personal/extracurricular activities. Perhaps you have a leadership example from your work with your family's foundation.

Best,

Stacey

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