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Profile Evaluation

by jdbass » Wed Jul 27, 2011 7:37 am
Hi! Wanted a quick assessment of my chances at the schools listed below:

HBS
Wharton
Booth
Ross

I'm concerned about a couple of things:
1) Not having 'blue-chip' undergrad or employment
2) Being part of an 'over-represented' group (White Male/Finance)
3) Skewing toward the older end for some of the top programs
4) Having an unbalanced GMAT

Here's the stats:
- Age: 27

- Education: 3.9 with honors; Majors: Finance, Accounting; Indiana University

- 740 (74% Quant, 99% Verbal, 6.0 AWA)

- Work Experience: 4yrs @ General Mills; increasing responsiblities with 2 promotions; currently assistant site controller for our largest manufacturing facility

- Extracurricular Involvements: Assistant HS Hockey Coach (10+ hrs/week); Treasurer for local 5k charity ($50K + in donations); 'executive on-loan' for community United Way campaigns

- interesting personal facts - Avid skier and golfer; restored a '65 Mustang Fastback

Couple of questions:
1) How does my profile stack up for the schools listed? Is there anything I can do to mitigate some of the concerns listed above (I'm not re-taking the GMAT!!!)
2) Would I be well advised to consider a couple of 'back-up' programs? Or are there other 'top' schools that fit my profile well?

Thanks in adavance!
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by Lisa Anderson » Fri Jul 29, 2011 6:22 am
Dear jdbass,

While I understand your concerns due to the abundance of "information" out there on the MBA admissions process, please realize that many ideas purported to be true or factual are really not. You do not need to have attended or worked at any specific school or company to gain admission to a top program, nor does having those names on your resume provide an advantage. What matters is how you have performed over time, your own personal track record, in your academic and professional career. On a side note, both IU and General Mills are outstanding institutions with solid name recognition. Likewise, your age is not really on the older end; you are more in the middle of the pack, so to speak. Age is also neither an advantage nor disadvantage. What is critical is that you have solid reasoning for why this is the right time in your career for an MBA.

With regard to your GMAT, your 740 is outstanding and competitive for any MBA program. While your verbal score is higher, I would not go so far to say that your score is "unbalanced" or your quant score is low. When you factor in your high GPA with A's in quantitative coursework, your academic profile is competitive and a strength for you. As for the final concern of being "over-represented" in the applicant pool, that might be a concern depending where you apply; however, your work at GM in a manufacturing facility is a bit different from a corporate finance gig at hq or finance careers from Wall Street. Use that difference to your advantage, as well as your extracurricular activities, to set yourself apart from the competition. Distinguishing your application from similar applicants through your essays, resume and recommendations (not to mention interview) is how you will be successful in the admissions process.

To answer your questions, I do not think you need to retake the GMAT and believe you are a competitive applicant for your 4 target schools. I do believe it is prudent for any applicant to have a couple of safety schools as MBA admissions is unpredictable. I would suggest identifying programs that offer what you seek for your career goals in terms of curriculum and resources. You might find our sticky on school selection helpful for tips on finding other programs.

Best of luck,
Lisa
Lisa Anderson
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Stacy Blackman Consulting

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