-
steppenwolf
- Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts
- Posts: 2
- Joined: Sat Nov 21, 2009 8:28 pm
Admissions consultant: YOUR feedback is requested!
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This is a long post, so be warned. If you are willing to take out five minutes though, you could really, really help me out!! I want to get your advice on two career options that are available to me, particularly with respect to to their impact on my chances for business school and my long term career prospects.
My background:
Citizen of a developing Asian country. Turning 23 in a couple of months. Spent about five years in Western Europe (including high school years). Moved to the US for college. Graduated in Aug '08 from a top ten public school (on the lower end, think Wisc/Illinois/Virginia) with a Bachelor's in an applied math field. Shameful overall GPA of 3.2, shameful major GPA of 3.2. Very inconsistent performances throughout the four years. Was legitimately sick for one semester, had to document my illness for immigration purposes, and screwed my finance GPA then (took half my finance credits in that semester). Otherwise the low GPA is all on me. Unmotivated, partying way too much, dabbling in all kinds of nonsense, not caring enough, not thinking about consequences. Got interesting but no-name work experience during undergrad. Between sophomore and junior year designed a pricing and reserving mechanism for weather-related insurance for my home country's largest insurance company, lots of research, decent scope/impact of work. In the next summer, hedged liabilities for a global insurance giant - specifically, involved in index volatility modeling, worked with a quant on a GARCH and a modified Heston model for the whole summer. Fair amount of meaningful but no-profile ECs: mentoring kids, volunteering at foster home, teaching at-risk high schoolers, etc etc. Passed a couple of actuarial exams and tutored on that as well.
After graduation, took up an actuarial position with one of the top actuarial consultancies. (For location, girlfriend, friends and *decent* paycheck, but certainly not for any inherent interest in actuarial science). Worked there till August this year, constantly lamented about my poor choice, thought about a move to strategy consulting or banking everyday, something with a bigger, more general scope that actuarial science. On the plus side, got my old high-school work ethic back *to some extent* (Had graduated ranked 1st from an International School). Worked *long* hours (not banking long, mere mortal long, think 65-70). Decision to get a move on became easy because there was a problem at home; packed my bags and headed home.
Looking forward:
Am now presented with two possible options. On the one side is further education in the form of a Master's in Finance, on the other, a crazy, unconventional general management opportunity in a greenfield plant in Spain. A top-tier MBA is part of my plans in either case. Want to get into TOP tier ibanking/PE/VC/Hedge Fund/strategy consulting as soon as possible.
1. The Master's in Finance option: Took the GRE and scored 1500 (800m,700,6.0), might take it again for a 1600. Previously had 1600 on the SAT. Will take the GMAT after preparing, maybe in a couple of weeks. Don't expect to score less than 770. Took it once, just for fun, during undergrad and got 750. Have decent relevant work experience. Lowly but not abysmal GPA. Solid recommendations from people in finance, and a finance professor. Hoping for an admit to at least one of the big names (well, probably not Princeton haha, but maybe MIT, Oxford, LSE, and if not these then the second tier ones like Imperial, Warwick, WashU in St. Loius). Apps are almost gone. Managed to land an *investment banking* internship in my home country, with the country's biggest private sector bank. Not a formal program, but a personal favor from a relationship I cultivated a while back. Going to start next month and last till May or June next year. Then will begin a (hopefully good) program. Graduate with better grades this time around, higher-profile ECs, maybe a couple of elected positions. Hopefully land a decent job in finance - hallelujahs of all the angels if it's front office. Or McKinsey/BCG/Bain/Monitor/Marakon etc. Not going to happen easily if the degree's from the second tiers I mentioned. Certainly not from anything lower.
2. The crazy greenfield option: Skip the Master's in Finance, aim for an MBA (2012 entry). Got invited to work as the second-in-command in a jack-of-all-trades/management/general counsel role at a greenfield steel-products manufacturing operation in Spain. Befriended the son of a moderately big steel industrialist during undergrad. He recommended me for the role without me even knowing about it. The parent company has a decent turnover of ~750 million Euros. They are expanding internationally. Want to make Spain a hub in the near future. The Spanish operation is going to be small - expecting a turnover of 10 million Euros in the first year (2010). Are adamant about seeing a continuous growth to at least 100 million Euros within five years, organically and through acquisitions. My role will be, well, vague, like I described it. Procurement/supplies/relationships with buyers, sellers, bankers (for eg. for acquisition funding)/liaison for parent company's family/compliance and control/HR/business development. For full disclosure, the greenfield itself is not going to be a big operation. We will mostly be testing and assembling already manufactured products. So that we can put a "Made in Spain" label instead of "Made is XYZ Developing Country". This will guarantee an automatic premium. So the scope of this job is not as large as a comparable operation in actual manufacturing. Yet I have been assured that there will be no shortage of work - my biggest concern was not having enough to do. Oh and I'll probably have to live in a village near Madrid hahaha, my Spanish is rudimentary, but I'll learn I guess. Business, supposedly, can be done knowing only English.
So, what should I do? Pack my bags and head off into the unknown nether regions of Spain? Hope that the work is great, the subsidiary does well and booms, that I stick around for 2.5 years, get my CFA or a part-time or distance degree, am picked up by a top B-school in 2012, and voila, by M/B/B or GS/MS/KKR after graduation? Or do I check myself before I step...stick to the more charted route...do my internship, hope for a GOOD Master's admit (since in these dark times a *decent* Master's won't get you anything), hope for a good finance job afterward, and get into a B-school after two or three years of working?
Well, advice on any and all questions would be much appreciated. Advice on the feasibility/appropriateness of the two options, particularly with respect to 1. getting into a top B-school and 2. getting into top-tier finance/consulting afterwards would be really helpful. How does the Spain option sound to you? How would that look to TOP adcoms, namely Harvard/Stanford/Wharton? Some people I know say that if I can do this Spain job for even a couple of years, I'll be "writing my ticket" to H/W/S...Is this in any way true? What about other good schools like Columbia/Sloan/Booth/Stern? I very much doubt my other sources' credibility on top tier MBA admissions. So I am seeking your informed opinion.
I'm dying here (so to speak)...need your informed opinion!
Thanks a lot!!
_______
This is a long post, so be warned. If you are willing to take out five minutes though, you could really, really help me out!! I want to get your advice on two career options that are available to me, particularly with respect to to their impact on my chances for business school and my long term career prospects.
My background:
Citizen of a developing Asian country. Turning 23 in a couple of months. Spent about five years in Western Europe (including high school years). Moved to the US for college. Graduated in Aug '08 from a top ten public school (on the lower end, think Wisc/Illinois/Virginia) with a Bachelor's in an applied math field. Shameful overall GPA of 3.2, shameful major GPA of 3.2. Very inconsistent performances throughout the four years. Was legitimately sick for one semester, had to document my illness for immigration purposes, and screwed my finance GPA then (took half my finance credits in that semester). Otherwise the low GPA is all on me. Unmotivated, partying way too much, dabbling in all kinds of nonsense, not caring enough, not thinking about consequences. Got interesting but no-name work experience during undergrad. Between sophomore and junior year designed a pricing and reserving mechanism for weather-related insurance for my home country's largest insurance company, lots of research, decent scope/impact of work. In the next summer, hedged liabilities for a global insurance giant - specifically, involved in index volatility modeling, worked with a quant on a GARCH and a modified Heston model for the whole summer. Fair amount of meaningful but no-profile ECs: mentoring kids, volunteering at foster home, teaching at-risk high schoolers, etc etc. Passed a couple of actuarial exams and tutored on that as well.
After graduation, took up an actuarial position with one of the top actuarial consultancies. (For location, girlfriend, friends and *decent* paycheck, but certainly not for any inherent interest in actuarial science). Worked there till August this year, constantly lamented about my poor choice, thought about a move to strategy consulting or banking everyday, something with a bigger, more general scope that actuarial science. On the plus side, got my old high-school work ethic back *to some extent* (Had graduated ranked 1st from an International School). Worked *long* hours (not banking long, mere mortal long, think 65-70). Decision to get a move on became easy because there was a problem at home; packed my bags and headed home.
Looking forward:
Am now presented with two possible options. On the one side is further education in the form of a Master's in Finance, on the other, a crazy, unconventional general management opportunity in a greenfield plant in Spain. A top-tier MBA is part of my plans in either case. Want to get into TOP tier ibanking/PE/VC/Hedge Fund/strategy consulting as soon as possible.
1. The Master's in Finance option: Took the GRE and scored 1500 (800m,700,6.0), might take it again for a 1600. Previously had 1600 on the SAT. Will take the GMAT after preparing, maybe in a couple of weeks. Don't expect to score less than 770. Took it once, just for fun, during undergrad and got 750. Have decent relevant work experience. Lowly but not abysmal GPA. Solid recommendations from people in finance, and a finance professor. Hoping for an admit to at least one of the big names (well, probably not Princeton haha, but maybe MIT, Oxford, LSE, and if not these then the second tier ones like Imperial, Warwick, WashU in St. Loius). Apps are almost gone. Managed to land an *investment banking* internship in my home country, with the country's biggest private sector bank. Not a formal program, but a personal favor from a relationship I cultivated a while back. Going to start next month and last till May or June next year. Then will begin a (hopefully good) program. Graduate with better grades this time around, higher-profile ECs, maybe a couple of elected positions. Hopefully land a decent job in finance - hallelujahs of all the angels if it's front office. Or McKinsey/BCG/Bain/Monitor/Marakon etc. Not going to happen easily if the degree's from the second tiers I mentioned. Certainly not from anything lower.
2. The crazy greenfield option: Skip the Master's in Finance, aim for an MBA (2012 entry). Got invited to work as the second-in-command in a jack-of-all-trades/management/general counsel role at a greenfield steel-products manufacturing operation in Spain. Befriended the son of a moderately big steel industrialist during undergrad. He recommended me for the role without me even knowing about it. The parent company has a decent turnover of ~750 million Euros. They are expanding internationally. Want to make Spain a hub in the near future. The Spanish operation is going to be small - expecting a turnover of 10 million Euros in the first year (2010). Are adamant about seeing a continuous growth to at least 100 million Euros within five years, organically and through acquisitions. My role will be, well, vague, like I described it. Procurement/supplies/relationships with buyers, sellers, bankers (for eg. for acquisition funding)/liaison for parent company's family/compliance and control/HR/business development. For full disclosure, the greenfield itself is not going to be a big operation. We will mostly be testing and assembling already manufactured products. So that we can put a "Made in Spain" label instead of "Made is XYZ Developing Country". This will guarantee an automatic premium. So the scope of this job is not as large as a comparable operation in actual manufacturing. Yet I have been assured that there will be no shortage of work - my biggest concern was not having enough to do. Oh and I'll probably have to live in a village near Madrid hahaha, my Spanish is rudimentary, but I'll learn I guess. Business, supposedly, can be done knowing only English.
So, what should I do? Pack my bags and head off into the unknown nether regions of Spain? Hope that the work is great, the subsidiary does well and booms, that I stick around for 2.5 years, get my CFA or a part-time or distance degree, am picked up by a top B-school in 2012, and voila, by M/B/B or GS/MS/KKR after graduation? Or do I check myself before I step...stick to the more charted route...do my internship, hope for a GOOD Master's admit (since in these dark times a *decent* Master's won't get you anything), hope for a good finance job afterward, and get into a B-school after two or three years of working?
Well, advice on any and all questions would be much appreciated. Advice on the feasibility/appropriateness of the two options, particularly with respect to 1. getting into a top B-school and 2. getting into top-tier finance/consulting afterwards would be really helpful. How does the Spain option sound to you? How would that look to TOP adcoms, namely Harvard/Stanford/Wharton? Some people I know say that if I can do this Spain job for even a couple of years, I'll be "writing my ticket" to H/W/S...Is this in any way true? What about other good schools like Columbia/Sloan/Booth/Stern? I very much doubt my other sources' credibility on top tier MBA admissions. So I am seeking your informed opinion.
I'm dying here (so to speak)...need your informed opinion!
Thanks a lot!!
It is perfectly normal to consider options. But, I'd like you to take a methodical approach. 
