Applying to top 15 schools with 5 years of experience within the tech industry in progressing business development/operations roles. I have had the good fortune of being at a few different firms that make for a unique story.
I am looking to go back to school to obtain my MBA to pursue a career in a Technology Industry Group at an Investment Bank.
I recently applied to 3 top 15 programs in 2017 as apart of their last round of applications (March). 3 waitlists without interview.
GMAT 710 Q47 V 41
Undergraduate GPA: 2.81 in social science major
Strong Professional Recommendations
Former Division 1 Athlete
I was a liberal arts major who had a few major events of adversity affect me during my undergraduate studies. I took the chance to write about this in my optional essay. I also was participating in a very demanding varsity sport.
My question is this: I would like to build an alternative transcript and apply in Round 1 next year to improve my chances. I think it will help significantly considering poor performance in two specific courses (Accounting and Economics) during my undergrad studies. I am looking at taking courses and wanted an opinion on how AdComms view online coursework versus in-person? I was thinking of potentially taking courses at the UCLA Extension online program due to a travel schedule 3-4 weekdays per week. If it was that much more favorable to take classes at a local community college in person, i could accommodate but only if there is considerable upside? Do Adcoms view supplemental coursework with an online program similarly to UCLA extension with the same merit as a local community college course?
Thanks.
5-Day Free Trial
5-day free, full-access trial TTP
Available with Beat the GMAT members only code
MORE DETAILS
Alternative Transcript- Community College or Online?
This topic has expert replies
-
techbanker12
- Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts
- Posts: 2
- Joined: Thu Apr 06, 2017 4:47 am
GMAT/MBA Expert
-
VantagePointMBA
- Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts
- Posts: 38
- Joined: Tue Mar 22, 2016 12:31 pm
- Location: New York, NY
- Thanked: 5 times
- Followed by:1 members
Hi there,
I'm sorry to hear about your round 3 outcomes. Round 3 is notoriously tough, unfortunately, so I think you're doing the right thing by starting to plan for Round 1. And taking some additional courses to offset your undergrad GPA is a great strategy! To answer your question, where you take your class(es) is going to be much less important than how well you do. I always advise my clients to take classes that will best fit their schedule and lifestyle and allow them to learn the most and most importantly, do their best (i.e. get an A!). So there's really no upside to taking an in-person class at a community college unless you were would prefer the live classroom dynamic vs. a virtual one. Both UCLA and UC Berkeley Extension have extensive course offerings that should be a great option for you. (For what it's worth, I've had several clients take additional courses through UC Berkeley, with great outcomes.)
One last piece of advice as you're planning your re-application strategy for next year - I suggest taking a look at your essays, your goals, etc. and making sure that you've presented a cohesive and logical story. If I were the adcom, I'd want to know why you're looking to move into technology investment banking after a successful career at the "heart" of the tech industry. Articulating your motivations and long-term plan will be key. And maybe you've already done this well but often when I work with re-applicants, they've been quick to identify the more objective weaknesses in their prior application but forget to look at some of the more subjective elements.
Best of luck to you! I'm happy to chat further if you'd like. Feel free to reach out to me directly at [email protected].
Best,
Melody
I'm sorry to hear about your round 3 outcomes. Round 3 is notoriously tough, unfortunately, so I think you're doing the right thing by starting to plan for Round 1. And taking some additional courses to offset your undergrad GPA is a great strategy! To answer your question, where you take your class(es) is going to be much less important than how well you do. I always advise my clients to take classes that will best fit their schedule and lifestyle and allow them to learn the most and most importantly, do their best (i.e. get an A!). So there's really no upside to taking an in-person class at a community college unless you were would prefer the live classroom dynamic vs. a virtual one. Both UCLA and UC Berkeley Extension have extensive course offerings that should be a great option for you. (For what it's worth, I've had several clients take additional courses through UC Berkeley, with great outcomes.)
One last piece of advice as you're planning your re-application strategy for next year - I suggest taking a look at your essays, your goals, etc. and making sure that you've presented a cohesive and logical story. If I were the adcom, I'd want to know why you're looking to move into technology investment banking after a successful career at the "heart" of the tech industry. Articulating your motivations and long-term plan will be key. And maybe you've already done this well but often when I work with re-applicants, they've been quick to identify the more objective weaknesses in their prior application but forget to look at some of the more subjective elements.
Best of luck to you! I'm happy to chat further if you'd like. Feel free to reach out to me directly at [email protected].
Best,
Melody
Vantage Point MBA Admissions Consulting
We are admissions consulting: reimagined. Click here to learn more!
We are admissions consulting: reimagined. Click here to learn more!
