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[email protected] wrote:Hi Aringo,

I took the gmat today and scored 660 (Q40 V41 IR8). My previous attempt last month was 650 (Q39 V41 IR7).

In terms of my background, I'm from the UK, female, I graduated from the London School of Economics with a degree in political science (upper second class honours). I then went to work for Fidelity Investments for two years, launched my own business as a side project while working and then decided to leave the company to pursue my own venture (it's a tech start up). I think I can paint a decent application story. I'm also planning to self-study for an AS Level in maths to prove I'm competent (I stopped after GCSE).

I was planning to apply to the top tier schools but is it worth it given my score? Someone advised me to get a few apps in over the next 6 weeks to Stern, Tuck and Haas, and retake the gmat in order to apply for HBS, Stanford etc.

Is this is a sound strategy? I still wonder if Stern, Tuck and Haas will laugh at my score!

Thanks
S

Hi Schanrai,

Your GMAT score is just below the middle 80% range for all three programs (Stern, Tuck, and Haas). However, it does sound like you have an impressive background, and your being a woman helps. Bottom line- it's a bit of a stretch, but if you submit a stellar application with great recommendations to all three, you might just eke it out.

Regarding retaking the GMAT. If you feel like you studied hard and gave it your all on the first two attempts, think twice about trying again. However, if you feel like you didn't study enough and there's room for at least a 20-30 point improvement, then give it another (final) attempt.

Good luck,
David
Aringo.com

Aringo.com wrote:

[email protected] wrote:Hi Aringo,

I took the gmat today and scored 660 (Q40 V41 IR8). My previous attempt last month was 650 (Q39 V41 IR7).

In terms of my background, I'm from the UK, female, I graduated from the London School of Economics with a degree in political science (upper second class honours). I then went to work for Fidelity Investments for two years, launched my own business as a side project while working and then decided to leave the company to pursue my own venture (it's a tech start up). I think I can paint a decent application story. I'm also planning to self-study for an AS Level in maths to prove I'm competent (I stopped after GCSE).

I was planning to apply to the top tier schools but is it worth it given my score? Someone advised me to get a few apps in over the next 6 weeks to Stern, Tuck and Haas, and retake the gmat in order to apply for HBS, Stanford etc.

Is this is a sound strategy? I still wonder if Stern, Tuck and Haas will laugh at my score!

Thanks
S

Hi Schanrai,

Your GMAT score is just below the middle 80% range for all three programs (Stern, Tuck, and Haas). However, it does sound like you have an impressive background, and your being a woman helps. Bottom line- it's a bit of a stretch, but if you submit a stellar application with great recommendations to all three, you might just eke it out.

Regarding retaking the GMAT. If you feel like you studied hard and gave it your all on the first two attempts, think twice about trying again. However, if you feel like you didn't study enough and there's room for at least a 20-30 point improvement, then give it another (final) attempt.

Good luck,
David
Aringo.com

Thank you David. As long as there is some hope...!

What do you think about my chances at Columbia, MIT, Yale and Wharton?

And would you suggest I look into taking some sort of maths class or qualification to prove that I'm not horrific at the subject? I don't think my gmat quant score adequately represents my maths ability.

Thanks again

Aringo.com wrote:

RBBmba@2014 wrote:Hi David,
As far as my research goes, for MBA applicants with RE focus, UCLA has got pretty strong real estate program (I know there are other schools as well in the top 20 with strong or may be stronger RE focused MBA curriculum, but I'm considering it along side those) . However, I've some dilemma in locking it for my apps mostly because of the following -

I don't want to be in Cali post-MBA. Rather I want to be in the South or East Coast, preferably Texas/Georgia(Atlanta)/North Carolina etc.

For a UCLA MBA grad, what are the prospects/chances of getting RE consulting job in East coast or South in the firms such as CBRE,C&W,JLL (and/or in some MC firms,with strong business in RE field, such as Deloitte,PwC,E&Y,McKinsey) ?
If coming out from UCLA, I say that I wanna have a posting in any of the above mentioned states then will that become a hindrance and will they gonna push me into their West coast offices?

So, bottom-line is that considering the above, should I go ahead with UCLA application ?

Would much appreciate your feedback on this!

Looking forward to your thoughts. Thank you.

Hello RBB,

An MBA from a top tier program is generally quite "transferable" i.e. it will be well-regarded throughout the country. On the other hand, real estate is quite a localized profession, as it relies on familiarity with a specific geographical area/clientele, and on connections.

You're asking about real estate consulting, which is a niche field. With my limited familiarity, it seems that it relies on technical expertise more so than local familiarity. Therefore I'm inclined to say "go for it" re UCLA, if that's your dream. But regardless, I recommend applying to several additional schools.

Best of luck,
David
Aringo.com

Hi David,
Thanks for your reply.

Please allow me to completely understand you -
1. Are you saying that after UCLA, if I'd like to be in the South or East Coast, preferably Texas/Georgia(Atlanta)/North Carolina etc. as I said earlier, then those RE consulting firms would actually be more keen on getting me into their West coast offices - so it(re UCLA) could be a hindrance if one prefers NOT to be in Cali ? Am I getting you correct ?

2. Well, to be honest UCLA is not my top most choice(although undoubtedly it has got pretty strong real estate program), but yes it's in say, top 5/6. So as you understand, anyway I'd be applying to other schools as I've mentioned in my post above. Hence, my question is do you still recommend applying to UCLA ?

P.S: BTW, your last reply on my post has got duplicated. So you may want to delete one of the two instances

[email protected] wrote:

Aringo.com wrote:

[email protected] wrote:Hi Aringo,

I took the gmat today and scored 660 (Q40 V41 IR8). My previous attempt last month was 650 (Q39 V41 IR7).

In terms of my background, I'm from the UK, female, I graduated from the London School of Economics with a degree in political science (upper second class honours). I then went to work for Fidelity Investments for two years, launched my own business as a side project while working and then decided to leave the company to pursue my own venture (it's a tech start up). I think I can paint a decent application story. I'm also planning to self-study for an AS Level in maths to prove I'm competent (I stopped after GCSE).

I was planning to apply to the top tier schools but is it worth it given my score? Someone advised me to get a few apps in over the next 6 weeks to Stern, Tuck and Haas, and retake the gmat in order to apply for HBS, Stanford etc.

Is this is a sound strategy? I still wonder if Stern, Tuck and Haas will laugh at my score!

Thanks
S

Hi Schanrai,

Your GMAT score is just below the middle 80% range for all three programs (Stern, Tuck, and Haas). However, it does sound like you have an impressive background, and your being a woman helps. Bottom line- it's a bit of a stretch, but if you submit a stellar application with great recommendations to all three, you might just eke it out.

Regarding retaking the GMAT. If you feel like you studied hard and gave it your all on the first two attempts, think twice about trying again. However, if you feel like you didn't study enough and there's room for at least a 20-30 point improvement, then give it another (final) attempt.

Good luck,
David
Aringo.com

Thank you David. As long as there is some hope...!

What do you think about my chances at Columbia, MIT, Yale and Wharton?

And would you suggest I look into taking some sort of maths class or qualification to prove that I'm not horrific at the subject? I don't think my gmat quant score adequately represents my maths ability.

Thanks again

Hi again Schanrai,

Your chances at Columbia, MIT, Yale, and Wharton won't be any better, I'm afraid. For all of them you are just below the 80% range, which is a challenging place to be.

Don't waste your time with taking a maths class just for this purpose - I don't think it would make enough of a difference. One more idea (if you have time) is to try your "luck" on the GRE. Many schools accept it in lieu of the GMAT, and perhaps you'll do better there. Check first with each of your target schools if it's an option.

David
Aringo.com

RBBmba@2014 wrote:

Aringo.com wrote:

RBBmba@2014 wrote:Hi David,
As far as my research goes, for MBA applicants with RE focus, UCLA has got pretty strong real estate program (I know there are other schools as well in the top 20 with strong or may be stronger RE focused MBA curriculum, but I'm considering it along side those) . However, I've some dilemma in locking it for my apps mostly because of the following -

I don't want to be in Cali post-MBA. Rather I want to be in the South or East Coast, preferably Texas/Georgia(Atlanta)/North Carolina etc.

For a UCLA MBA grad, what are the prospects/chances of getting RE consulting job in East coast or South in the firms such as CBRE,C&W,JLL (and/or in some MC firms,with strong business in RE field, such as Deloitte,PwC,E&Y,McKinsey) ?
If coming out from UCLA, I say that I wanna have a posting in any of the above mentioned states then will that become a hindrance and will they gonna push me into their West coast offices?

So, bottom-line is that considering the above, should I go ahead with UCLA application ?

Would much appreciate your feedback on this!

Looking forward to your thoughts. Thank you.

Hello RBB,

An MBA from a top tier program is generally quite "transferable" i.e. it will be well-regarded throughout the country. On the other hand, real estate is quite a localized profession, as it relies on familiarity with a specific geographical area/clientele, and on connections.

You're asking about real estate consulting, which is a niche field. With my limited familiarity, it seems that it relies on technical expertise more so than local familiarity. Therefore I'm inclined to say "go for it" re UCLA, if that's your dream. But regardless, I recommend applying to several additional schools.

Best of luck,
David
Aringo.com

Hi David,
Thanks for your reply.

Please allow me to completely understand you -
1. Are you saying that after UCLA, if I'd like to be in the South or East Coast, preferably Texas/Georgia(Atlanta)/North Carolina etc. as I said earlier, then those RE consulting firms would actually be more keen on getting me into their West coast offices - so it(re UCLA) could be a hindrance if one prefers NOT to be in Cali ? Am I getting you correct ?

2. Well, to be honest UCLA is not my top most choice(although undoubtedly it has got pretty strong real estate program), but yes it's in say, top 5/6. So as you understand, anyway I'd be applying to other schools as I've mentioned in my post above. Hence, my question is do you still recommend applying to UCLA ?

P.S: BTW, your last reply on my post has got duplicated. So you may want to delete one of the two instances

Hi again RBB,
Regarding your post-graduation employment options, I recommend talking to the various admissions offices and see if you can connect with their RE-concentration alumni. They'd be a great source of information.
Generally speaking there is a certain advantage to searching for a job in the geographical area in which you study - but that's not to say that it's otherwise impossible.
Good luck,
David
Aringo.com

Hi Aringo, I'm having a subpar GMAT score(650) and can you take a look at my overall portfolio and see what are my chances of applying successfully for top 7 schools?

Nationality: Chinese American (came to States when I was 13)
Age: 31
Gender: Male

GPA: 3.6
Undergrad major: Business Admin with MIS concentration
School: University of Texas at Dallas
GMAT: 650


Work experience (11 years combined, see below; experience in energy generation, logistics, IT, and medical fields)

IT Consultant - (10/2007 - present): Works for one of the largest IT consultant firm (Capgemini). Multiple projects with various clients, covering mainly utilities and energy sector. Promoted twice and about to get my 3rd promotion. For the current on-going project I'm in charge of the technical side of the the mobile solution of my business client. Good client recognition/feedback.

U.S Army (05/2003 - present): 9 years enlisted and 2 years officer. Started off as a buck private and worked my way up. 2 years active duty, rest years are in reserve. 9 years enlisted worked in quartermaster and logistics and 2 years as officer works in medical & IT field. Combat veteran, 1 deployment to Iraq in 2005. Served in every leadership position from company level: team leader, squad leader, platoon sergeant, platoon leader. Before received my commission I was an Operations Sergeant at a Sustainment Brigade (3000+ Soldiers) headquarter. Currently I'm a first lieutenant holding the position of OIC (officer in charge) of the S6 staff section (communication) of a medical battalion. Spend an average of 8-10 hrs a week and sometimes on order to travel on military stuff outside my full time job.


Community service / volunteer works:

1. Director at Dallas-Fort Worth Chinese Alliance (DFWAA). member of the steering committee that are planning and leading on activities such as protest demonstration, cultural holiday events and community lecture. DFWCA is an volunteer based, non-profit nature rooted in the DFW area Chinese organizations, with goal to encourage and support Chinese through active participation (voting and other events) in the community region, Texas, and even national affairs and gradually move towards the long-term goal of safeguarding the rights and interests of Chinese equality.

2: North Texas Food Bank




Entry date: Fall 2015 Full time MBA

Post MBA career: My goal is to combine my experience from military and civilian side and to use the works in Management consulting field while continue serve in Army Reserve until retirement.

Target school: What is my possibility with top 7 schools? I know my weakness are my GMAT score and the age. I'm having a dilemma of whether to spend few more months to retake the GMAT and apply for top 7 schools in round 2/3 or even next year OR just to apply for UT Austin with 650. The problem with delay application is my age constrain, I will be 32 if I choose to apply next year, will a 700+ GMAT score at age 32 give me a better chance to get into top 7 school or it won't make much a difference? And if apply now with 650 would be a better option what kind of school do you think I should be aiming for with my overall portfolio? Any suggestions/recommendation are greatly appreciated!

goldenpath wrote:Hi Aringo, I'm having a subpar GMAT score(650) and can you take a look at my overall portfolio and see what are my chances of applying successfully for top 7 schools?

Nationality: Chinese American (came to States when I was 13)
Age: 31
Gender: Male

GPA: 3.6
Undergrad major: Business Admin with MIS concentration
School: University of Texas at Dallas
GMAT: 650


Work experience (11 years combined, see below; experience in energy generation, logistics, IT, and medical fields)

IT Consultant - (10/2007 - present): Works for one of the largest IT consultant firm (Capgemini). Multiple projects with various clients, covering mainly utilities and energy sector. Promoted twice and about to get my 3rd promotion. For the current on-going project I'm in charge of the technical side of the the mobile solution of my business client. Good client recognition/feedback.

U.S Army (05/2003 - present): 9 years enlisted and 2 years officer. Started off as a buck private and worked my way up. 2 years active duty, rest years are in reserve. 9 years enlisted worked in quartermaster and logistics and 2 years as officer works in medical & IT field. Combat veteran, 1 deployment to Iraq in 2005. Served in every leadership position from company level: team leader, squad leader, platoon sergeant, platoon leader. Before received my commission I was an Operations Sergeant at a Sustainment Brigade (3000+ Soldiers) headquarter. Currently I'm a first lieutenant holding the position of OIC (officer in charge) of the S6 staff section (communication) of a medical battalion. Spend an average of 8-10 hrs a week and sometimes on order to travel on military stuff outside my full time job.


Community service / volunteer works:

1. Director at Dallas-Fort Worth Chinese Alliance (DFWAA). member of the steering committee that are planning and leading on activities such as protest demonstration, cultural holiday events and community lecture. DFWCA is an volunteer based, non-profit nature rooted in the DFW area Chinese organizations, with goal to encourage and support Chinese through active participation (voting and other events) in the community region, Texas, and even national affairs and gradually move towards the long-term goal of safeguarding the rights and interests of Chinese equality.

2: North Texas Food Bank




Entry date: Fall 2015 Full time MBA

Post MBA career: My goal is to combine my experience from military and civilian side and to use the works in Management consulting field while continue serve in Army Reserve until retirement.

Target school: What is my possibility with top 7 schools? I know my weakness are my GMAT score and the age. I'm having a dilemma of whether to spend few more months to retake the GMAT and apply for top 7 schools in round 2/3 or even next year OR just to apply for UT Austin with 650. The problem with delay application is my age constrain, I will be 32 if I choose to apply next year, will a 700+ GMAT score at age 32 give me a better chance to get into top 7 school or it won't make much a difference? And if apply now with 650 would be a better option what kind of school do you think I should be aiming for with my overall portfolio? Any suggestions/recommendation are greatly appreciated!

Hi Golden Path,

It looks like you have a nice profile that many schools would be happy to consider. However, your age and GMAT score are two red flags that are going to be hard for the very top MBA programs to ignore.

If you believe you can significantly improve your GMAT score - do that. The difference between a 650 and 700+ is greater than age 31 and age 32.

If you do choose to apply now, focus on Top 20 schools at the lower end - especially ones that are known to be "military-friendly".

Good luck,
David
Aringo.com

Hey Aringo,
Do you think it's wise to join an MBA program that is not in the top-30 just because they offer a scholarship? would you recommend it?

Hello

I am Nikhil Tripathi from India. A brief about profile is mentioned below:

Age: 30.5 years
Marital Status: Married

Academic: B-Tech from IIT Kanpur (most prestigious Engineering Institute in the country) in Civil and Environmental Engineering (CGPA 6.8/10)

GMAT: 710 (V34:Q50); IR 8; AWA: 5.5 (given couple of months back - only attempt)

Professional Background:

4 years as Carbon Emission Trader trading Carbon credits under European Emission Scheme for a UK based Company - location in India (Oct'07- Jul'11)
-(would be) 4 years experience as Business Manager for Performance Chemicals at BASF - The Chemical Company (world's largest company) (Aug'11-current) - responsible for South Asia territory

Volunteer Work: Taught underprivileged children for two years (2008-10)

Post MBA goal: To work in Energy Sector for sustainable solutions

Target Schools:

LBS (applied)
INSEAD (applied)
IMD ( Feb 1st deadline)
TUCK (applied)

Confusion: What can be other schools which could be valid for my profile.

Thanks

Warm Regards

Nikhil

infinity wrote:Hey Aringo,
Do you think it's wise to join an MBA program that is not in the top-30 just because they offer a scholarship? would you recommend it?

Hi Infinity,
Thanks for your question and sorry for the late response - I've been away
It's a tough question to answer and very individual, depending on what schools in the top 30 you can get into, your expected income after graduation, the amount of scholarship, and many other individual factors.
But generally speaking, if you gain admission to a top-10 school, I'd recommend taking it, even without a scholarship.
Good luck,
David
Aringo.com

Nikhil wrote:Hello

I am Nikhil Tripathi from India. A brief about profile is mentioned below:

Age: 30.5 years
Marital Status: Married

Academic: B-Tech from IIT Kanpur (most prestigious Engineering Institute in the country) in Civil and Environmental Engineering (CGPA 6.8/10)

GMAT: 710 (V34:Q50); IR 8; AWA: 5.5 (given couple of months back - only attempt)

Professional Background:

4 years as Carbon Emission Trader trading Carbon credits under European Emission Scheme for a UK based Company - location in India (Oct'07- Jul'11)
-(would be) 4 years experience as Business Manager for Performance Chemicals at BASF - The Chemical Company (world's largest company) (Aug'11-current) - responsible for South Asia territory

Volunteer Work: Taught underprivileged children for two years (2008-10)

Post MBA goal: To work in Energy Sector for sustainable solutions

Target Schools:

LBS (applied)
INSEAD (applied)
IMD ( Feb 1st deadline)
TUCK (applied)

Confusion: What can be other schools which could be valid for my profile.

Thanks

Warm Regards

Nikhil

Hi Nikhil,
That's a nice profile. On the one hand you have gained some nice professional experience, but on the other hand you're on the older side of b-school applicants.
It looks like you're on the right path. Your profile fits schools in the 10-20 ranking zone. Research ones that have a focus on energy.

Good luck,
David
Aringo.com

Hi Everyone,
This is for application to MBA programs in fall 2016. I'm trying to understand my weaknesses so that I can plan the year ahead.

I'm an Indian national living and working in NY. Below is a high level overview of my background. I understand that my chances are depended on good execution but at a high level I want to gauge where I stand based on everyone's understanding.

Please note that even though I graduated from an engineering background my experience since graduating from grad school has been in non-technical consulting roles. I was an engineer by accident. While I say this, please note that I have some financial technical knowledge from course work/auditing of classes in graduate school. I have also developed deep capital markets and financial regulatory understanding from my job responsibilities since they have all been focused towards the same industry.

Undergrad: Computer Engineering, University of Pune (54%), Class Highest: 73%)
Grad Program: Master in IS from NYU (Joint program between Math and Stern Business school: GPA 3.56). Course work focused on Finance including corporate finance and capital markets.

Work Experience:

FYI, I went to grad school straight after undergrad.
Starting working with a big 4 firm in the advisory practice focused on high pressured regulatory risk projects. Moved to a competitor firm and promoted to Senior Associate. The group was new and expanded from 5 to 150 people in a year (senior management team moved from my old to new firm and gave me the opportunity to join them in the new venture, hence had lots of responsibility outside of my projects(recruiting campus hires, experience professionals, etc)). Received top performer rating at both places

After 1 year at both firms moved to a role with a Tier 1 bank (Goldman, Morgan, JP) in the Wealth Management group and have been working there since the past summer. (Will have 2 years with the firm by the time I enter business school)

Summary, total experience when I enter business school: 4 years (1+1+2)

Leadership during professional career:
Managed large project teams during my experience with the big 4 (7-18 team members in difference projects across multiple countries (London, Singapore and Hong Kong)). Delivered client presentations to regional and global heads of business. All my work dealt with extreme regulatory fines and clients in extreme trouble, hence requiring 100 hours/week for both years.

I now work within the bank in a fast paced market oriented role. Scope of the projects involves global interaction with various functional and regional teams (most people I work with everyday are based out of NYC, London, India, Singapore and Hong Kong)

References: 1 from 2nd Big 4 firm and 1 from current manager (should be very good references)

GMAT: 670 (q:46, v:37)

I know I bombed the quant but studying again and will retake the test in 2 months. For now want to understand the implications if score doesn't improve

Extra-Curricular:
Working with a children's nonprofit to design their curriculum for about 3 years. The curriculum is focused on helping provide under privileged children with an education so that they may attain sufficient knowledge to effectively succeed academically when they join public schools.
Captain of college basketball team for 2 years and helped organize the first sports festival in the college's history
Cultural and technical events co-lead coordinator
Led the school specific recruitment team to hire undergraduate and graduate students from NYU during my time with the big 4.

Short term career goal:
Leveraging past experience and transitioning to a role in Investment Banking. An MBA will help me gain the technical skills that I don't have. It will also help me cross the Chinese wall within banks (corssing from public side (market trading)to private side (deal making) and also help move from middle office to front client facing role

Long term career goal:
Internal Transaction & Execution group in a fortune 500 firm

Target schools: I have already visited information sessions for some school and reached out/spoken to some alumni. I have an affair understand of the pros and cons of each school. Will be visiting each school over the next year and hope to apply round 1 to the following schools. I'm not looking to stay in a big city (ps: I loved the Georgetown campus). Also, im not sure about my how I would stand at Columbia
"¢ Yale School of Management
"¢ Duke University: Fuqua
"¢ Dartmouth College: Tuck
"¢ University of Michigan: Ross
"¢ Cornell University: Johnson
"¢ Georgetown: McDonough

yashthakar1 wrote:Hi Everyone,
This is for application to MBA programs in fall 2016. I'm trying to understand my weaknesses so that I can plan the year ahead.

I'm an Indian national living and working in NY. Below is a high level overview of my background. I understand that my chances are depended on good execution but at a high level I want to gauge where I stand based on everyone's understanding.

Please note that even though I graduated from an engineering background my experience since graduating from grad school has been in non-technical consulting roles. I was an engineer by accident. While I say this, please note that I have some financial technical knowledge from course work/auditing of classes in graduate school. I have also developed deep capital markets and financial regulatory understanding from my job responsibilities since they have all been focused towards the same industry.

Undergrad: Computer Engineering, University of Pune (54%), Class Highest: 73%)
Grad Program: Master in IS from NYU (Joint program between Math and Stern Business school: GPA 3.56). Course work focused on Finance including corporate finance and capital markets.

Work Experience:

FYI, I went to grad school straight after undergrad.
Starting working with a big 4 firm in the advisory practice focused on high pressured regulatory risk projects. Moved to a competitor firm and promoted to Senior Associate. The group was new and expanded from 5 to 150 people in a year (senior management team moved from my old to new firm and gave me the opportunity to join them in the new venture, hence had lots of responsibility outside of my projects(recruiting campus hires, experience professionals, etc)). Received top performer rating at both places

After 1 year at both firms moved to a role with a Tier 1 bank (Goldman, Morgan, JP) in the Wealth Management group and have been working there since the past summer. (Will have 2 years with the firm by the time I enter business school)

Summary, total experience when I enter business school: 4 years (1+1+2)

Leadership during professional career:
Managed large project teams during my experience with the big 4 (7-18 team members in difference projects across multiple countries (London, Singapore and Hong Kong)). Delivered client presentations to regional and global heads of business. All my work dealt with extreme regulatory fines and clients in extreme trouble, hence requiring 100 hours/week for both years.

I now work within the bank in a fast paced market oriented role. Scope of the projects involves global interaction with various functional and regional teams (most people I work with everyday are based out of NYC, London, India, Singapore and Hong Kong)

References: 1 from 2nd Big 4 firm and 1 from current manager (should be very good references)

GMAT: 670 (q:46, v:37)

I know I bombed the quant but studying again and will retake the test in 2 months. For now want to understand the implications if score doesn't improve

Extra-Curricular:
Working with a children's nonprofit to design their curriculum for about 3 years. The curriculum is focused on helping provide under privileged children with an education so that they may attain sufficient knowledge to effectively succeed academically when they join public schools.
Captain of college basketball team for 2 years and helped organize the first sports festival in the college's history
Cultural and technical events co-lead coordinator
Led the school specific recruitment team to hire undergraduate and graduate students from NYU during my time with the big 4.

Short term career goal:
Leveraging past experience and transitioning to a role in Investment Banking. An MBA will help me gain the technical skills that I don't have. It will also help me cross the Chinese wall within banks (corssing from public side (market trading)to private side (deal making) and also help move from middle office to front client facing role

Long term career goal:
Internal Transaction & Execution group in a fortune 500 firm

Target schools: I have already visited information sessions for some school and reached out/spoken to some alumni. I have an affair understand of the pros and cons of each school. Will be visiting each school over the next year and hope to apply round 1 to the following schools. I'm not looking to stay in a big city (ps: I loved the Georgetown campus). Also, im not sure about my how I would stand at Columbia
"¢ Yale School of Management
"¢ Duke University: Fuqua
"¢ Dartmouth College: Tuck
"¢ University of Michigan: Ross
"¢ Cornell University: Johnson
"¢ Georgetown: McDonough

Hello Yashthakar,

Thanks for writing.
Your profile looks quite strong, except for the obvious, which you already know: your GMAT score.
By the way, it's not terrible and won't preclude you from admittance to some of those schools, but increasing it even a bit would go a long way. You're probably already a strong candidate for McDonough, by the way.

Good luck,
David
Aringo.com

Hi,
I'm thinking about applying in round 3 this year. I'm 30 years old, Male, GMAT: 720, 6 years of full time work experience.
Can you give me some feedback on whether I have a chance in R3 or should I wait to round 1 next year. I'm considering Kellogg, Tuck , Stanford, Columbia, Berkeley.
Thank you for your time.

Hi team,
I would like for you to please help me evaluate my chances based on the following information.
I am in Indian male,IT, GMAT 700 (Q48, V 38), 30, close to 7 years of work exp, BS from India 3.6 GPA, MS from USA 3.2 GPA
I was very active during my undergrad days with co curricular activites. I was the founder of the first literary college society and organized several events. I was the MC several inter college events and lead our college teams in several contests as well. I had very few oppurtunities to get involved with extra curricular activities during my MS since i was new to the country and completed it in 3 semesters only. Since my masters, i have worked in IT and am with a product company now from the last 3 years and do Tech consulting for them. This means i travel to client sites etc but am mostly involved with the tech side of house. All my clients are fortune 100 companies in the USA.

I know that i am from a pool where GMAT scores are generally higher but i am not sure how many people from this pool have an MS. Will this be a positive or a negative thing for me?
My target schools are UC Berkely,UCLA or IIM A(exec program), IIM B(exec program), IIM C (exec program), ISB

thanks in advance.