Profile Review

Expert replies

tchwang90: Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts; Posts: 7; Joined: Wed Mar 09, 2016 11:18 am

by tchwang90 » Tue Mar 22, 2016 11:14 am

I'm an auditor for a Big4 with about 4 years of experiencing working on insurance, banking, and government clients. I've had a mix of public and high profile companies. I will have a manager title and 5 years of experience at the time of my targeted matriculation (2017). I've had positive reviews from my managers during my tenure, but unfortunately they've left the firm.

Extra-curriculars: Not much after college, since most of my time has been spent grinding away in busy seasons. I play bass/guitar for my local church and have led a mission team to teach English and martial arts in South America. I led a Christian fellowship of over 150 students while in college and was a member of an honors fraternity. I also participated in various university-wide fundraising and volunteer events. (Relay for Life, The big event, etc.) I also played intramural sports (football, basketball, frisbee), but not sure if that's relevant to MBA's

Undergrad: Graduated from a top 70 public school with an accounting degree.

Other coursework: I'm a licensed CPA. Passed on my first try.

Race/GMAT: Asian American. Male.

Stats
GMAT: I haven't taken it yet, but based on my practice tests I'm aiming for 680-700.
GPA: 3.4. Could have done better but I took 50 credits my senior so I can sit for the CPA exam. My state requires 150 credit hours to be eligible for your license. I still got over a 3.0 GPA my senior year, but it dinged my overall.

Goals: I want to get into corporate finance/strategy working with tech startups. I want to start out working for a top tech firm like Google, Amazon, Apple and work may way to smaller startups after a couple years of experience. Long-term, I want to be a CFO.

Target Schools: UCLA Anderson, Georgetown, USC, UT-Austin, UC Berkeley

Your feedback is appreciated!!!!

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Source: Beat The GMAT — Ask an MBA Admissions Consultant | Tue Mar 22, 2016 11:14 am

[email protected]: Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts; Posts: 38; Joined: Fri Feb 19, 2016 5:30 pmFollowed by: 2 members; Location: Greater Los Angeles Area; Thanked: 6 times

by [email protected] » Mon Mar 28, 2016 10:51 am

Hi there,

It's possible for you get your recommendation from a previous manager depending on when he left the firm. If it were under a year ago his statements about your professional qualifications would still be valid. However, if the manager left more than a year ago he probably won't be considered a reliable source of recommendations. Admission committees are interested in who you are today. No matter if you decide to get a recommendation from a former manager or not, you should still get a recommendation from your current manager as well.

I believe your GPA is at a competitive level for these schools. It would help you a lot if you could score 700+ on your GMAT.

With the right strategy, I'd say you have a fair shot at getting into these particular MBA programs.

If you would like more in-depth insights that are relevant to your individual situation, you are more than welcome to sign up for a free consultation,

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tchwang90: Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts; Posts: 7; Joined: Wed Mar 09, 2016 11:18 am

by tchwang90 » Mon Mar 28, 2016 11:10 am

Hi - Thanks so much for your response! Who do applicants typically get recommendations from? I feel like most individuals work with one direct manager.

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VantagePointMBA: Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts; Posts: 38; Joined: Tue Mar 22, 2016 12:31 pmFollowed by: 1 member; Location: New York, NY; Thanked: 5 times

by VantagePointMBA » Mon Mar 28, 2016 6:34 pm

Hi there,

A few additional comments - since it's still early in the process and your current/recent ECs are light, I would recommend that you take on an extracurricular activity as soon as possible. It can be something short-term like fundraising for a local charity race, joining a mentoring program, joining a technology enthusiast club and leading/organizing an event, etc. Remember that the admissions committee needs to see that you're more than just an accountant and ECs provide evidence for how you might contribute to your school's community outside the classroom.

Your target schools are right on point given your post-MBA goals. I agree with the comment above, try to maximize your GMAT and score 700+ to fall within the norms for those programs.

To answer your question, applicants get recommendations from a wide variety of sources - former managers, senior colleagues that aren't their direct managers, mentors, leaders of an organization outside of work, clients with whom they've worked closely, etc. A great service that an admissions consultant provides is helping you weigh your different recommender options and selecting the best ones for your application strategy and objectives.

If you have any questions or would like to further discuss your MBA plans, you can contact me at [email protected] or via our website www.vantagepointadmissions.com.

I hope this was helpful! Best of luck!

- Melody

Vantage Point MBA Admissions Consulting

We are admissions consulting: reimagined. Click here to learn more!

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Edison@VeritasPrep: MBA Admissions Consultant; Posts: 171; Joined: Thu Jan 28, 2016 3:09 pmFollowed by: 3 members; Thanked: 21 times

by Edison@VeritasPrep » Wed Mar 30, 2016 1:23 am

Thanks for sharing your profile.

For recommenders, you are not limited to current managers. You may reach out to previous managers, people you work/worked with in organizations related to your extracurricular activities, as well.

To strengthen your profile, it would be good to deepen your involvement within your current activities, taking on leadership roles or organizing events would help. This would be better than starting something completely new and unrelated.

Hope this helps!

Veritas Prep | Veritas Prep Admissions Consultant

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tchwang90: Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts; Posts: 7; Joined: Wed Mar 09, 2016 11:18 am

by tchwang90 » Wed Mar 30, 2016 5:06 am

Thanks for the response! I will work on expanding my EC's in the coming months.

Other than my EC, is my overall profile competitive with the schools I'm interested in?

I forgot to mention Tepper.

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Edison@VeritasPrep: MBA Admissions Consultant; Posts: 171; Joined: Thu Jan 28, 2016 3:09 pmFollowed by: 3 members; Thanked: 21 times

by Edison@VeritasPrep » Wed Mar 30, 2016 6:05 am

Crafting your application to highlight international experiences, and demonstrating leadership skills across large scale responsibilities would help boost your chances. Your GPA and GMAT (estimate of 680-700) are around the averages of your target programs. If you can score 30 points or more above the average, it could help distinguish you academically and should help your chances of admissions and scholarships.

Wish you all the best!

Veritas Prep | Veritas Prep Admissions Consultant

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GMAT/MBA Expert

MargaretStrother: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 351; Joined: Fri May 01, 2015 9:10 amFollowed by: 9 members; Location: Brooklyn, NY; Thanked: 44 times

by MargaretStrother » Wed Mar 30, 2016 9:48 am

I agree with the other experts here that you sound competitive for the schools you're targeting, although I would want to see your GMAT at a minimum of 700 for these schools, to balance out your slightly-lower GPA. On recommendations, someone ought to speak for your current employer: you have more leeway for second recommendations, for those schools that require two, but your primary recommender should be either your current supervisor or, if you haven't been reporting to that person very long, the supervisor immediately before that one (or above him/her in seniority).

That said, some applicants don't want to let their current employers know that they are applying for b-school, and the schools understand that you might need to protect yourself professionally. If that is the case for you, you could ask a recent supervisor who is no longer with the company, but you will also need to explain this choice in an optional essay.

Your mission to South America could be an important leadership role for you, as long as it's not from high school. I agree with others here that additional community work will give your application some extra power. However, starting an entirely new community involvement a few months before your deadlines may look fishy, so it's best to reconnect with communities or organizations you've worked with in the past, so that your engagement now will have more credibility.

Good luck!
Margaret Strother

Margaret Strother
Senior Consultant
Stacy Blackman Consulting

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