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profile evaluation

by islandgurl918 » Thu Aug 12, 2010 1:05 pm
Hello,

I'm looking to gauge the realistic chances of getting acceptance into some of my target schools when I apply this year (2010). I would like to apply in round 1 and have listed below my work and volunteer experience, as well as important stats.

Graduated UC Berkeley with a degree in Mass Communications, GPA of 3.5
Worked for Nielsen Mobile-Production Associate (07-08)
LookSmart (Account Coordinator then Promoted to Account Manager of Western Region) (08-09)
Pandora Radio (Campaign Manager-Inside Sales) (09-Present)

GMAT: 630
Marketing Chair-Northern Ca Chapter of 85 Broads; I help to promote and market all our events, geared towards professional women in all industries.
Other stats: 24 year old Chinese-Fijian American, female

I would like to apply to these schools based on my campus visits and their various offerings and programs:

1) USC
2) UCLA
3) Georgetown
4) UC Irvine
5) Georgia Tech
6) Haas

Please advise!
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by Eliot » Wed Aug 25, 2010 6:15 am
islandgurl918,

Thanks for your post. You clearly have solid grades in your masters program, an interesting set of work experience, and great leadership with 85Broads. I would like to learn more about your accomplishments and leadership at work and why you changed jobs so frequently over the past 3-4 years. I am also interested in learning about your college gpa.

Obviously, your 630 GMAT is a bit low for your target schools. If you can retake it and get a score above 670, you would greatly increase your chances at these programs.

If you would be willing to answer the questions I listed above, I could then answer your question regarding your target schools.

Sincerely,

Eliot Ingram
Clear Admit LLC
Eliot Ingram
Clear Admit, LLC
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215 568 2590

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by islandgurl918 » Wed Aug 25, 2010 7:04 am
Hello,

To answer your questions below:

1) Accomplishments at work: have been able to successfully form processes and workflow for the brand new inside sales team at Pandora. We started off with no model and have since created a step by step way in which we get deals closed/campaigns launched. I have been the liason and voice of the inside sales team, helping to organize our process from finance to the design team, ensuring that communication is flowing between our teams and making sure that everyone is updated on any important best practices that will affect our day to day work. Will be training a new campaign manager this coming month because our team has shattered our quarterly goals, by over 150%.

2) The reason for the frequency of jobs in the short amount of time, is because I always feel like I should always be in a position where i feel challenged and am learning new things at all times. My first job was very data heavy and did not interact with clients as much as I had hoped. It was my first career out of college and was more of a position that was meant to get my feet wet to see how I would fare in a market research environment. Suffice to say, market research was not all that interesting to me. I felt like I was missing something in my job and it was definitely customer/client interaction. I knew that the best jobs I had held throughout high school, were jobs that involved interacting with others, whether it was a summer tutoring job at Score or the unpaid internship with a well known cosmetic company. It was at that point that I found LookSmart and their coordinator position. This was my opportunity to get my foot into the door and start working with clients in the online space. I took the chance to start at the bottom and eventually earned a spot on the account management team, managing all major clients on the west coast. From Ebay to Edmunds, I was able to grow our various accounts and managed to upsell many clients in our book of business. I didn't love paid search, but I really thrived off of the account management and day to day interaction with clients. It was truly something that made me realize that working with others to solve problems was my main strength. It just happened that Pandora was looking for someone for their brand new inside sales team, and the opportunity presented itself to me when I wasn't even expecting it. A recruiter reached out with the opportunity and I jumped at the chance to be a part of something new and exciting. This was my first chance to become a part of a startup and not a large, established corporation. The risk was there, but the potential reward was also apparent as well. My job at Pandora has been a whirlwind to say the least. I have learned so much during my time here and have grown personally. The challenges of working with a sales team by yourself can be overwhelming for some, but I saw it as a challenge I would be excited to take on. From managing client expectations, to training sales executives on the latest system that Pandora was adopting, I am here for it all, making sure our team runs smoothly from an operations standpoint.

3) My involvement with 85 Broads has been eye opening as well. From the start I was given plenty of responsibility and at first I felt like I couldn't live up to the standards of such a great successful group of women. Being nearly fresh out of college, I didn't feel like I had much to bring to the table compared to a group of MBA's and entrepreneurs. However, once I got into the swing of creating marketing collateral for each major event and having the responsibility of managing our chapter's social networking aspect, I knew that this was something that I wanted to continue doing for our group. The friendships and connections I made during this time have been priceless as well!

Hope that answers most of your questions. I can elaborate on any points!
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by Eliot » Wed Aug 25, 2010 10:25 am
islandgurl918,

Thanks for your reply. Based on your answers, it sounds like you have clearly had an impact and demonstrated leadership at work, particularly at Pandora. Thanks also for explaining your career transition - you should be fine as long as you stay at Pandora until you matriculate to business school. In addition, it sounds like you have had a big impact at 85Broads as well. Thus, your work experience/outside activities are quite strong.

So this leaves your academics and your career goals.

My final question is about your college gpa. Would you mind sharing this information as well? Was the college gpa close to your 3.5 graduate gpa?

In addition, what are your career goals and why are you seeking an MBA?

By the way, I do offer a free initial phone consultation if you would like to chat about your profile off line.

Sincerely,

Eliot Ingram
Clear Admit LLC
Eliot Ingram
Clear Admit, LLC
[email protected]
215 568 2590

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by islandgurl918 » Wed Aug 25, 2010 10:48 am
I have only received a bachelors from UC Berkeley, so no masters degree for me yet. My college gpa was an overall 3.4 but my major gpa was 3.5. I do plan on staying at Pandora until matriculation. My career goals would focus on brand management and marketing. I would love to explore the other side of advertising where I would be responsible for the overall advertisibg and marketing strategy of a small startup ot medium sized company.I have some time tomorrow for a consultation.
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by Eliot » Wed Aug 25, 2010 12:15 pm
Islandgurl918,

Thanks for your reply. Your career goals make sense given your current work. I would be happy to schedule a time to chat with you. Feel free to email me to schedule a free call. My email is: [email protected]

Sincerely,

Eliot Ingram
Clear Admit LLC
Eliot Ingram
Clear Admit, LLC
[email protected]
215 568 2590

Stay Informed with Clear Admit!
Read our Blog for daily MBA admissions tips and updates.
Follow us on Twitter for breaking b-school news.
Download our Publications on MBA programs and admissions strategy.
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