Best fit

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Best fit

by sallespadua » Mon Feb 22, 2010 10:39 am
I'm applying to fall 2011 and would like to hear opinions about the MBA that would best fit with my profile, tastes and goals. Taking out my test scores on the GMAT (I don't want to base the school that would best fit for me with the score range, so it won't influence in your opinions). Thus, here follows a quick review of my profile:

I'm a 28 year old Electrical Engineer (GPA 2.7) with a Masters degree in Aerospace Engineering (an emphasis in aircraft systems' integration; GPA 3.3). I finished my bachelor in August 2006 and my Masters in April 2009.

My work experience, since my undergrad (2006), is in the Aerospace Business in one of the major aircraft manufacturers worldwide both with commercial and business jets markets.
To be more specific, I've been working in the last two years managing suppliers (Product's Maturity and Quality development) in both electrical and electronics systems during aircraft design and flight campaign phases.
I've done a lot of technical visits, interfering in aircraft parts' design and production processes development of the company's suppliers, spread in Europe and US. One of my biggest accomplishments was a framework tool considered as industrial secret and potential patent application for the company I'm still working for.

I did engineering interns in the power plants design (in one of the major energy companies worldwide) and hospitals installations design and assembly (family business), during my undergrad for 2,5 years (I think all this time definitely interferred in my undergrad final GPA pulling it down)

My areas of interest during my MBA are focused on entrepreneurship and general management; would like to have some of venture capital envolvement whether do I have the possibility. I intend to open up my own business connected to the ones of my family's somewhere in the future when I gain confidence enough to do it, after the MBA degree.

To tell some of my personal background, I used to play soccer and got close to be a professional (I played for one the Brazilian's most popular teams); but I had a serious injury when I was 16 that avoided me from playing for 1,5 year in a row, interrupting my athlete career.
So, when I recovered, I was already 18 with the difficult choice of going to the Engineering School or the uncertainty of becoming a professional player recently recovered from a serious injury. I chose the hardest part of becoming merely another engineer in the planet and now I'm pursing an MBA! (Do you think I should detail that story in one of the essays?).

Nevertheless, I would like a school that I could join sports' activities as well. But it doesn't necessarily need to be soccer.

Any suggestions of the school that would fit best with me and other way around would be very welcome!

Thank you in advance!
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by Bryant@VeritasPrep » Wed Feb 24, 2010 4:39 pm
Unfortunately, the details you provide do not really provide enough enformation to make a culture or fit match to any particular school. All b-schools like engineers because they can solve problems. Much of a school's academic culture comes down to instruction: Do you prefer lecture or case method? This is a key bifurcation of the study environment. Some schools are all one way or another, others blend the two. Sounds like you enjoy the outdoors and sports. You might figure in geographic characteristics then, perhaps more than the average applicant. Soccer will also be much more popular at schools boasting a high international student population. These are stats you can easily look up online. Finally, I will say that the most important thing to look for in a business school is not how it will match to what you have done, but how it will match to what you will do in the future. By targeting schools with a highly ranked general mgt program in your case (Duke or Kellogg), or one that is known for entrepreneurship (Haas, Sloan) might be a good start. Hope this helps.
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by sallespadua » Thu Feb 25, 2010 4:47 am
Bryant,

Thank you for the insights. I really appreciate your thoughts, it is helping a lot.
Responding your questions, during the MBA I'd like to focus more on entrepreneurship if have to choose one particular area to go in deep. But, some of venture capital vision and general management tools won't hurt, since (in my oppinion) these subjects are somehow related to entrepreneurship. My objective after the MBA is to gain substantiate experience working for a firm from 2 to 4 years and then open up my own business.

About the kind of classes I enjoy the most, it will depend on the subject. I believe in quantitative classes, I'd prefer lecture rather than case studies. On the other hand, I'd like to simulate the tools I'll be learning in B-school in study cases (such as the quant tools I'm going to learn). Therefore, a little bit of both will be more appropriate.

Another question, how b-shools think about applicants that already have a masters in other area (which is my case. I have a masters in aeronautical and mechanical engineering)? My undergrad GPA can be compensated with grad GPA?

Thank you anyway!