help with MBA choice needed

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help with MBA choice needed

by gmat-challenger » Mon Mar 28, 2011 10:46 am
Hello,

Let me introduce myself. I am in the 670-710 GMAT area. I am from Bulgaria and I have a bachelor of business administration (major in Finance) from International University in Germany. A really good school with a program taught completely in English. My GPA is around 3.20. I am 26 and I graduated in 2006. I have been working as a daytrader on the US Markets for the last 4 years. I was part of the soccer team, while studying, won the MarkStrat game (marketing simulation game) organized at my university and have worked for more than 1 year in the admission department at the university.

I would like to make an MBA or Ms in Finance and I am looking for a university in the following states - Florida, California, New York, Chicago. There is just one minor problem - even though I will be able to cover my living expenses without a problem, I will not be able to cover the whole portion of the tuition fees. Therefore, I am looking for a university, which combines acceptable tuition fees and availability of scholarships.

I would much appreciate an advice and opinion for an MBA, based on my results, qualities, preferences and limitations. I don't know if I have higher chances of getting a scholarships at a more prestigious university with higher costs of tuition or at a less prestigious but with much lower tuition fees.

Regards,
Zlati

P.S. For now my choices are - University of Miami, UCF, Barry, FIU, PACE, Adelphi, San Francisco State University but I would like to narrow them down.
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by Tani » Tue Mar 29, 2011 1:17 pm
With a solid GMAT, an acceptable GPA and good work experience you should be a candidate for all but the most selective schools. You will also be in a favorable pool since there are fewer candidates from eastern Europe than from areas such as the Pacific Rim.

Most business schools are need-blind, meaning if they accept you, they will see that you have enough funding to attend either through grants or loans. Of course your chances for grants or scholarships are higher at schools for which your stats beat those of their average student.

The schools on your list are not the most selective and you should have no problem being accepted to most of them; however,they also show average GMAT scores well below the score you anticipate. While this increases your chances of a scholarship, you may want to think about targeting a couple of schools at which your classmates would have scores closer to yours.

Geography is an appropriate basis for selecting schools if you are targeting a career in those areas. However, if you are planning to return to Bulgaria, you might be better served by choosing a school that has stronger international recognition.

Good luck,
Tani Wolff

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by gmat-challenger » Thu Mar 31, 2011 4:56 am
Thank you for your wonderful and extensive reply! I will apply for one or two, more selective schools since it won't hurt to try. Regarding my career plans, my ultimate goal is after graduation to find a job in the US, preferably in the state where the university is located.

Regards,
Zlati