Evaluate my profile ::)

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Evaluate my profile ::)

by mexica2 » Tue Dec 19, 2017 12:06 pm
Age: 24
Major: Economics
GPA: 3.1, Handful of fails first few couple of years (Had no career direction), last 2 years averaged 3.85
GMAT: 720
WE: 4 years
Past:
-Interned with NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory doing Business Development.
2 years, worked as a Project Engineer my Junior and Senior year of my undergraduate degree where I focused on cost reduction and managing improvement projects (Saved over $150,000)
-Was in charge of two departments and improved productivity and throughput by over 20%.
-Worked on developing new parts, reduced defect/rework rates in old parts, performed internal audits, lead continuous improvement projects with teams of 3-5 people.
1 year, moved to a sister company and worked as an Assistant Controller.
Current: Financial Analyst at Raytheon
Volunteer:
-American Red Cross 3+years
-Los Angeles Latino Chamber of Commerce 2 years
-Chicano Youth Leadership Program 2 years
Extracurriculars:
-Surfing, Rock Climbing
-Volunteer worker at Special Olympics
Extra:
-Six Sigma Black Belt Certification
-Passed CFA Level 1

Career goals: Either stay in corporate finance or transition into operations management. Once I feel I've had enough satisfaction with my career/financially stable, I would like to work with a philanthropic organization that gives back to underrepresented communities/minorities.

Schools Applied:
Top Choice - UCLA FEMBA
USC Part Time
UCI Merage

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by MargaretStrother » Wed Apr 18, 2018 6:25 am
Hi, sorry this reply is getting to you late, but I hope it will still have value for you.
You've got an interesting profile! Top business schools will love your eye-catching, unusual professional background with recognizable employers (NASA, Raytheon), combined with your strong community involvement. Obviously the GPA is a weakness, but the 720 GMAT is a nice antidote (740 would be even nicer, but not absolutely necessary for a fully employed MBA....). You'll need to explain those Fs, and bear in mind that some top MBA programs --not all, but some -- will see that as a deal-breaker. No judgments implied, just sharing my experience here.

Long term goals sound a bit vague -- I'd love to see a tighter vision than just 'giving back to underrepresented minorities'; everyone says that sort of thing nowadays. But short-term is the most important: if you're doing a fully-employed MBA, will your employer underwrite your studies? How will your career change as a result, i.e. what would be your precise next step in terms of employment after the MBA, and why does that next step require this degree? In each case, UCLA or USC will want to know where they fit in: what do they have, specifically, that you need? You're a bit younger than most FEMBA applicants, in my experience, so you'll want to have a clear answer for why you're not aiming for a full-time MBA; your admissions interviewers will probably ask.

Overall, then, most of your ducks are in a row. With strong research about goals and schools, I think you should do well!

Good luck,
Margaret Strother
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by mexica2 » Thu May 17, 2018 4:43 pm
Hi Margaret,

Thank you for the response! I am aware that I am fairly young for a part time program, and my reasoning behind it, is to avoid loss of income during my studies. I also plan on staying at Raytheon for a while since they are willing to offer me tuition reimbursement and aerospace has always been of interest to me.

UCLA is my dream school; however, I am worried that any D's or F's I acquired during my undergrad will lead to an automatic rejection, even for a part time program. How much will they take the fails into consideration?

On top of that, I do plan on re evaluating my future career goals so it comes off a bit more methodical.

Thank you!

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by MargaretStrother » Mon May 21, 2018 2:09 am
Failing grades can be a real issue for b-school, so try to avoid them. If you do fail classes, repeat them and get As, and be prepared to write an optional essay explaining what went wrong.
Undergraduate performance is considered a predictor of your ability to succeed in graduate school, especially when you're relatively young, so you would need to show that this is not the case.
Explain in an optional essay what went wrong, what you did about it, and why whatever problem was happening then is not going to happen when you are in their MBA program.

Good luck!
Margaret Strother
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by Donna@Stratus » Wed May 30, 2018 5:22 am
mexica2 wrote:Age: 24
Major: Economics
GPA: 3.1, Handful of fails first few couple of years (Had no career direction), last 2 years averaged 3.85
GMAT: 720
WE: 4 years
Past:
-Interned with NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory doing Business Development.
2 years, worked as a Project Engineer my Junior and Senior year of my undergraduate degree where I focused on cost reduction and managing improvement projects (Saved over $150,000)
-Was in charge of two departments and improved productivity and throughput by over 20%.
-Worked on developing new parts, reduced defect/rework rates in old parts, performed internal audits, lead continuous improvement projects with teams of 3-5 people.
1 year, moved to a sister company and worked as an Assistant Controller.
Current: Financial Analyst at Raytheon
Volunteer:
-American Red Cross 3+years
-Los Angeles Latino Chamber of Commerce 2 years
-Chicano Youth Leadership Program 2 years
Extracurriculars:
-Surfing, Rock Climbing
-Volunteer worker at Special Olympics
Extra:
-Six Sigma Black Belt Certification
-Passed CFA Level 1

Career goals: Either stay in corporate finance or transition into operations management. Once I feel I've had enough satisfaction with my career/financially stable, I would like to work with a philanthropic organization that gives back to underrepresented communities/minorities.

Schools Applied:
Top Choice - UCLA FEMBA
USC Part Time
UCI Merage
It sounds like you have some good work experience and also with your 720 GMAT score it is possible that there is a school out there for you that could give you some financial aid in the form of merit scholarships- you may want to check out an article like this to get an idea of how to get some of these
MBA Scholarships and I also encourage you to sign up for our free Stratus newsletter with lots of MBA admissions insider tips that can help you navigate through this process.
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Kellogg MBA

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