Profile Evaluation

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Profile Evaluation

by bmkufrin » Tue Jul 27, 2010 6:46 pm
Hi,

I am starting the process of applying for Fall 2011 admittance, and I was hoping that you give me some feedback about my prospective schools.

Age: 28
GMAT: 680 (Q40/V42), first attempt was a 620 (Q42/V34)
WE: 3 years as junior fixed income analyst at hedge fund, 2 years fixed income product controller at hedge fund
Undergrad: 3.55 UW-Madison
Recommendation: my direct supervisor has already written an outstanding letter of support
EC: Involved in Sierra Club and Friends of the Park, international travel, study of foreign languages
Motivation for MBA: I have hit a ceiling in my role at work, and I would like the opportunity to make investment decisions.

I am considering the following schools.

Berkeley - top choice
Columbia
Chicago
LBS

Any thoughts or feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!
Source: — The Application Process |

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by Betsy Massar » Wed Jul 28, 2010 1:41 pm
Hello!

As someone who worked on Wall Street, and started her career on the fixed income side of the business, I am glad to see a fellow traveler! I see so many equity analysts and number crunchers, but fixed income is much more complex and demanding.

I think the analyst positions are good and show your ability to understand the financial and other quantitative parts of the business school curriculum, and when you write your essays, you will need to incorporate cases where you have shown leadership and teamwork -- even in a micro sense. I also think that when you write about your experience, if you put it in a broader context, that will be helpful.


I like your international experience and you ecological interests. Your GPA looks fine,(and Madison is a particularly fine place!) but Berkeley has made it pretty clear on its own website that it is looking for 80th percentile in quant. Some say you need an 80% in quant and an 80% in verbal, but I'm not so sure. Columbia is fairly rigorous about the numbers as well, and they have a lot of students with financial markets experience going in, so your application will be looked at relative to the rest of the pool.

Happy to provide additional insight if you would like to email me.

With best regards,
Betsy Massar
CEO
Master Admissions
www.masteradmissions.com
Betsy Massar
CEO & Founder
Master Admissions