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Profile Evaluation - Canadian Engineer

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Profile Evaluation - Canadian Engineer

by pberry » Fri May 31, 2013 2:41 pm
Hi All,

I am looking for some help to see what my chances are of getting into a top 10-15 school.

Here is a summary of my stats and work experience.

- Undergrad Engineering from top 3 canadian program GPA: 3.12 (3.6 in final year)
- GMAT 740 (V42, Q48)
- 2.5 years at small energy efficiency engineering firm as energy engineer
- 2 years at largest energy efficiency project as engineer
- 1 year (as of aug 2014; promotion already offered) with same company as Energy Project Account Executive (basically business development)
- volunteered with green energy NGO's from 2009-2011


I am looking to make a move into strategy consulting or internal strategy in the energy industry. Eventually I would like to work with energy companies on growth strategies (either through consulting or as part of the organization).

My target schools are:

- Berkeley (for clean tech focus)
- Northwestern
- Darden
- Duke
- Michigan
- Dartmouth
- UT Austin (not top 15 but good in energy)


I would really appreciate any advice or opinion you can give me on my application choices.

Thanks!
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by MBAApply » Fri May 31, 2013 3:48 pm
pberry wrote:Hi All,

I am looking for some help to see what my chances are of getting into a top 10-15 school.

Here is a summary of my stats and work experience.

- Undergrad Engineering from top 3 canadian program GPA: 3.12 (3.6 in final year)
- GMAT 740 (V42, Q48)
- 2.5 years at small energy efficiency engineering firm as energy engineer
- 2 years at largest energy efficiency project as engineer
- 1 year (as of aug 2014; promotion already offered) with same company as Energy Project Account Executive (basically business development)
- volunteered with green energy NGO's from 2009-2011


I am looking to make a move into strategy consulting or internal strategy in the energy industry. Eventually I would like to work with energy companies on growth strategies (either through consulting or as part of the organization).

My target schools are:

- Berkeley (for clean tech focus)
- Northwestern
- Darden
- Duke
- Michigan
- Dartmouth
- UT Austin (not top 15 but good in energy)


I would really appreciate any advice or opinion you can give me on my application choices.

Thanks!
Honestly, I think you're a pretty solid candidate for the top 16 schools that you may even want to consider throwing your hat into the H/S/W ring. You're in the sweet spot for most engineers applying to b-school (around 5-7 years of experience), and your engineering discipline is a respected one (energy/clean energy -- not saying that others are bad, but with the deluge of IT guys, it's a bit more refreshing to get folks from other disciplines). GPA shouldn't be an issue since it's not from an American school (they look more closely at the GMATs for those who didn't go to a US undergrad), and also the fact that you did engineering (adcoms know you're graded on a harsher curve than arts/sci folks). And if you're not South Asian, that will also help (since the overwhelming majority of engineering applicants are of South Asian descent, and yes that stuff does matter to some degree).

UT Austin is a safety.

Duke, Darden, and Michigan are sweet spots: I think you have a pretty reasonable shot of getting in.

Kellogg, Haas, Tuck are slight stretches where you're competitive but you'll obviously need a bit of luck on top of a strong set of applications. But still within reach.

H/S/W are stretches, but where I think it may be worth applying to one or two. I'd even say that Wharton is only a slight stretch for you given your profile. H/S are stretches for everyone, but you have enough of a shot that it may be worth applying if you want to scratch that itch. Especially if your volunteer work with those green energy NGOs is notable or substantive - since b-schools in this day and age do tend to like those with interests and experiences in certain industries: namely clean energy and healthcare/biotech.

Good luck
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by pberry » Sat Jun 01, 2013 7:54 am
Thanks for the reply Alex!


I am a 27 year old white male. I will be almost 29 at matriculation for 2014.

I am surprised to hear that I am in the sweet spot for work experience. I was a little worried I was getting on the older side for some schools (especially H/S). Do consultants like to recruit 30 year old MBA grads? I heard mixed things. My ultimate goal is MBB or energy boutique firm if I find one I really like.

Also glad to hear that my undergrad GPA may not be such a big deal. Is this because it gets eft out of the US news rankings or they just don't know what to do with it?

Should I be at all concerned with my low quant score on the GMAT? I have heard about the 80-80 rule (80th percentile for both) to get into a top 10 and my quant comes in at 78th. I have B+ grades in undergrad math classes. I could probably squeeze in an extension math class before October if it will help.

In terms of volunteer experience, would it make sense to spend some more time volunteering this summer? Or will that just look like last minute resume padding? I'm probably going to volunteer anyway, just wondering if it will be helpful to my application.

Thanks!
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by MBAApply » Sat Jun 01, 2013 9:52 am
pberry wrote:Thanks for the reply Alex!


I am a 27 year old white male. I will be almost 29 at matriculation for 2014.

I am surprised to hear that I am in the sweet spot for work experience. I was a little worried I was getting on the older side for some schools (especially H/S). Do consultants like to recruit 30 year old MBA grads? I heard mixed things. My ultimate goal is MBB or energy boutique firm if I find one I really like.

Also glad to hear that my undergrad GPA may not be such a big deal. Is this because it gets eft out of the US news rankings or they just don't know what to do with it?

Should I be at all concerned with my low quant score on the GMAT? I have heard about the 80-80 rule (80th percentile for both) to get into a top 10 and my quant comes in at 78th. I have B+ grades in undergrad math classes. I could probably squeeze in an extension math class before October if it will help.

In terms of volunteer experience, would it make sense to spend some more time volunteering this summer? Or will that just look like last minute resume padding? I'm probably going to volunteer anyway, just wondering if it will be helpful to my application.

Thanks!
The "youth movement" amongst some b-schools tends to affect finance and consulting folks, since pre-2008 they were getting too many folks who were already in post-MBA type of positions applying. The sweet spot for most finance/consulting folks is around 4-5 years at matriculation (or 3-4 years at application: basically those who do 2-3 years as an analyst, and maybe 1 year in some industry/PE pre-MBA role).

For engineers, the sweet spot is around 5-7 years at matriculation.

And yes, consultants have no issues hiring 30 year olds as incoming associates. What matters more is your lifestyle/personal situation, since there's a bit of travel involved in the job, and while they can't officially say it out loud, they do prefer those who are single and/or at the least those who have no kids. So it's less about age and more about your personal situation, because they know that if you have a family or a loving spouse/partner, your life will suck if you end up traveling a lot for projects (and some get lucky with less travel, but that's not in their control, as you get staffed on projects that the partners bring in).

As for GPA, it's mostly an apples vs oranges comparison between countries. What they do care more is your GMAT, and the prestige of your undergrad. What you'll notice is that the pedigree of international students is even higher - most went to the top schools in their respective countries moreso than the American applicants (which is still mostly top schools, but the distribution is a bit wider). And yes, the adcoms are quite familiar with Canadian universities.

GMAT quant: you're an engineer. Don't sweat it. Given your background, they know you can do math. What they don't know is whether you have the social skills to be a great team player, or even a potential leader. That's more key. And certain schools care less about quant and put a higher premium on these soft skills: HBS, Kellogg, and basically all the schools on your list that are more consulting/industry oriented. If you really want to retake it to hit the 80th, go for it if you're willing to spend the time, but I don't think it's essential.

Volunteer: don't start new stuff or it'll look like window dressing. If you're already involved in something, then continue staying involved - that's all you need to do.
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by ErinaApphelp » Mon Jun 03, 2013 11:38 pm
Hi,

With 5+ yrs. of work experience, you are in an ideal phase of your career which most of the b-school(s) look for. You have good GMAT to apply in top 20 b-schools. I agree with other folks on GPA. Not to worry on it. You are focused on post-MBA goal which is very important while applying to b-school(s). Having said this, the list of your b-schools should be within your reach. I feel H/S/W would be slightly ambitious until you submit very good essays and showcase leadership style and professional achievements. You may try your chances in b-school(s) by clicking https://goo.gl/H9xpy

Let me know if you have any further queries.

Regards
Erina


pberry wrote:Hi All,

I am looking for some help to see what my chances are of getting into a top 10-15 school.

Here is a summary of my stats and work experience.

- Undergrad Engineering from top 3 canadian program GPA: 3.12 (3.6 in final year)
- GMAT 740 (V42, Q48)
- 2.5 years at small energy efficiency engineering firm as energy engineer
- 2 years at largest energy efficiency project as engineer
- 1 year (as of aug 2014; promotion already offered) with same company as Energy Project Account Executive (basically business development)
- volunteered with green energy NGO's from 2009-2011


I am looking to make a move into strategy consulting or internal strategy in the energy industry. Eventually I would like to work with energy companies on growth strategies (either through consulting or as part of the organization).

My target schools are:

- Berkeley (for clean tech focus)
- Northwestern
- Darden
- Duke
- Michigan
- Dartmouth
- UT Austin (not top 15 but good in energy)


I would really appreciate any advice or opinion you can give me on my application choices.

Thanks!
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Undergrad- Top 5 college in India
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by MBAPrepAdvantage » Sat Jun 22, 2013 6:34 am
I would recommend adding schools like Chicago Booth, Dartmouth Tuck, and UCLA Anderson because companies like PG&E look to these schools (along with Michigan Ross and Berkeley Haas) as feeder schools (https://www.pge.com/about/careers/college/mbaleadership/).

In addition, I think you should add a few more reach schools like MIT Sloan and Wharton (with their excellent consulting training).

Your most recent Energy Project Account Executive role differentiates you from other applicants with pure engineering profiles so emphasize your different non-technical skills gained in this role.

Good luck,
Michael Cohan
MBAPrepAdvantage Founder & AIGAC Board Director
305-604-8178
www.mbaprepadvantage.com

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