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As a recent grad with a non traditional major do I have a shot at top B-Schools? I'm afraid that because I don't have a quant background and my GPA was only a 3.3 that as an early career applicant, getting into a top b-school would be next to impossible.

Here are my stats:

Female, first generation American, Haitian descent

Age: 21

Undergrad: Howard U
Major: Journalism, Spanish (minor)
GPA: 3.3/Cum Laude

Few quant courses undergrad and I was a B student in the ones I did take (Economics, Algebra, Applied Topics in Math)

Awards/Honors: I was on full tuition scholarship and I received another large scholarship for excellence in journalism. I also have received a handful of awards for journalism/multimedia convergence and one for entrepreneurship.

Work Exp: I have completed 14 internships/fellowships at mostly top companies (InStyle, New York Times, Cosmopolitan) and freelanced while undergrad. I also worked part-time for a big name in entertainment for two years in a pr/mrktg function with a focus in programming and event planning--the position was part of a one-year program but I was asked to return for a second year after being the first to break membership goals since the program's inception. In the position I managed six campus reps.

Extra Currics: I started an online magazine my sophomore year which doubled as an unofficial training program for students interested in new media and magazine journalism and served on the e-board for a few orgs.

Community Involvement: I did two alternative spring break programs in New Orleans and spent a summer volunteering at a media org for at-risk youth but other than that my service has been less formal/event based--walk-a-thons, Thanksgiving meal prep, mentor programs, etc.

Recent Developments: I started a tumblr blog on social media/digital marketing and music. It's very new so I can't claim amazing traffic but I've written a few informal case studies on viral successes and mixtape releases. Not sure if admissions will consider this a hobby or just an extension of my journalism profession.

Test Scores: I am enrolling in a prep course to insure high scores. Also, I have been advised to take the GRE instead of the GMAT due to my journalism background and the fact that many top schools accept them (Thoughts on this in particular would be appreciated)



I think that about covers all the major areas in applications, what do you think? Thanks in advance

Hi Kendra,

I am in a similar situation, as an English major. I've been asking around and the general consensus is that if you have a high GPA, not having quant classes is acceptable as long as you do well on your GMAT and show that you do finance related work in your daily profession (my case). Your GMAT quant score will come under more scrutiny than your verbal as well so make sure you score high, and remember no calculator allowed on the test. If you don't have a high GPA and aren't doing finance now, take some classes either at a JC or through extension and get A's. The suggested ones are Accounting and Corporate Finance. For the classes you already took and got B's in, might be a good idea to take them again and getting A's.

Congrats on your scholarships, leadership roles, and awards you described!

kmba

Oh I should mention that I am going to take the classes through extension just to seal the deal.

Check out this article for more:

https://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2010/09/ ... akness-gpa

Hey Kendra!

You sound a lot like me when I was applying to HBS. I was a 22-year-old Black Studies major from Pomona College with a 3.6 GPA, a 620 GMAT, no quant coursework, and a long list of extracurricular activities, awards, and accomplishments. And I got in! Now, I'm not saying this is the magic non-traditional formula, but I do want you to be encouraged.

You should watch the free webinar I held in July titled "B-School Despite the Odds: How to Beat the MBA Numbers Game with a Great Story." It will give you a lot of insight into how to position yourself well for top schools as a non-traditional applicant: https://bschoolodds.com/free-webinar/

You should also apply for Management Leadership for Tomorrow https://www.ml4t.org/. If you are accepted into the program, they will walk you through the entire application process and coach you on your essays as well for FREE (if you are a U.S. citizen from an underrepresented background).

Of course - you could always be one of my clients as well!

Good luck!

Kaneisha

@KMBA Thanks! Unfortunately, I don't have time to take any quant classes as the application process has already started, as has most courses so I'm stuck with my B's. But it sounds like your daily financial work will serve you well, best of luck!

@Kaneisha Thank you for your feedback, the free webinar was really helpful! I think I see the group coaching service in my future! I'm not sure if it is just my comp but I don't think the flip vid technology you are using is too compatible with macs. I have three browsers installed (Safari, Firefox, Chrome) but a "need plugin" error appeared in all three and only in Firefox did the proper link to the plugin download appear--Flip 4 Mac. Since the webinar is free you might want to consider podcasting it for iTunes or chopping it up by topic for Youtube/Vimeo so its easier to share, I did tweet it though!

As for MLT, you have to apply a year in advance and have at least a year of full-time experience under your belt to participate. The application fee is also $75 and since I am applying this year I'm not sure if it would be the best investment even if they did bend the work exp rules in my favor.

Thanks for the heads up about the video problems! I'll ask my assistant to work on that.

The reasons you listed were the same ones for why I didn't do MLT, but I must say IT IS WORTH WAITING AND APPLYING if you are not 100% sure you want to go to business school right now. A ridiculous number of my friends in b-school were from MLT. I kind of felt left out at times. They give you a tremendous amount of help that people usually pay thousands of dollars for, and it's an amazing network to be a part of.

But if you think this is the year for you to apply - go for it! Just make sure your essays are water-tight, because it's distressing to be a reapplicant AND a non-traditional applicant.

Also - if you think you want to join the group coaching program, I would do it now. Our next and BEST YET webinar is on Sept. 15. If you join later, all you'll be doing is watching recordings of the prior webinars--and that's a lot less fun! Here's the link that outlines all the different webinar topics: https://theartofapplying.com/bdo/join

Good luck, girl!

kendra,

good luck with your applications.

i have a j-school background as well, though i never went into the industry post undergrad.

it may be too late for this bit of advice to help you, but thought i'd go ahead and put it out there. based on my talks with a few adcom members, it seems like taking the gmat is the better way to go if you are indeed serious about an mba (an mba and nothing else). most b schools are just now starting to accept gre scores and, as such, the evidence and statistics they have surrounding interpreting gre scores pales in comparison to the gmat. so far it seems that ets has been unable to provide meaningful interpretation of how a gre score translates to mba school success whereas gmac and the schools themselves have pretty good indicators for the gmat based upon the longer history of that test.

the above is fact, the following is my interpretation of that fact. at this stage of the game, a gre score would have to be more impressive (higher percentile) than the comparable gmat in order to receive equal treatment by an adcom. from what i've been told (and how i've been told) it seems that, given equal percentiles, a gmat score would be favored over a gre score until the data supporting a gre taker's success grows to be statistically significant.

Welp, I already applied so all I can do is wait. I ended up taking the GRE. I had only a few months to prepare for the exam and applications so for me it was the best option since I was more confident about my ability to score well on the GRE than the GMAT. Guess we'll see! Good luck to everyone!