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Profile Evaluation

by dubvee07 » Sat Sep 20, 2008 6:09 pm
Lisa,
I was hoping to get your insight on my situation. My #1 school is UNC Chapel Hill Keenan Flagler. The Average GMAT is 664 (640-700 range)

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25 year old male, graduated from West Virginia University BS in Business Admin. Major GPA 3.38, overall 3.08. Spent a semester in Australia at Bond University Business School. Upon graduation I worked for a wholesale mortgage lender backed by Goldman Sachs, was promoted to Regional Sales Manager after 10 months (worked there for 1.5 years). They went out of business last September. For the last 5 months I have been working as a structured finance analyst at US bank. My goal is to get into management consulting at a top firm.

1. Where should I set my target GMAT score to have above average chances of acceptance?

2. Should I try to reach a management position at my current job, or try to get into a consulting firm before grad school?

3. Do grad schools give any merit to study abroad experience, or time spent in SE Asia?

Sorry for the lengthy post...I am extremely determined to get into this school, whether it be round 4 this year, or ED next october. Thank you for any feedback!
Last edited by dubvee07 on Sun Sep 21, 2008 11:16 am, edited 1 time in total.
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by Lisa Anderson » Sun Sep 21, 2008 8:30 am
Dear dubvee07,

Answers to your questions:

1. Where should I set my target GMAT score to have above average chances of acceptance?
A score that starts with a 7 puts you in the best position, especially with your cumulative GPA at a 3.1

2. Should I try to reach a management position at my current job, or try to get into a consulting firm before grad school?
It is not necessary to get experience in the industry you aspire to prior to business school. It is necessary to show progression in your current career path and leadership potential. If you believe you have an opportunity for promotion, then you should pursue it.

3. Do grad schools give any merit to study abroad experience, or time spent in SE Asia?
Schools like to see candidates with experiences that are interesting and broadened their horizons. It is not that you get extra points (as there is not point system), but it can help your application if you have a compelling example from that experience to share in your essays.

I think you have the foundation for a competitive application; you just need to spend time putting together an application that presents what you have to offer in the most compelling way.

Good luck,
Lisa
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by dubvee07 » Sun Sep 21, 2008 11:16 am
Lisa,

Do any of the top 20 schools consider your Major GPA, or GPA from the last 2 years of school? Or do they strictly view the overall?

Thank you very much for your feedback. It is much appreciated!
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by Lisa Anderson » Mon Sep 22, 2008 10:11 am
Schools look at all those things in your evaluation. Improving in the last two years and having a higher GPA in your major coursework definitely works in your favor, possibly mitigating the overall GPA a little. But the overall GPA number is what gets reported so it is still a critical component.

Regards,
Lisa
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