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Help! Liberal Arts Major in need of advice

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Help! Liberal Arts Major in need of advice

by JohnD1776 » Sun Jul 25, 2010 12:20 pm
Hello All,

I am looking to apply to MBA programs in 2011, and am wondering where I should look.

GMAT:
1st practice GMAT was at 720 after studying for a week, where I was weak in math but scored in the 99th %ile in verbal. With some practice in math, I think it's not unreasonable to score a 740.

Undergrad:
2003 St. John's College (Great Books School) BA in liberal arts (basically a philosophy degree) GPA 2.69

Grad:
2008 Master of Politics (Political Philosophy) GPA 3.5

Work Experience:
Taught English for a year to middle schoolers. Also, 3-4 years at a medium sized securities clearing firm, working between operations and IT. Currently have a 'technical expert' role in ops, where I get to do some neat stuff solving business and operational problems.


Recs and Essays will be good. I have a good story. First in fam to graduate from college, from a very small town, etc. I think I have a track record of pursuing education for its own sake, which will set me apart from other MBA applicants.

I am looking for a school where I can get a broad based education (to fill in obvious gaps from having an undergrad degree in lib arts), and I'd like to specialize in finance. Looking for something without a cut-throat environment.

Should I be looking at top 10 schools? top 20? Not even bothering with my undergrad GPA (that's obviously my main concern)? Can someone throw some suggestions out there for programs I should investigate?


All your help would be greatly appreciated.
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by Jessica@VeritasPrep » Sun Jul 25, 2010 12:33 pm
If you have a good story and if you end up with a strong GMAT score, I wouldn't worry too much about the undergraduate grades. As long as an Adcom is confident that you have the ability to handle the work (which can be shown by your GMAT score), undergraduate grades are not very important. This is particularly true if you have shown that you have worked hard in your professional life (to demonstrate a good work ethic now).

I think that a top 20 school is realistic for someone with a good story and good essays (and a score above 700). Top 10 may be challenging, but, top ten is challenging for even the most qualified candidate. Any school in the top 20 will give you a well rounded business foundation and most of these schools are not considered to be too cut-throat. I went to Booth (perhaps one of the more "competitive") and even Booth today has a non-disclosure policy for grades (which tends to reduce stress and foster collaboration).

I would research the schools and see which ones appeal to you. It is hard for me to suggest schools based on the profile you have provided, but, I'm happy to toss out some ideas if you let me know if you are drawn to cities, what area of the country you prefer, what size class, etc. The education (particularly for someone coming from liberal arts who wants to study finance) will be great at any of the top 20.

Signed,
An Art History undergraduate major with an MBA in finance from Booth
Jessica
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by JohnD1776 » Sun Jul 25, 2010 1:20 pm
Hello Jessica,

Thanks so much for your response. It's really encouraging knowing a fellow lib-arts grad who went to a top MBA program.

My wife is a PhD student in Neuroscience, and we will want to move to the east coast where she can get a post doctoral fellowship. We also want to be semi-close to her family in SC.

So....Anything west of Chicago is out, and anything in a small town is out.

So far, I have been looking at places where there are 'groups' of schools. Possibly Boston, NYC, Washington DC, the 'triangle' in NC.


This was my preliminary list:

Harvard
Wharton
Columbia
UVA
Carnegie Mellon
MIT
Duke
Boston U
Washington U
George Washington
UNC
Georgetown

Is this the right balance of schools? Are there some good programs where I would have a shot that I am missing? Am I wasting my time applying to Wharton, Harvard, and MIT?

Thank you for all your help!
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by Jessica@VeritasPrep » Sun Jul 25, 2010 5:12 pm
I am sure you are aware that you will need to significantly narrow down your list and some of this will depend on your actual GMAT score. If you score a 740, you probably have a fair chance at many of those schools. A 720 is borderline and a 700 will make it challenging (but not impossible). Generally, yes, I think HBS is a waste of time. It is a long application and it is a very competitive school. If you have many recommenders, you may be able to apply to 6 schools, but, generally 4 is optimal (I'd be hesitant to ask anyone to write more than 3 recommendations - some schools require only 2 but some require more). I think the North Carolina schools are good to target given your preferences, but, all are also highly ranked - it doesn't give you as much of a "safety" option as might Boston or DC. In Boston you have schools like BU and Babson which may be easier to get in to than would be UNC or UVA. In DC you'd have a decent shot at Georgetown or GW (again, this is assuming a 700 and that you write good essays and have strong recs!).

If you focus on the southern schools, you can have Duke as your first choice with UNC or Georgetown as realistic second choices. If you prefer the north, you can try for something like Sloan as your first choice, Carnegie Mellon or BU as other options. (and, if you score well, you can always send an application to Wharton or Harvard just so you know you tried!!).

J
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by JohnD1776 » Fri Aug 20, 2010 2:18 pm
Hello Jessica,

Thanks for your feedback so far. It's been tremendously helpful in knowing how to approach the admissions process. I was waiting to respond until I had taken the GMAT and done a little more research.

I made a 720 on the GMAT (48Q/41V), a score with which I am relatively happy.

I have whittled down/changed my list quite a bit. I threw out programs generally ranked in the top 5 due to my GMAT, and am looking at the following:

MIT
NYU
Carnegie Mellon
Georgetown
Maryland
Boston U

This would be my six as of now. I really would like to gain admission to a couple of schools, since I need to coordinate my move with my wife. Is this a good list? My main concern is that it might be pretty aggressive to apply to MIT AND NYU.

I had to nix the Duke/UNC combo because my wife couldn't find what she wanted at UNC or Duke, but they may reappear.

I also checked my grad GPA, and it's 3.57, so I hope that it will offset my low undergrad GPA.

I would be interested in hearing your thoughts :)

Thanks again,
John
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by Jessica@VeritasPrep » Fri Aug 20, 2010 4:12 pm
Hi John,

I think your school list looks great. You should have a great shot at BU and Maryland and a pretty decent shot at the rest. As you know, MIT and NYU will be your most challenging but I don't think they are necessarily out of reach. Six schools is ambitious, but, if you want options then this is a good sampling of schools.

With strong recommendations and a good "story" (essays!) I think you are in fantastic shape!

Best of luck!
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