Ask an MBA Admissions Consultant

Sir, I gave my GMAT last month. I got a 720(q-49,v-38) I am a fresh graduate. I completed my Engineering this July 2009 with a 2.7 GPA. Is it likely that I would get admitted into below mentioned schools? Now this is something about my profile: I took part in various extra curricular activities such as on campus entrepreneurial activities, and also I assisted my college placement manager in fetching companies to the college in my fourth year. I'm an amateur DJ, vocalist. I was employed while in Undergrad, I was working as a teacher, and also I had contributed to the society by helping the orphanage kids. I have also done two six-month internships at Voltas Limited and Accenture India Limited.

The schools I'm interested in applying to are:

University of California at Irvine: Merage
Fox School of Business: Temple University
Thunderbird School of Management
Pittsburg University
Ohio State University

Hi--

Generally speaking folks w/ limited work experience have a very hard time getting into business school. I think you would fall into this category.

Your best bet is probably to get some good work experience and apply when you would have at least two to three years of experience upon matriculation.

Thanks for the reply Paxton. I would also like to mention that I would be having one year of work-ex by the time I join the program, i.e; August-2010. Could that add a bit to my profile? And also I'm planning to take up a Calculus course at a local school so that I would be having an additional transcript. But then, I could only just mention it in the essays as I wouldn't be completing it by the time I apply. Will this initiation help too?
And also how's the Finance program at Temple University, Fox School of Business and at Suny Buffalo Graduate school of business!

Hi Paxton,
I sent my score reports to these colleges and their respective programs. Could you kindly go through the shortlist, and revert back to me about the schools in the shortlist?

MBA....

Fox School of Business: Temple University... Pennsylvania
Pittsburg University... Pennsylvania
California State University, Hayward.. California
William & Mary... virginia( Mason School of Business)
Suny Buffalo... NY
Illinois Institute of Technology

MS in Financial Engineering...

University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign
Claremont Graduate University
Washington University
Illinois Institute of Technology

Hi and thanks for your note. I don't really think that you need more quantitative instruction at this point --I think your main gap is going to be work experience. So...I wouldn't necessarily recommend taking a quant class.

As far as the programs that you mention are concerned, they are not, as I think you mention, in the top 20. Now, they are probably solid programs but in terms of connections and ability to get placed into very high-powered (i.e., very high paying) positions the access from those programs is limited.

I mention this because ROI is (or should be) a major consideration for anybody taking two years out of the work force. If you have already done the research on realistic salaries and done the math on the cost of attnending then I would say "Go for it" at those schools. Just be aware of some of the trade offs.

Does all of this make sense?

Thanks a lot Paxton. I guess I'll be going for my financial engineering, then pile up for few years of work-ex and will be heading to a top-20 business school. I guess I should be getting in to a good finance program and school because of my score. Your take on it?

Sounds like a totally legitimate plan to me.