Profile Evaluation & Some Advices Please

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Profile Evaluation & Some Advices Please

by lonewolf » Mon Jun 07, 2010 4:32 pm
Dear Stacey, would you please take a look at my profile?

Background
Age: 25
GMAT: Male
Nationality: Thai-Taiwanese
UG: Double Major in two engineering degrees from UC Berkeley (GPA 3.55)
GMAT: 690 (Q 48, V 37)

Work Experience
-3 Years, Process Integration Engineer at Top 10 semiconductor firm in Japan
-Support customers in process related issues during the development of computer chips
-Consult with fab (semiconductor factory) to decide on solutions/proposals and present them to customers

Extracurricular Activities/Leadership Experience
Undergrad
-Activities Officer for Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society
-Plan and organize over 50 events for TBP, including fun events, social networking, and professional workshops.

Post Undergrad
- Officer for Habitat for Humanity Japan
- Have been involved with Habitat for a long time (Went to Philippines twice to build houses back in high school, was president of community service club back then.)
- Continue participating in Habitat after arriving in Japan. I am in charge of running and planning the monthly meeting where we try to get more people involved in Habitat. I am also the official translator for Habitat in Japan. After my participation, the retention rate and participation rate in builds increased significantly.

Some Other Facts
-Lived in 4 different countries throughout career (Taiwan 12 years, Thailand 6 years, US 4 years, Japan 3 years)
-Able to speak quite a few languages. Mandarin (Native), English (Fluent), Japanese (Fluent), Thai (Basic), Taiwanese (Basic)

Weakness in Application
- Do not have a direct leadership role in work experience. I can talk about holding meetings and being influential to co-workers but do not have someone directly reporting to me.
- A slightly below average GMAT score for top schools

Post MBA
-Management position in semiconductor/consumer electronics industry (more specifically strategy) or management consulting
-Have a strong interest in working in Greater China region due to family and my language ability.

Target Schools
Columbia (Reach) ED/R1
Tuck (Reach) EA/R1
INSEAD (Reach) R1
Duke (Competitive) ED/R1
Ross (Competitive) R1
UCLA (Competitive) R2
USC (Competitive) R2
UT (Safety) R2
Other Schools in consideration: NYU, Cornell

Questions
1.Can you please comment on my school selections and my chances? I am having trouble to decide between Columbia and Duke ED round especially. Would love to hear some comments
2.Is there anything that stands out from my application that you would suggest me to focus on?
3.If leadership experience question comes along, should I focus on my Habitat role (where I made much greater impact) than my current job role?

Thank you so much for your time. I really appreciate any comments/insights.
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by Stacey Oyler » Tue Jun 08, 2010 6:25 pm
Hi,

Thanks for your post. Please see my comments below:

1.Can you please comment on my school selections and my chances? I am having trouble to decide between Columbia and Duke ED round especially. Would love to hear some comments

I think you've assembled a great list of programs and have done a nice job of self evaluating your targets and reaches. One thing that you'll want to keep in mind is your "fit" with the program. What are your post MBA short and long term career goals? This can help you narrow your school selection as well as find synergies with the programs which you can discuss in your essays.

2.Is there anything that stands out from my application that you would suggest me to focus on?

It appears as though you have a great deal of hands on extracurricular activities. This is fantastic and an excellent thing to highlight in your applications. You seem concerned about your lack of leadership at work, but do you have leadership experience in your extracurriculars? If this is the case, you'll certainly want to bring this to the adcoms attention.

3.If leadership experience question comes along, should I focus on my Habitat role (where I made much greater impact) than my current job role?


Please see my comments above.

Please feel free to send your resume to [email protected] for a free detailed assessment of your profile.

Best,

Stacey
Sign up for my MBA admissions course, featuring me and other Clear Admit experts, by visiting: https://www.udemy.com/business-school

Stacey Oyler
Clear Admit, LLC
[email protected]
215.568.2590

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by lonewolf » Wed Jun 09, 2010 6:43 pm
Hi Stacey,

Thank you very much for your evaluation. 690 on GMAT is a tricky case, do you think I should retake it given my profile and list of choices?

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by Stacey Oyler » Thu Jun 10, 2010 9:03 am
Hi Lonewolf,

Honestly, yes, I think you should retake the GMAT. A score of 700+ could really boost your profile and overall chance of success.

Best,

Stacey
Sign up for my MBA admissions course, featuring me and other Clear Admit experts, by visiting: https://www.udemy.com/business-school

Stacey Oyler
Clear Admit, LLC
[email protected]
215.568.2590

Stay Informed with Clear Admit!
Read our Blog for daily MBA admissions tips and updates.
Follow us on Twitter for breaking b-school news.
Download our Publications on MBA programs and admissions strategy.
Visit our MBA Admissions Wiki to read and share application insights.