Please Help

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Please Help

by KingTmo » Sat Jun 26, 2010 2:43 pm
Hello accepted.com, please help me evaluate what my next steps should be before applying to graduate school

Let me begin by providing a brief profile of my candidacy.
African American Male
Berea College 07
College GPA 3.3
GMAT Scores (High)
Diagnostic 460
GMAT Prep 470, 540 560 490, 510, 570
Kaplan 530 550 560 510 520 560 500 540 560
MGMat 540 550 600
Offcial GMAT 510 Q33 V29

I prepared a total of 6 months before sitting for the GMAT. I took a Kaplan course that cost 1200 and self studied for about 18 weeks. I worked my butt off - utilizing the forums to create a study plan. I read Fortune magazine during my free time and took a practice test each day during my last 2 weeks of study. I suck at Standardized test - end of discussion.

Work experience
- I worked at Nestle as a Human Resources Generalist, which was my first job out of college. I was in that position for about 18 months but got laid off as a result of the slow economy. I immediately tapped into my resources and got a job working as an Account Manager @ Amica Insurance Company. My position @ Amica is an entry level management position in which I manage a team of about 7 employees. The skills as a manager in this position is invaluable.

Volunteer
- Led group of 15 Katrina
- Tutored Minority inner city high school students( 1year) - Mentored a few students by showing them value of education.
- Member of local Rotary club - I have completed many service projects as a result
- Held various Leadership positions in college Pres/VP/etc

Option 1
- Apply as a ML4t fellow. Please see their website. www.ml4t.org. An 18 month program that prepares qualified minority students by helping them become more competitive. Down side to this is that I will not be able to begin a program until Fall '12

Option 2
- Apply to the Consortium - similar to MLT, but they accept "the best of the best" minority candidates and act in a way recruiter would act when trying to place a job candidate. They have a network of schools that choose Consortium students to meet their minority quota's.

Option 3
Lastly, Take my chances with 3 TOP 50 schools in which I may actually stand a chance with getting accepted into. U of R, Vanderbilt? some other.

At this point I just dont know@! I am a little frustrated with my GMAT performance considering my efforts, but I feel as though there is hope. I feel like the only way I could improve further would be to get a private tutor and I DO NOT see much value in that.

Please Help Please Help
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by Eliot » Wed Jun 30, 2010 3:13 pm
Dear KingTmo,

Thanks for your post. You clearly have put a lot of effort into studying for the gmat. Over the course of 6 months of studying you took at least 19 practice tests with scores mainly in the mid 500s. And then you take the actual test and get a 510 score. Thus, I can understand your frustration with this test.

In an ideal world you would score above 600 to be competitive at top 50 schools. Since you did score in the mid 500s on a number of practice tests, I suspect that you could get a score in the mid 500s based on your current studying. Hopefully a tutor could get you above 600. I worry that you will have a hard time gaining admission to a top 50 school with a 510 GMAT.

Having said this, you do have a number of positive attributes to your candidacy.
1) You have decent work experience at both Nestle and Amica. Just be sure quantify the impact of your work and demonstrate your leadership in both places. For example, did you achieve any milestones at Nestle? Did you lead any projects there? I am pleased that you were able to get a new job at Amica so quickly and that you are managing 7 people. This is a great way to highlight your managerial experience. Just be sure to show your impact at Amica.
2) Your 3.3 gpa is decent as well. Of course, given the GMAT score, the adcom is likely to look at your transcript to see if you have good grades in more analytical/business foundation classes like stats, accounting, etc.
3) You have good volunteer work - I would just want to know more about your current level of volunteer involvement. Also, can you explain more about your Katrina reference? Ideally your volunteer work will highlight your leadership abilities.

I would also be interested in learning more about your career goals and why you are seeking an MBA.

Conclusion: If you can increase your GMAT score in the next few months, then I think that options 2 (consortium) and option 3 (applying to top 50 schools) might be feasible for you this year. However, if you need more time to get a higher GMAT score or to achieve more milestones at work, then option 1 (ML4T) might make more sense.

Sincerely,

Eliot Ingram
Clear Admit LLC
Eliot Ingram
Clear Admit, LLC
[email protected]
215 568 2590

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Junior | Next Rank: 30 Posts
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by KingTmo » Wed Jul 07, 2010 6:22 pm
Eliot I am so gracious for the advise you have given, I have purchased a few guides that the forum members recommended. In addition i am tweaking my study logs so that I do not repeat mistakes.

Thanks