Please evaluate my profile, thanks!

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Please evaluate my profile, thanks!

by ajguerre » Wed Jun 18, 2008 10:12 am
Hi Stacy, Amy, & Lisa,

I’m planning to apply for business school this coming fall. Please evaluate my profile, thanks!

Background
U.S. Citizen but lived in Ecuador until I was 20 so my native language is Spanish. Moved to the U.S. to go to college (Wharton – UPENN) and then stayed here working. I’m currently 27 years old.

Education
B.S. in Economics with concentration in Finance and Information Systems from Wharton (University of Pennsylvania)
GPA: 2.74

GMAT
650 (82%) – 47Q (81%) / 35V (75%)
Definitely plan to take it again. I have been scoring in the low to mid 700s in my practice test, so please assume I have a 700+ GMAT score.

Work Experience
3 years in Fannie Mae (Washington, DC) in a financial position – 2 promotions
2 years (current position) in Lehman Brothers (NYC) in a trading floor position – I’m up for a promotion this year.

Extracurricular
Streetwise Partners: Mentor adults and young adults who want to switch to a corporate career. Help them in the complete career preparation process (Goals, Pitch, Resume, Cover Letter, Interviewing, Computer Skills, etc.)

Project Enterprise: Non-profit that specializes in helping up-and-coming entrepreneurs to start their business thru micro-financing, business consulting, networking, etc. I help with their program to Spanish-speaking entrepreneurs by translating articles and newsletters as well as by developing their business curriculum.

Schools
I’m targeting the more quantitative MBA programs, such as MIT (Sloan) and CMU (Tepper). I’m also looking into GSB, Wharton, and HBS.

My first choice is Tepper and I’m interested in applying to one of the school’s dual-degree programs (MBA/Master in Computational Finance) which has an even more quantitative focus.

Given my below average GPA, do you think I have competitive application for the schools above? If not, what steps can I take to strengthen my academic profile? (i.e. additional courses, certifications, etc.)

Thank you so much for your time and expertise!!!
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by Lisa Anderson » Wed Jun 18, 2008 2:26 pm
Dear ajguerre,

If you get your score into the 700s, then you should be a competitive profile for any MBA program. If your highest score is between 650-690, then you still have a good chance at most schools including Tepper. If you wanted to take some additional coursework, then I would suggest taking math courses like finite math, algebra, and calculus. These courses might be redundant, but most finance professors suggest math course before they suggest finance, accounting or statistics courses as preparation for the MBA. However, I am not sure courses or certifications are necessary in your case between a good GMAT (650+) and your work experience.

Somehow, I think you will do just fine and end up in a great program. :wink:
Good luck!
Lisa
Lisa Anderson
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Stacy Blackman Consulting

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by ajguerre » Wed Jun 18, 2008 3:11 pm
Lisa,

Thank you very much for your advice!

I will definitely consider some calculus and algebra courses since I haven't been really using sophisticated math since college.

Thank again!