Ask Stacy Blackman

Hi Stacy,

I am trying to get into a top 5 school (preferably U of Chicago or Wharton) in order to switch careers and become a securities analyst in the financial services industry (preferably Goldman Sachs, Merrill, etc.).
I have a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering from Iowa State U, and just completed (part-time) a Master of Science in Aerospace Engineering from Washington University in St. Louis.
Ironically, I was actually turned on to the idea of this career switch while taking two elective courses in finance during my M.S. degree. I have had a strong interest & passion for investing/finance/business that only grew when I took those electives.

I had a GPA of 3.47 in my B.S. and a GPA of 3.50 in my M.S.

So, for the past two years I have been working full-time for The Boeing Company as an Aerospace Engineer (while obtaining the M.S. degree part-time). I came to the company right out of undergrad. Specifically, I work in the advanced research & development branch of the company. Typically at this company engineers don't get a promotion to the next 'level' of engineering until they have 3-4+ years of experience. I know that I have been recommended for promotion by my manager, but due to my minimal experience I think it's somewhat unlikely I will get the promotion in this 'round'.
As for job specifics, I have been in charge of tests and certain analysis for various programs. I have organized, run, and done post-analysis work on a couple of tests here (basically going from 'start-to-finish' with the testing).

I plan on applying for Fall 07 admission to U of Chicago, Penn/Wharton, & Northwestern. By the time I am admitted (if I am admitted), I will have just over 3 years of experience. However, at the time the schools receive my application I will have just under 2.5 years of experience.

I have not yet taken the GMAT (scheduled to in mid-September '06), but have taken a few practice tests. Based on the practice tests I think I would score somewhere between 680-720. I have seen that the average GMAT scores at U of Chicago & Wharton are about 705 & 710, respectively. I have a very strong analytic background due to my engineering courses & work, but have oddly done better on the verbal section of the GMAT practice tests than I have on the quant section (in terms of estimated percentile-rank).

Other than typical 'recreational sports leagues' that I am involved in, I have also been (and am currently) involved in Habitat for Humanity as a volunteer builder. I have also volunteered as a promoter/organizer of a local canned food drive called AmeriCAN. And I have done some volunteer work (a weekend or two) with a local 'community betterment' charitable organization called Rebuilding Together, which helps to fix up the houses of residents who are unable to do so themselves. Finally, I have volunteered as an organizer/captain of a charitable organization that helps to collect school supplies & books for underprivileged children.

I was inducted into 'Sigma Gamma Tau' as an undergrad, which is the National Aerospace Engineering Honor Society.

As for other interests... I am very interested in music, beginning when I played an instrument in the band as a child. I've taught myself to play guitar, and also recently took a course in piano and have been learning to play that instrument as well. At the risk of sounding cheesy, I am a proponent of 'lifelong learning' and frequently read books to teach myself about topics that I have a strong interest in (lately, I've read several books about stocks, bonds, real estate, and investing in general).

Also, I am Caucasian and was born & raised in the United States.

What do you think about my chances for getting into a top 5 MBA program, and what things would you recommend to me in order to increase my chances of getting in? I plan on applying for Round 1 of admissions to all three schools on my list - is there a benefit to applying during Round 1 versus Round 2 or 3?

Thank you in advance for your help!
Dan