Help out a Lehmanite

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Help out a Lehmanite

by wangs700 » Thu Sep 25, 2008 9:29 am
I've been planning to apply to INSEAD class of 2010 since the begining of this year. The deadline for application is March 2009, but with what happend recently, I'm not sure which direction I should go. Please give me some advise...

Education: Small Business College in Boston, Finance Major, 3.65gpa, Cum Laude, honor classes, studied aboard in Hong Kong for 1 semester.

Work Ex: 8 Months at Protiviti, small risk mgmt firm in NYC, was a consultant for internal audit and litigation engagement. Left b/c none of the work were finance related and I wanted to use my Finance degree and get away from accounting and testing SOX.
Start at Lehman in May 2007, Internal Audit position within the Finance functions, audited financial stmts, finance depts. Thought about transfering, but needed to stay 1 full year. So I waitted until May 2008, and the position I wanted was filled. By that time I've already taken my GMAT and was definitely thinking about applying to INSEAD in March 2009 (waitting for a possible promotion at the end of the year). Needless to say, that never happened and now I'm in a limbo.

GMAT: 620, definitely going to take it again before applying.

Goal: To change my career to management consulting or internal consulting. I can leverage the skill sets I've obtained from internal audit (i.e. interviewing clients, work well in a team, problem solving skills) I don't think accounting is my cup of tea, and I want to go back to consulting b/c I enjoyed working with different clients and coworkers. Bottomline, I just want to get out of accounting.

Questions:
1) Should I go ahead and apply to INSEAD in March 2009 even though I only have 2 yrs of W/E, a bankrupted company as previous employer, no promotion, small name school..
2) Should I go back on the job market and hopefully to land a management consulting job? in this economy, it's hard to keep a job, let alone finding a job in an entirely different industry.
3) Or should I go back to Asia and find some opportunities there? I know INSEAD loves international experiences, and so do I. I've always wanted an international career and that's why I chose INSEAD. But I imagine I would be staying w/in the accounting field just so I can find a job easier.

Basically, I have 3 choices, apply to B-School, change career, change locatioin. All of them gives me slim chances...

What do you think?
INSEAD, NYU, Yale, Tufts...

Looking to get out of Audit

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by Lisa Anderson » Fri Sep 26, 2008 12:31 pm
Dear wangs700,

I agree that your option of changing jobs, with or without a change in location, will not necessarily be helpful. I think it will be a tough year and you need to find a way to make a compelling case for your admission. It is important to show your leadership potential and career progression, which is a little unclear from your post. You do need to retake your GMAT to be competitive for INSEAD.

Perhaps put off applying for a year to really prepare for the GMAT, increase your extracurriculars and maybe pursue an international experience of some kind? There are many opportunities to work abroad for a NGO for either a short or extended period. Maybe you should look into a 6-12 month program that would give you some interesting stories, highlight your leadership, and get you out of the job you hate? Just a thought...

Good luck,
Lisa
Lisa Anderson
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Stacy Blackman Consulting

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by wangs700 » Mon Sep 29, 2008 5:59 am
Thanks Lisa for your suggestions. I know it's hard to tell me where to go when I am the one who's confused. For now, I'm going to stay under Barclays Capital and seek other opportunities. Seems though the most important criteria I'm missing is a promotion. I've looked into NGO, but I'm not sure if I'm ready yet.

Thank you for your input regardless and I will keep those in mind.
INSEAD, NYU, Yale, Tufts...

Looking to get out of Audit