Ask Clear Admit

Hi Stacey,

I'm coming at this from a background with relatively little exposure to friends/colleagues applying to business school, so I would be very grateful to have an outside perspective on my candidacy as it currently stands for applying in round 1 this fall. In particular, I'd like to know:

1. If my profile has areas that need a boost: Should I consider looking to supplement my quant credentials with some sort of alternative transcript? Do I need to worry about not having obvious leadership experience at work?
2. Are my target schools complete pipe dreams, or are they in the realm of possibility?

28/F/caucasian/Honolulu

WORK:
5 years experience as an Arts Administrator at a small nonprofit org. Key responsibilities include managing educational programming and marketing/PR. Accomplishments include implementing new media marketing campaign leading to 30% increase in program enrollment; bringing in $200,000+ this year in first-time grant funding from NEA and NEH which increased our bottom line by 11%.

We're a very small company, so unfortunately I don't have any direct reports other than interns and short-term, on-contract hires for specific projects. However, I think I can argue that I have demonstrated leadership through managing my peers in implementing some key educational programs, and also through serving as the editor for our organization's monthly membership publication.

OTHER WORK:
My second job (because arts nonprofit work doesn't pay the bills) is that I'm a freelance arts writer and photographer for publications like Rolling Stone, New York Magazine, and a few newspapers. I fly around and write exhibit reviews for big art museum retrospectives, cover music concerts and festivals, etc, when I can.

EDUCATION:

• B.A. from Vassar College, 2004, Art History (major) and Economics (minor), GPA 3.5 -- I took quite a lot of quant classes including calculus, statistics, cognitive science, etc, so I'm hoping that my transcript will help to put any sorts of arts-heavy concerns to rest
• M.A. from University of Southern California, 2006, Art History, GPA 3.7

GMAT:
I just started studying, but so far my practice scores have been around 640-660. I'm hopeful that I can bring it up to a 680+ before I take the official test. My GRE scores from when I took the test back in 2004 with absolutely zero preparation were 740V/650Q.

EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES:

• Various current hobbies including marathon running, surfing, gourmet cooking, blogging
• When I was in school, I had a full roster of extracurriculars including being elected to the Student Senate, serving as the Events Chair on the Student Senate, serving as the Student-Faculty Liason for our department, serving an advisory role on the Dean's Council, and 3 semesters as a recruited varsity athlete (rowing/crew) before injury

WHY MBA/WHY NOW/CAREER GOALS:
The primary reason I want to get an MBA is because after working in arts nonprofits for 5 years, I can see the fundamental inefficiencies that come from having a staff who are deeply committed and passionate, but unable to think about how to run things from a business perspective. I see myself working up the ladder to senior management someday not too far in the future, and I don't want to be part of that problem. I also think that having an MBA gives the director of a nonprofit arts org a serious leg up when it comes to dealing with a largely corporate Board of Directors, and a special sort of entree into the business world of private donors and corporate sponsors.

TARGET SCHOOLS:
I'm still researching schools, but I'm especially interested in schools with strong social enterprise programs and nonprofit loan forgiveness programs. As of right now, my top choice is Yale SOM, with Berkeley-Haas close behind. But they're very selective -- what can I do to help get me there?

I'd appreciate any feedback. Thank you!

Hi Courtney,

Thanks for your post. It sounds like you've given a lot of thought to going back to school. Your reason for seeking an MBA are sound and an adcom can surely understand your goals. Sometimes defining goals can be the most difficult part of the application process (with the exception of the GMAT), and in particular, I find that those who come from non-traditional backgrounds often struggle the most with clearly articulating their post MBA goals. This however does not seem to be the case with you. You will want to be sure to get a little more specific on the business areas you need to learn in order to achieve success, but I am confident you have an understanding and will be able to articulate this in your essays.

Those from non-traditional backgrounds do often tend to get a little more scrutiny when it comes to academics. However, it sounds like you took a fair amount of quantitative coursework in undergrad, which should help to put the adcom at ease. A solid score on the quant section of the GMAT (80th percentile) as well as some evidence/highlights of quantitative experience in the work place will also help boost this area of your profile.

Many applicants to business school aren't at the point in their career where they've had an opportunity to lead. I usually recommend stepping outside of work and looking to extracurricular activities for leadership examples. Not only is it often easier to take on a leadership role outside of the office, it tends to lend to a much more creative and interesting story (something every adcom member appreciates).

Next steps for you include adding a bit more detail around your goals and taking the GMAT. If you don't do as well on the GMAT as you hope to do, you should consider taking a course or two (something you didn't already take in undergrad).

As for your school choice, I think you're off to a good start. I generally recommend applying to 4-6 schools with a mix of reach, target and safer options. I encourage you to think about the things that draw you to Yale and Haas and look to other schools in the top 20 that might have the same or similar type of offering.

Regards,

Stacey

Hi Stacey,

Thank you so much for taking the time to write your detailed reply.

Your points that I would do well to further detail the specific ways in which I can bring MBA lessons into my nonprofit arts world, and that I should look towards extracurriculars for demonstrable leadership opportunities, are both very helpful.

I'll be visiting family on the east coast next month, so I plan to take the opportunity to visit a few schools and hopefully learn more about what I'm looking for to help me flesh out a full list 4-6 schools with both safety and reach possibilities.

And yes, other than that, count me fully immersed in GMAT bootcamp for that 80th+ percentile quant score!

Courtney

Hi,

I am so glad to help. Best of luck to you.

Stacey