Ask an MBA Admissions Consultant

I am planning to apply the following MBA in 2010: Darden, Stern, Cornell, and Tepper.

Here are my stats:

gmat: 690 (v 34, q 49)
gpa: 3.14 from Cornell Engineering majored in Operation Research
work experience: 4 years. I have worked for IBM about 1.2 year and a Fixed income hedge fund about 1.5 year and now I am with an automated trading firm. I am doing mostly programming/finance operation work.
extracurricular activities: My partner and I own a real estate investment that is worth about $720,000. I am responsible for negotiate rent contract, obtain mortgage, and maintenance of the property. My other extracurricular activity is to help sale and promote New Tang Dynasty Gala. Falungong organizes a yearly Chinese new year and I am involved with the promotion of the show. I am also a CFA level 2 candidate.
Career goal: I hope to make switch from IT/Operation to more finance related role. After MBA I plan to work in Asset Management and eventually become a Portfolio manager.

hi j,
thanks for your post. overall you have an interesting background. i think your extra curricular activities and entreprenurial activities will help set you apart from many other applications.

that said, one thing that stands out is your stats are slightly lower than other finance candidates applying to those programs. you may consider retaking the GMAT if you believe you can improve your score by 30-40 points. or consider taking a post-grad analytical course, such as stats, calculus or even accounting. will not have a significant impact on your candidacy, but can help AdCom overcome any concerns they have over your academic capabilities

regards,

n