BREAKING: Target Test Prep releases Brand New 2026 On Demand GMAT prep course

Redeem

Profile Eval! Please and Thanks!

This topic has expert replies
Post new topic Post Reply
Previous Topic Next Topic
Junior | Next Rank: 30 Posts
Posts: 23
Joined: Mon Apr 15, 2013 3:18 pm
Thanked: 1 times
Followed by:3 members

Profile Eval! Please and Thanks!

by thor5517 » Wed Jun 10, 2015 9:38 am
Hello,

Could you please give my profile a quick evaluation.

Schools considering - Harvard (2nd time applying), Wharton (interviewed last year), Columbia, Northwestern, Michigan (safety)

-25 year old white male

-3.56 GPA in mech engr, started at 3.0 and trended up each year (3.65 in major) - small liberal arts college in midwest

-740 Gmat (Q50/V40)

- 1 year , mechanical engineer for a major manufacturing company (in charge of getting a manufacturing line fda approval) - worked in operations

-2 years working for a pharma consulting firm - work in operation projects - will have a promotion (did not have during last application)

-Volunteer - have coached 3 separate youth basketball teams, and started a non-profit youth basketball camp - continued involvement in coaching sports

-Goal is to continue to work in the pharma industry as a consultant once i graduate to gain more experience, then long term goal to become a COO of a pharma company to be able to fix some of the problems within the pharma industry - relates back to growing up and my father having a life threatening illness and the bills that ensued after.

Let me know if I have a realistic chance at the schools i stated above and how should I approach my application and camouflage any obvious weaknesses.

Or any schools you think i am leaving out of the mix!

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!!
Top
Source: — Ask Critical Square |

GMAT/MBA Expert

User avatar
Legendary Member
Posts: 1088
Joined: Thu Apr 18, 2013 3:29 pm
Thanked: 171 times
Followed by:52 members

by CriticalSquareMBA » Wed Jun 10, 2015 11:58 am
Hey there,

Thanks for posting! The short answer is you've got a solid shot. I'm really like the Wharton interview data point. That says a lot about you and your applications last year. Your story resonated with a top ranked school. We love seeing data points like that for reapplicants. Sure, the year might not have gone quite as you had hoped for, but definitely a silver lining!

Goal wise, your consulting story makes sense and yes, an executive role within pharma (executive in ops is probably good enough, don't bandy around COO maybe - makes a very realistic goal seem less realistic) is a good long term goal. It's also a very realistic exit out of consulting. That said, consulting can be enabled by numerous schools out there - any of the top 15. So the question is....how'd you pick Columbia, Kellogg, Ross, Wharton, and HBS?

Also, that said, your chances as a reapplicant to Wharton are ok. Not a lot has changed save your promotion. You can submit an entirely new app + the reapplicant essay so that'll help, but it is always stronger to have many deltas in your application. Reapplications are a delta game. What's changed. One promotion, while great, isn't massive. But I think you should definitely reapply to Wharton. HBS I'm not sold on.

So I've just said a lot - what do you think? Tell me a bit more - what resonated, what didn't, what surprised you?

Bhavik
Critical Square | MBA Admissions Services

Web | Facebook | Twitter

Sign up for a free consultation today!

We love helping! Was this post helpful to you? Thank us and let me know!
Top
Junior | Next Rank: 30 Posts
Posts: 23
Joined: Mon Apr 15, 2013 3:18 pm
Thanked: 1 times
Followed by:3 members

by thor5517 » Wed Jun 10, 2015 12:31 pm
First of thanks for the reply!!

The reason i have chose those schools they seem to be a best fit and ideally I'd like to attend and M7.

As far as the deltas my perception is as follows:
1) I think having the promotion will be big for me - last cycle i had 0 promotions on my record since I switched jobs after 1 year
2) I have a clearer vision of my goals - this I believe is a delta
3) I didn't manage my recommendations last year - this year i have done more research about what schools want to here - so recommendations will be better
4) I started volunteer basketball coaching again - minor delta but at least a little
5) will put together a better essay that doesn't duplicate other data points in my profile - i know what my recommenders will say so i will try and create a full picture of myself with the essay

I think that the interview for Wharton was a good sign (i believe making the interview gives you a 50/50 shot). My profile will only be better this cycle, and i have heard that Wharton likes reapplicants (shows dedication to the school blah blah blah).

HBS i have heard is reapplicant "Unfriendly" - however I feel like my profile has changed enough that would warrant a decent change - seeing that all my stats fall in the HBS range. I have also heard that HBS doesn't mark someone a reapplicant until the interview. So when reviewing your profile they don't know your a reapplicant until the interview stage.

WHat are your thoughts? Does this seem like an enticing profile?
Top
Junior | Next Rank: 30 Posts
Posts: 23
Joined: Mon Apr 15, 2013 3:18 pm
Thanked: 1 times
Followed by:3 members

by thor5517 » Wed Jun 10, 2015 12:33 pm
Also what other deltas would they like to see?
My gmat is at 740 so i dont think raising that isn't a big issue
My GPA is set in stone
Changing jobs i think would only hurt
Volunteering - which i have already done
It seems to me the only thing i can manage is my promotion - will also talk about taking on more responsibility at work and leading teams which lead to promotion
Top

GMAT/MBA Expert

User avatar
Legendary Member
Posts: 1088
Joined: Thu Apr 18, 2013 3:29 pm
Thanked: 171 times
Followed by:52 members

by CriticalSquareMBA » Wed Jun 10, 2015 12:47 pm
Hey there,

You're very welcome! You're right in that Wharton is reapplicant friendly - that's one of the main reasons they ask you to submit an entire application. Definitely works in your favor. As for HBS > well, if that's a stretch for you, yes, your stats are in line. Go for it!

In terms of delta:

1) Definitely don't take the GMAT again - that is done
2) The promotion IS a positive, don't get me wrong. And while it will make a difference, it seems to be carrying your reapplication
3) The coaching thing is a nice touch but nothing monumental
4) Changing jobs will hurt - so don't do that
5) Yup, your GPA is fine
6) The recommendations could have really done you in and I'm glad you're thinking about managing them better this year
7) Your goal clarity is...kind of a delta. It's expected. So it's not a true differentiator. But definitely a step in the right direction

The problem with reapplications isn't YOU > it's that you're managing to a delta in the first place. So don't get me wrong, definitely reapply. It just adds some risk, is all.

From a school perspective, an M7 makes and with your stats, you should! If your goal is consulting, you could explore the rest of the top 15. But that depends on your risk tolerance as well as your Plan B. If you want to be aggressive this year, go for it. You're still young!

Bhavik
Critical Square | MBA Admissions Services

Web | Facebook | Twitter

Sign up for a free consultation today!

We love helping! Was this post helpful to you? Thank us and let me know!
Top
Junior | Next Rank: 30 Posts
Posts: 23
Joined: Mon Apr 15, 2013 3:18 pm
Thanked: 1 times
Followed by:3 members

by thor5517 » Wed Jun 10, 2015 1:17 pm
Thanks that all makes sense!

In your experience what have people done that have made them stand out as re-applicants?

I am trying to get a feel of what makes a successful re-applicant. Since the 2 schools i applied to once already (HBS & Wharton) both require whole new applications - i will be re-doing the entire application.

For example HBS doesn't ask what have you done since your last application on this years application. So they will see im a reapplicant but from what i've heard they wont go back and compare it to the application from last year (same thing for wharton - from what i've heard they only review the interview notes if it comes to that). In my mind these schools will see a checkbox that says i have been denied once, but will only have my current application to judge.

Does that make sense? Or do they just have higher overall standards for re-applicants.
Top

GMAT/MBA Expert

User avatar
Legendary Member
Posts: 1088
Joined: Thu Apr 18, 2013 3:29 pm
Thanked: 171 times
Followed by:52 members

by CriticalSquareMBA » Thu Jun 11, 2015 6:29 am
So there's actually no clear answer to that. Sometimes, there are things that are glaringly obvious an applicant needs to fix. Sometimes, there isn't. For example, spoke to a guy a week or two ago - super smart guy. Dartmouth, minor in neuroscience, 750, 1 year in PE, very involved, etc. He said he would be willing to reapply if he didn't get in and my point to him was to wait outright. He already had so much right in his profile, there wasn't anything to fix. The delta he had control over was small. Similarly with you, there isn't anything broken. So the promotion is great, a little more involvement is great, a stronger story is great, but there isn't anything you need to FIX, does that make sense?

As for the whole new application thing - yes, it is a great thing that both those schools allow you to do that. But to say it doesn't factor in during the process is perhaps a bit...wishful. There is definitely more scrutiny applied to reapplicants. Not always in a bad way - like we talked about, some schools do like the tenacity of a reapplicant. But they rejected you once for a reason. They know that. So yes, they'll be judging your current app but it'll be colored by your past. There is no way it can't be.

So I don't know if I would say the standards are higher so much as they are...slightly different. Perhaps a mix of both is more appropriate. But nothing you can't overcome!

Bhavik
Critical Square | MBA Admissions Services

Web | Facebook | Twitter

Sign up for a free consultation today!

We love helping! Was this post helpful to you? Thank us and let me know!
Top
Junior | Next Rank: 30 Posts
Posts: 23
Joined: Mon Apr 15, 2013 3:18 pm
Thanked: 1 times
Followed by:3 members

by thor5517 » Thu Jun 11, 2015 10:43 am
well i appreciate the response! all i can do is put my best app forward!
Top

GMAT/MBA Expert

User avatar
Legendary Member
Posts: 1088
Joined: Thu Apr 18, 2013 3:29 pm
Thanked: 171 times
Followed by:52 members

by CriticalSquareMBA » Thu Jun 11, 2015 10:47 am
You'll be fine - remember - there's silver lining in last year. You might not have gotten in, but you're not starting from square one either!

Good luck,

Bhavik
Critical Square | MBA Admissions Services

Web | Facebook | Twitter

Sign up for a free consultation today!

We love helping! Was this post helpful to you? Thank us and let me know!
Top
Junior | Next Rank: 30 Posts
Posts: 23
Joined: Mon Apr 15, 2013 3:18 pm
Thanked: 1 times
Followed by:3 members

by thor5517 » Thu Jun 11, 2015 12:19 pm
Thanks! I have been reading other places and in some cases I have heard that the school will tell you why you were "dinged". Is this something Wharton would do if I interviewed? I have reached out to my interviewer twice but never got a response.
Top

GMAT/MBA Expert

User avatar
Legendary Member
Posts: 1088
Joined: Thu Apr 18, 2013 3:29 pm
Thanked: 171 times
Followed by:52 members

by CriticalSquareMBA » Thu Jun 11, 2015 2:26 pm
Very few schools provide feedback and Wharton isn't one of them. I always say "it doesn't hurt to ask" and it seems you've done that, sans success. I'd say that's the verdict on this front!

Bhavik
Critical Square | MBA Admissions Services

Web | Facebook | Twitter

Sign up for a free consultation today!

We love helping! Was this post helpful to you? Thank us and let me know!
Top
Post new topic Post Reply
• Page 1 of 1