Profile Evaluation for upcoming Rd1

Expert replies

BWMBA89: Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts; Posts: 5; Joined: Tue Dec 09, 2014 7:15 pm

by BWMBA89 » Fri Jul 24, 2015 12:43 pm

Hi all,

Please evaluate my profile to give me a better sense of where I should be focusing my applications in the upcoming cycle. My weak quant on the 710 has me worried, but I am hoping to offset that with finance ugrad and quant work history.

White male
GMAT: 710 (42Q, 47V) second attempt, 680 (45Q/38V) 1st attempt
GPA: 3.64, honors program

Ugrad: Large state school, finance major
Ugrad honors: Recipient of the most 'prestigious' ugrad business scholarship at the school following my freshman year: a full ride my sophomore, junior, and senior years based off of 'showing exceptional leadership potential'.... not sure how strong of an impact this will have on MBA apps

WE: 3yrs so far.. 2yrs BB Sales & Trading analyst at the BAML/Citi/Barclays tier in NYC (1yr credit derivative sales, 1yr structured products sales, and 1yr to present (after an internal promotion/transfer) working on business strategy for a new group that is a joint-venture between markets and the private bank. Lots of senior-level exposure in the new role and expect very solid recs.

Extra curricular: significant extra curriculars during undergrad and currently a financial counselor focused on helping families build credit and avoid bankruptcy on top of being on a committee for Kiva Zip

Post-MBA goal: Consulting

I plan on applying to 2 from each of these categories:
Stretches: Kellogg, Dartmouth (they actually take highest of both my Q and V, so ~750 score), Wharton
Targets: UVA, Duke, Michigan, UCLA
Safety: UNC, Georgetown, Emory

Let me know your thoughts - any and all are greatly appreciated!

Source: Beat The GMAT — The Application Process | Fri Jul 24, 2015 12:43 pm

Dozie@VeritasPrep: Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts; Posts: 97; Joined: Tue Aug 12, 2014 12:52 pmFollowed by: 5 members; Thanked: 7 times

by Dozie@VeritasPrep » Tue Jul 28, 2015 7:56 am

Thanks for sharing your profile. I think you should be good on the GMAT, the school will see both scores and see you have the requisite aptitude especially given your strong GPA and analytical work experience. I don't see this area as a concern for you. I like your list a lot and seems to be consistent with regards to the type of schools listed.

I would say Kellogg, Tuck, Ross, Duke would probably be the schools I would target with your background. I think Wharton might give you a heard time with your GMAT score and has a bit of a different school culture the schools I identified above for you.

Think you should be in good shape here.

Hope this helps!

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BWMBA89: Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts; Posts: 5; Joined: Tue Dec 09, 2014 7:15 pm

by BWMBA89 » Wed Aug 12, 2015 7:35 am

Hi Dozie- thank you for your insight!

I have one additional unique question/situation if you are able to help further:

My short-term goal is going to be mgmt consulting, and long-term goal to be at the executive level of a leading non-profit focused on financial access / microfinance / impact investing. As such, I plan on applying to microfinance/impact investing/social consulting 'fellowships' that would take place the summer before starting school (example: Kiva Fellows program or Agora Partnerships fellow) in developing countries. For some of these programs, I will know if I am accepted or not before the application deadline for these schools. For other programs, I will not. So my question is two-fold:

If I am accepted into one of these programs before submitting my app, does it strengthen or weaken my profile to include this? Or is it better to just not mention it and go about my way? Similarly, if I am accepted after submitting an app (would likely be just a few weeks later), would it make sense to reach out and notify the adcoms of my plans?

Intuitively I think it would strengthen my application as it fits directly into my goals and will be a unique experience with tons of training. However, given the timing issues I'm not sure how to approach it.

As you can probably tell from my school list, these institutions have a strong present in the social impact realm as well, and I plan on weaving their programs into my essays.

Thanks in advance - any and all guidance is greatly appreciated!!!

GMAT/MBA Expert

Alexbr@ClearAdmit: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 309; Joined: Sun Jun 21, 2015 6:19 amFollowed by: 11 members; Thanked: 39 times

by Alexbr@ClearAdmit » Wed Aug 12, 2015 10:34 pm

I would mention it, especially as it ties in directly to your long term goals, if you are accepted prior to submitting apps. Once the app is submitted, it becomes a judgment call on your part. cheers, alex

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