-
lajohnson2200
- Junior | Next Rank: 30 Posts
- Posts: 13
- Joined: Wed Aug 25, 2010 7:07 pm
Hello,
I recently took the GMAT and am trying to decide where to apply and how to frame my application. I would also be interested in purchasing a few hours of consulting, but am unsure of whether a couple of hours would really make a difference or not. My profile is below:
Female / Caucasian - 29
GMAT : 680 Q40 V41 - I am considering taking it again to get my quant score up. I have never been good at math, but with practice I have increased my quant score from the low 30th percentile to the 60th, which while still low, makes me think I can get a few more percentile points by studying consistently over the next month. Also, that is one of the lowest verbal scores I've gotten on my practice tests so I think that can be improved as well. I'd appreciate any advice on whether a retake is a good idea or not.
GPA : 3.0 from a little known private school / Finance Major. Spent waaayy to long in school and had terrible grades in the beginning with a clear improvement to mostly A's in the second year of my major courses when I finally figured out what I wanted to do, and took it seriously.
Note: I worked through school, paying for nearly all of my private school tuition bartending and throwing parties for a local magazine and bar/restaurant openings with a group of friends who now own several restaurants and clubs in the area. This is where my framing question comes in. Is this something that I can write about and use as an extracurricular? I'm not sure if event planning and bartending are really what adcoms have in mind when they ask about this. However, I do think I gained a lot of "soft skills" that I still use today through these activities. Any advice here would be helpful as well.
Work experience: Since I was busy bartending and event planning I didn't really have any internships that would help me get a job in finance. So, when I graduated I got an internship at a boutique investment bank, and then another internship at a small hedge fund that was part of a well recognized P.E. fund. I was able to us e this experience to get a job in finance:
1 year Sales Associate - Private Wealth Management at a top tier firm
6 months - Junior Consultant at a small real estate consulting firm
3+ years as an Investment Analyst at a Fortune 500 Insurance firm doing direct debt and equity private placements. Top of my class / excellent reviews and excellent recommendations. Promotion. Have a specialty in commodities.
I feel that my application is a little all over the place. I want to get into a top school but I'm not sure where I would be competitive. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
The schools I would like to consider for round two are as follows:
Kellogg, Haas, Booth, McCombs, Fuqua, UNC, - also interested in Tuck, Carnegie Mellon, Darden
Thanks,
Lajohnson2200
I recently took the GMAT and am trying to decide where to apply and how to frame my application. I would also be interested in purchasing a few hours of consulting, but am unsure of whether a couple of hours would really make a difference or not. My profile is below:
Female / Caucasian - 29
GMAT : 680 Q40 V41 - I am considering taking it again to get my quant score up. I have never been good at math, but with practice I have increased my quant score from the low 30th percentile to the 60th, which while still low, makes me think I can get a few more percentile points by studying consistently over the next month. Also, that is one of the lowest verbal scores I've gotten on my practice tests so I think that can be improved as well. I'd appreciate any advice on whether a retake is a good idea or not.
GPA : 3.0 from a little known private school / Finance Major. Spent waaayy to long in school and had terrible grades in the beginning with a clear improvement to mostly A's in the second year of my major courses when I finally figured out what I wanted to do, and took it seriously.
Note: I worked through school, paying for nearly all of my private school tuition bartending and throwing parties for a local magazine and bar/restaurant openings with a group of friends who now own several restaurants and clubs in the area. This is where my framing question comes in. Is this something that I can write about and use as an extracurricular? I'm not sure if event planning and bartending are really what adcoms have in mind when they ask about this. However, I do think I gained a lot of "soft skills" that I still use today through these activities. Any advice here would be helpful as well.
Work experience: Since I was busy bartending and event planning I didn't really have any internships that would help me get a job in finance. So, when I graduated I got an internship at a boutique investment bank, and then another internship at a small hedge fund that was part of a well recognized P.E. fund. I was able to us e this experience to get a job in finance:
1 year Sales Associate - Private Wealth Management at a top tier firm
6 months - Junior Consultant at a small real estate consulting firm
3+ years as an Investment Analyst at a Fortune 500 Insurance firm doing direct debt and equity private placements. Top of my class / excellent reviews and excellent recommendations. Promotion. Have a specialty in commodities.
I feel that my application is a little all over the place. I want to get into a top school but I'm not sure where I would be competitive. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
The schools I would like to consider for round two are as follows:
Kellogg, Haas, Booth, McCombs, Fuqua, UNC, - also interested in Tuck, Carnegie Mellon, Darden
Thanks,
Lajohnson2200
