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An early request for profile evaluation (applying in 2013)

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An early request for profile evaluation (applying in 2013)

by GPT_55 » Sun Feb 20, 2011 5:42 am
Hello all,

I would like to ask for some advice about school selection and some feedback on my chances. I have to say that I have one really glaring weakness (GPA) and there are some elements missing from my profile as I have not taken the GMAT yet. I only plan to apply in 2013 (I'll be 28 years old) so I think I still have a lot of time to prepare and to build my profile.

Background:
25 yr old male from continental Europe (former Eastern bloc)
Undergrad: Law
GPA: 3.5 on a 5-scale (average)

Work experience:
2 years in government (will have 4+ when applying) working with EU affairs. I'd say roughly half of my job is of legal nature, the rest are coordinational and preparatory roles which also include budgetary issues. I haven't been promoted (they don't really promote guys with my age in our government system) but only after a short time I was assigned to really difficult tasks which I handled well. I will have great recommendations from direct supervisors that will reflect this. Apart from working on your own, my job includes a lot of teamwork and of course a high level of international exposure, these will be highlighted in my essays and recommendations. I have volunteered for some works related to budgetary issues with a view on applying to business school.

During my college years I have worked at a lawyers' firm as an intern and at a company involved in the maintenance and joint representation of apartment blocks (my job was communicating with residents and resolving daily issues, and I was also involved in planning the budget).

Extracurriculars:
Since my high school years I more and more dug myself into sports journalism. First I worked as a journalist at a monthly boxing magazine and as editor of a website. Later I've started an own website about (American) football, established a company to run it, signed a partnership deal with a sports TV. I've also become editor of a monthly football mag (the only we know of in continental Europe), I did weekly radio shows and I work as an on-air analyst in TV broadcasts.
We organized charity events for well-known boxers in my country.

I wish to underline that this is nothing more than a hobby that turned somewhat serious and I never thought of pursuing a full-time career in this field.

I also participate in my high school's alumni choir.

Languages: Fluent English, intermediate/advanced German and Italian, basic French.

Career goals:
I don't want to give up on practicing law entirely, I love it actually. I also plan on going back into public administration (government or an international organization).
Why MBA? I want to broaden my perspective, improve my leadership and general management skills, while also getting a better grasp of budgetary and finance issues. Getting these skills would enable me to step out of the 'brick-headed-lawyer' stereotype and to start working with more diverse issues besides law and naturally to help me with my career advancement.

I know my GPA is a red flag. I plan to take the Bar Exam next year, would a good result there help me with my GPA? I will definitely address the low score it where given the chance and I'd like to underline the improvement since leaving college. I undestand that since I'm a lawyer my GPA wouldn't show anything about my quant skills even if it was better so a strong GMAT with good quant score is a must. Should I also try and take some extra courses? If yes, should they reflect my current profession (f.e. finance & banking law courses) or should I home in on statistics, analysis, finance etc?

My dream schools are Stanford and Yale due to the opportunities they offer in public and global management. My real concern is if my GPA makes it impossible to get into these schools regardless of f.e. a great GMAT.

I'd appreciate any feedback and recommendations.

Thanks
GPT
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by Tani » Sun Feb 20, 2011 8:16 am
Schools such as Stanford and Yale are always difficult to get into, but not impossible for someone with your background. You should emphasize those factors in your resume that promise unusual contributions to classroom learning. Your Eastern European background, your government experience and your successful efforts in sports will make you interesting to admissions committees. A killer GMAT score would be a great help in offsetting your GPA. The majority of applicants to programs such as you are applying to are exceptionally well-qualified. The admissions offices generally are faced with selecting from an outstanding group rather than trying to find acceptable candidates. They are committed to offering a wide range of views and skills in the classroom so positioning yourself as bringing a new perspective will be beneficial.

As for classes, you should focus on hard quant subjects such as calculus and statistics. You will take the finance-oriented courses in B-school.

You are wise to get an early start. Plan on taking twice as long as you think you will need to write your essays and pull your application together. Same for GMAT study. If possible, take a strong GMAT course - Kaplan offers online classroom courses and one-on-one tutoring and use a trained admissions consultant.

Good luck,
Tani Wolff
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by GPT_55 » Sun Feb 20, 2011 8:49 am
Thank you very much for your fast reply and comments, it's much appreciated. It's reassuring that I'm not aiming at something that definitely got out of reach with my GPA.
Could you recommend some other schools which offer similar possibilities to prospective students like me who are looking to getting back into the government/public administration sector?

About the extra classes: Does it actually matter if a quant course gives some kind of official transcript or certification or is it merely enough to show that I've attended such classes in an effort to improve these skills and the results will (hopefully) show up in my GMAT scores? Also, do adcoms have a preference to courses offered by institutions compared to - for example - private tutoring?

I started planning early because most of my time and efforts in 2012 will go to the Bar Exam. So that leaves me with this year when I'll probably take the TOEFL and some quant classes and give the GMAT a first go in the fall (I'll definitely take a GMAT course. I was good in math in high school so I'm not genetically quant-dumb, but I need to get the rust off). That'll leave me with some time in early 2013 to have another go at the GMAT if it's necessary and maybe set up some school visits if I can afford it. Meanwhile I already started looking at schools' admission events planned in Europe.
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by Tani » Sun Feb 20, 2011 9:40 am
I would definitely want to take a course that provided a transcript. Schools have no way to tell whether your tutor was any good or whether the material was challenging.

You should explore a couple of school websites to see which ones routinely put students into government positions. In the US, that often means schools in or near Washington, DC. Although those are obviously placing their students in US government positions, the opportunity to network with and learn from students and professors who are up to date on US government issues should be beneficial.

You might also look at schools that offer degrees in public administration. Again, these would be oriented to the home country, but could be very useful in giving you a view of alternative systems.
Tani Wolff
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by GPT_55 » Sun Feb 20, 2011 10:19 am
Thank you for your advice!

Best regards
GPT
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by paulsbodine » Mon Feb 21, 2011 10:42 am
GPT_55,

You have a very interesting background: Eastern Europe, the law, your sports-related extracurriculars, etc. Since you are aiming high, I would take statistics and calculus to show them you can do well there, and of course to compensate for your GPA, I would aim for as high a GMAT as possible, ideally north of 720. A quantitative score above the 80th percentile would greatly help to minimize any concerns they have over your non-quantitative background. I don't see the bar exam as helping to offset your GPA very much. Doing well on the GMAT is much more important. But your GPA is not a deal-breaker. To maximize your odds, I recommend applying sooner than age 28. Feel free to send me your CV for a closer look.

Good luck,
Paul Bodine
Author, "Great Applications for Business School," "Perfect Phrases for Business School Acceptance," "Perfect Phrases for Letters of Recommendation"
https://www.paulsbodine.com/
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by GPT_55 » Mon Feb 21, 2011 11:08 am
Dear Paul

Thank you for your advice.

I am pleasantly surprised by both your and Tanis views that my GPA is not a definite obstacle. Thinking that my country uses a 5-scale system (which essentially means you have to deduct 1 to get the result in the 4.0 scale GPA) my 3.5 is so plain awful that I don't really stand a chance in top schools. That's the main reason I'm gunning for the Bar Exam, since it could show that I can do better in the same field where I didn't do well in my undergrad studies. (And of course the fact that I don't want to give up practicing law entirely and such an exam is required for one to act on his own.)

Due to time constraints (the compulsory work experience needed to take the Bar Exam) there is no way for me to finish it before Fall 2012. If you suggest that I should apply earlier (in 2012) that means I either have to finalize and submit my applications AND take the Bar Exam at the same time (doesn't sound good) or I have to ditch the Bar Exam (at least for now).

My original plan was to take the TOEFL this summer, give the GMAT a first go at the end of this year or early 2012, then get past the Bar Exam, and then I still have time for another go at the GMAT early 2013.

Your suggestion definitely makes me rethink and I need to take a look at my possibilities, especially quant classes available here. (Do they have online classes somewhere that give a degree?)

Again, thank you for your advice, I'll get back to you here for sure.
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by paulsbodine » Mon Feb 21, 2011 12:27 pm
GPT_55,

If taking the Bar Exam is an integral part of your career plan, then don't delay that just because it will postpone your B-school application. Age 28 is still basically within the age 'sweet spot' for U.S. schools, so proceed with your plan. To be clear, I do regard your GPA as a significant obstacle especially at the very top schools, which can afford to pick and choose from thousands of outstanding profiles. But it is not a deal-breaker, and I do think you can compensate to some extent for it, above through through a killer GMAT score.

Yes, you can take quant classes online, but you don't need to take them as part of a degree program -- taking the individually or through MBAMath.com etc. would be fine.

Good luck,
Paul Bodine
Author, "Great Applications for Business School," "Perfect Phrases for Business School Acceptance," "Perfect Phrases for Letters of Recommendation"
https://www.paulsbodine.com/
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by GPT_55 » Mon Feb 21, 2011 1:12 pm
Paul,

Thanks for your review and advice. The fact that my GPA is "only" a major obstacle is the best I realistically could've hoped for so for me that's very reassuring. I'll update my CV soon for you to have a look.

Thanks again
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