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Profile Evaluation & Questions

by ksof413 » Sun Aug 16, 2009 7:31 pm
I recently took the GMAT and scored a 640 (40 Quant and 37 Verbal).

I am currently in still undergrad and have a cumulative 4.0 GPA. I am a finance major and mathematics minor. As far as extra-curriculars, I am president of the economics club, SGA treasurer, economics department senior fellow, economics tutor, and an active member in our newly formed student run investment club. During my last two years of college, I have had a summer internship at a local wealth management firm, primarily working in the investments department.

I know this is primarily for MBAS, but I am looking to either get an MS Finance or an MBA with a specialization in Finance but don't exactly know which schools offer the MBA finance.

First question: Which schools should I consider? I have been really looking at Vanderbilt for MS Finance but I was wondering if I have a chance there and which schools within my range have an MBA Finance program.

Second question: Should I take the GMAT again if I am not aiming for a top tier program? I believe that I could definitely improve my quant as I am a good math student but let my nerves get the best of me this time around.
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by Lisa Anderson » Mon Aug 17, 2009 8:40 am
Dear ksof413,

The MBA degree is a general graduate business degree with the opportunity to specialize, if you wish, in a functional area through the elective offerings. Thus you can choose to take the bulk of your electives in finance, marketing, or any other functional area the schools offers a sufficient number of electives in. Since finance is the focus for a large number of MBA students, you will find that most MBA programs offer a variety of finance courses. The difference between a MSFinance and a MBA lies in the core course requirements. The MS program will focus solely on finance courses whereas a MBA requires you to complete a core curriculum incorporating all the business disciplines prior to the elective coursework. Depending on what your career goals are, one program might make more sense for you than another.

If you believe you can do better on the GMAT, then it might be worth a retake. A higher score will not hurt you and it could increase the options available to you for schools. If you are planning to apply to enter graduate school directly from undergraduate, then you will want to identify schools that are open to applicants with no work experience. MS programs do not generally require nor prefer work experience, but MBA programs usually do prefer at least 2 years of work experience. Generally speaking, you will be in the best competitive position where your GMAT and GPA are near or above the averages for the school.

Good luck,
Lisa
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