Profile Evaluation

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Profile Evaluation

by awoldmoe » Fri Aug 12, 2016 6:11 pm
Hello,

First and foremost, I would like to thank BEATtheGMAT for this awesome social network. I was constantly on this site throughout my GMAT studies, reading motivational debriefs and going through problems/explanations.

Anyways, I would love some honest feedback on my "profile". I recently just completed my second GMAT attempt after a grueling 18-months of studying (on and off) in which I improved my first CAT exam score by 210 points. I am planning to apply to business school in two years; therefore, I would be in the class graduating in 2021.

Stats
- Age: 23 (keep in mind, I will be 26 my first year at school)
- Gender: Male
- Ethnicity: Caucasian
- Undergrad: B.S. in Finance at a top 50 university (private school)
- GPA: 3.8
- GMAT First Attempt: July 18th, 2015 (Quant 47 Verbal 35 - Total Score 680, IR5 AWA5.5)
- GMAT Second Attempt: August 10th, 2016 (Quant 49 Verbal 36 - Total Score 710, IR3 AWA5.5)


Experience
- By the time I apply for business school, I will have had 4 years of work experience in Big Pharma (think J&J). Additionally, I will have worked in the Midwest and the Northeast for different roles, and potentially a short-term assignment overseas, all positions as a financial analyst/sr. financial analyst. My company has a corporate sponsorship program in which they sponsor (pay for) analysts to go back to top MBA programs full-time.

Noteworthy College Extracurricular Experience
- I played Division 1 tennis and was the captain for three years (this was about 20 hours a week)
- I had two internships during college (corporate finance and consulting) my junior and senior year

Noteworthy Post-College Extracurricular Experience
- I am a volunteer assistant coach at a Division 1 college program out in the northeast
- I am a motivational speaker to various middle schools and high schools (speak to congregations of hundreds of students)

Target
- HBS
- Stanford
- Kellogg
- Yale
- Columbia

Post-MBA
I would like to stay with the company I work for and climb the corporate ladder. Additionally, I would be interested in owning my own business. Someday, I would like to lead thousands of people in the workplace and make a major impact in the community and on the lives of those I lead.

Recommendation Comments:
HBS: My first boss was an HBS grad who I have an amazing relationship with who will be writing a recommendation letter for me in the future. Additionally, I worked very closely with other HBS grads who would be more than happy to write recommendations for me.
Kellogg: I have worked very closely (on the same team) with two Kellogg grads that would write recommendations for me.
Stanford and Yale: As of right now, I don't have any immediate connections at work/outside of work for recommendations. We have plenty of Stanford grads, but I haven't worked with any so far.
Columbia: My second boss was a Columbia grad who I had a great connection with and she would be more than happy to write a recommendation for me.

Concerns:
- The biggest concern that I have is my score, IR3, on my latest GMAT score. I was so happy with my composite score, as I have had to climb all the way from a 500 on my first CAT to a 710. I am burnt out and do not want to take the GMAT again; however, I do not want that Integrated Reasoning score to ding me so much that I can't get into a top 5-10 program. My goal with the GMAT was to be able to have my application be placed in the "further review" pile of applications, rather than the trashcan. Could the IR3 ruin my chances? Are there other parts of my application that could help offset? On all of my practice exams, and even my first GMAT attempt, I scored anywhere from a 5-7 on IR. For whatever reason, I found the wording extremely difficult and hard to understand on my last GMAT attempt. Nonetheless, I bombed it and it has given me major anxiety the last two days. I am assuming my second GMAT attempt still looks better on paper than my first GMAT attempt, despite the poor IR score.

Sorry for all the information, I am just trying to ease my anxiety stemming from the low IR score and wanted to provide you a brief perspective of my profile to get an honest evaluation.

Best,
Future MBA Prospect

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by MBA Ivy » Sun Aug 14, 2016 5:47 am
Hi, a 710 is a strong composite score and that is what will get you seriously considered. Adcom DOES look at the breakdown, but not as much as you think. The purpose of the GMAT is to make sure that those students they admit can do the actual work. The worst thing a school wants is to admit someone who can't keep up and then drops out and/or fails.

It looks bad for the school and it looks bad for you.

So, given your 710 score, the best thing you can do to increase your chances in the coming years is to work for the best known company in your field that you can work for (you mention J & J as an example, and that's excellent). Working in a major city as well as having some kind of international experience - whether for a summer or an internship, or ideally an ongoing project at work is only going to help your cause.

Participating in humanitarian and charitable extracurricular activities will also raise your profile much more than tennis. The schools want to see that you can be "other focused"...that you're not afraid to give back as that will make for a great class.

Rec letters, essays, your interview, all need to be stellar too.

With a 710 though, I wouldn't be so concerned anymore about your GMAT score, especially if you don't want to take it again. Every jump in your score helps, and will help, but you have a solid score and I would now focus on your job and gaining the necessary experience so you can shine there.

Hope that help!

[I'm a former Harvard admissions interviewer and a Harvard graduate, and currently run the MBA admissions firm: www.MBAIvyLeague.com

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Looking for help on this year's MBA applications? I'm a former Harvard admissions interviewer and Harvard graduate. Check out my blog for great MBA advice and tips, or contact me for a free consultation today! www.MBAIvyLeague.com

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by [email protected] » Tue Aug 16, 2016 9:46 am
Hi there,
Since you want to be an entrepreneur, we would recommend you to apply to Sloan, Haas and Tuck which have high ranks in this area. Also, you have a good GMAT score that would give you a chance to be accepted by those schools.

For more information about best MBA programs by industries, take a look at our video Best Programs for 10 Typical MBA Industries
I would like to mention that you have a valuable working experience; however, I would recommend you to work on differentiating yourself from the rest of the applicants.
If you need any clarification about our recommendations or further advice regarding your MBA application, don't hesitate to sign up for a FREE consultation.
Best,
As GM of MBAitNow I make sure that every client receives the attention they deserve and experience our well-structured approach and process that ensures that they will have the best chances to get accepted at their dream schools.

My team and I had placed clients at MBA programs such as, HBS, SLOAN, ANDERSON, STERN, WHARTON, BOOTH, KELLOGG, HAAS, DARDEN, FUQUA, ROSS, etc.

GMAT/MBA Expert

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by Donna@Stratus » Tue Aug 23, 2016 2:18 pm
awoldmoe wrote:Hello,

First and foremost, I would like to thank BEATtheGMAT for this awesome social network. I was constantly on this site throughout my GMAT studies, reading motivational debriefs and going through problems/explanations.

Anyways, I would love some honest feedback on my "profile". I recently just completed my second GMAT attempt after a grueling 18-months of studying (on and off) in which I improved my first CAT exam score by 210 points. I am planning to apply to business school in two years; therefore, I would be in the class graduating in 2021.

Stats
- Age: 23 (keep in mind, I will be 26 my first year at school)
- Gender: Male
- Ethnicity: Caucasian
- Undergrad: B.S. in Finance at a top 50 university (private school)
- GPA: 3.8
- GMAT First Attempt: July 18th, 2015 (Quant 47 Verbal 35 - Total Score 680, IR5 AWA5.5)
- GMAT Second Attempt: August 10th, 2016 (Quant 49 Verbal 36 - Total Score 710, IR3 AWA5.5)


Experience
- By the time I apply for business school, I will have had 4 years of work experience in Big Pharma (think J&J). Additionally, I will have worked in the Midwest and the Northeast for different roles, and potentially a short-term assignment overseas, all positions as a financial analyst/sr. financial analyst. My company has a corporate sponsorship program in which they sponsor (pay for) analysts to go back to top MBA programs full-time.

Noteworthy College Extracurricular Experience
- I played Division 1 tennis and was the captain for three years (this was about 20 hours a week)
- I had two internships during college (corporate finance and consulting) my junior and senior year

Noteworthy Post-College Extracurricular Experience
- I am a volunteer assistant coach at a Division 1 college program out in the northeast
- I am a motivational speaker to various middle schools and high schools (speak to congregations of hundreds of students)

Target
- HBS
- Stanford
- Kellogg
- Yale
- Columbia

Post-MBA
I would like to stay with the company I work for and climb the corporate ladder. Additionally, I would be interested in owning my own business. Someday, I would like to lead thousands of people in the workplace and make a major impact in the community and on the lives of those I lead.

Recommendation Comments:
HBS: My first boss was an HBS grad who I have an amazing relationship with who will be writing a recommendation letter for me in the future. Additionally, I worked very closely with other HBS grads who would be more than happy to write recommendations for me.
Kellogg: I have worked very closely (on the same team) with two Kellogg grads that would write recommendations for me.
Stanford and Yale: As of right now, I don't have any immediate connections at work/outside of work for recommendations. We have plenty of Stanford grads, but I haven't worked with any so far.
Columbia: My second boss was a Columbia grad who I had a great connection with and she would be more than happy to write a recommendation for me.

Concerns:
- The biggest concern that I have is my score, IR3, on my latest GMAT score. I was so happy with my composite score, as I have had to climb all the way from a 500 on my first CAT to a 710. I am burnt out and do not want to take the GMAT again; however, I do not want that Integrated Reasoning score to ding me so much that I can't get into a top 5-10 program. My goal with the GMAT was to be able to have my application be placed in the "further review" pile of applications, rather than the trashcan. Could the IR3 ruin my chances? Are there other parts of my application that could help offset? On all of my practice exams, and even my first GMAT attempt, I scored anywhere from a 5-7 on IR. For whatever reason, I found the wording extremely difficult and hard to understand on my last GMAT attempt. Nonetheless, I bombed it and it has given me major anxiety the last two days. I am assuming my second GMAT attempt still looks better on paper than my first GMAT attempt, despite the poor IR score.

Sorry for all the information, I am just trying to ease my anxiety stemming from the low IR score and wanted to provide you a brief perspective of my profile to get an honest evaluation.

Best,
Future MBA Prospect
First of all, I am so impressed with how methodical you are in planning for the future. You have far more positives than negatives and in general I agree (and I am former adcom from Kenan-Flagler) that the overall score gets looked at far more than the IR score. I might just take a break for now and then perhaps revisit in a year. I would say that leadership wise- you can use the tennis more than you might think if you incorporate leadership like setting up a program for underserved youth or some other way to make a contribution to the sport. If this is part of who you are, it makes sense to seek leadership in it. Work and connections sound very strong! We do offer hourly consults for clients in your situation- clients more than a year out of applyiing- and we work with these clients to help them select the most powerful activities and projects to make sure when they apply that they are really ready in every way. If you want to look into this option, here is the link for a free consult: https://stratusprep.com/free-consult/ But mostly I think you are absolutely on the right path to M7 schools and as a Kellogg grad myself I would encourage you to give this school a close look also!