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Profile Evaluation Request: Full-Time or Part-Time?

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Profile Evaluation Request: Full-Time or Part-Time?

by mjwendt90 » Thu Jun 04, 2015 3:49 pm
Hello,

I am looking for an assessment on my chances of being accepted into a top 25 full-time program.

Being admitted to a top 25 school is likely the only way I'd consider leaving my current role in IT Project Management at a Fortune 100 Health Insurer. Career trajectory at my current company leads to management. However, I have a desire to transition into consulting (ideally Big 4) and think a full-time MBA program would afford me the education and recruiting opportunities to do so. Otherwise, would a part-time or EMBA program while in my current role be a better fit?

GMAT:

It's a bit early in the process as I'm currently studying for the GMAT and looking to sit for the first time in July. Diagnostics suggest 670-700 is attainable. Hoping this would override my lack of quant background and average quant grades in undergrad (C+ in Calc)

Demographic:

Age: 25
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male

Background:

School: Big 10 State School
Education: BS Public Health
GPA: 3.4

Work Experience:

Company: Top 5 Public Health Insurer
Role:
- IT Business Consultant (2 years)
- IT Project Manager (1 year)

Extracurricular:

- Running (Marathon finisher)
- Non-leadership volunteer role at Children's Hospital
- Multiple leadership roles in undergrad

Target Schools:

- Kelley
- McDonough
- Owen

Reach:

- Ross
- Fuqua
- Kellogg
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by mcbMcK » Thu Jun 04, 2015 8:28 pm
Dear Mjwendt90,

Consider the following points:
  1. Right up, not sure what type of consulting you had in mind there. If you meant Management Consulting (think McK) then its usually Big 3. Big 4 is used more for the Audit universe (think KPMG). If it is indeed the former, those firms tend to (over)value analytical skills. So I would strongly recommend pushing the GMAT envelope even further - more so since you say your quant performance hasn't be great.
  2. An IT Consulting role (with the likes of Accenture) though might be more within reach - so think deeper and assess where you want to really be and what are the odds before you create your essays. An EMBA at this stage is not advisable at all. Read here for a comparison on EMBA Vs full time MBA.
  3. The school list you have there looks balanced on the face of it - assuming you've done the background research and stuff. With well articulated essays and a good score, you should have a decent shot at the top 25 so go for it.
Cheers,
MG (Manish Gupta)|The MBA Crystal Ball Team

Website: https://www.mbacrystalball.com
Email: mcb at mbacrystalball dot com
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by CriticalSquareMBA » Mon Jun 08, 2015 8:07 am
Hi there,

Full-time programs should be your goal if you want to go into management consulting. While the schools you mentioned in your "target" make sense at a high level on paper, be sure that the firms you're looking to join actively recruit there. Many of the top management consulting firms find a majority of their candidates at top 10-15 programs. While there are a few exceptions, know that there are fewer slots for schools outside of their target list.

To give yourself the best shot at a full-time program, you'll need to maximize your GMAT (also, top management consulting firms may require you to report this as part of their application - median for candidates that join these firms are above the 710 range). With an incomplete picture of your academic profile, it's rather difficult to assess schools for you at this stage. However, other suggestions in addition to the GMAT recommendation above would be to see if you can push yourself to lead initiatives within your extracurricular involvement. All schools look for points of differentiation, and given your profession, you'll need to find ways to do that through your involvement. Speaking of your profession - what significant accomplishments have you achieved recently? Are you in a position to push for a promotion? The more impactful your story is both professionally and personally, the better off you'll be, so take time to reflect on what makes you unique and what recent experiences/accomplishments demonstrate that. Best of luck on your upcoming GMAT!
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