Profile Evaluation Please

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Profile Evaluation Please

by cpun922 » Tue Dec 01, 2009 3:09 pm
Hello,

Please evaluate my candidacy for this upcoming 2010 year.

Asian Female: 28 years old

Work Experience: 4 years in real estate investment management and 2 years in entertainment finance

Responsibilities: Return and portfolio analysis, forecasting and debt underwriting

Current Title: Associate

Undergraduate Degree: BS in Business Administration with an emphasis in Finance at a Cal State University

Undergraduate GPA: 3.45

Accounting Extension Courses: taken 9 classes 3.9 GPA

GMAT: taken a couple of times with the highest at 690 (48Q and 36V)

Extracurricular activities/Volunteer work : I was a part of the Riordarn Fellows SBA program as a mentor to two inner city girls. I also acted as a Business Plan Coach for NFTE to a group of inner city high school children. At work, I spearheaded Executive Education to educate others with current events.

I am interested in applying to Columbia, NYU, USC, UCLA and Michigan. I am contemplating whether I would be considered as a potential candidate at Wharton and Kellogg. Are all of these choices out of my range? Do I need more backups?

Will taking the GMAT several times hurt my chances?

Please advise.
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by Lisa Anderson » Thu Dec 03, 2009 1:58 pm
Dear cpun922,

Based on your post, I would say you have the foundation for a competitive application to your target schools. Wharton and Kellogg are a reach, but not out of reach if you feel they are a good match for you. You have 5 fabulous schools on your list, but none that I would consider a safety option for you. You might consider identifying at least one school that is more of a reasonable/safety option as a back up plan as these schools are all highly competitive.

Taking the GMAT 2-3 times is quite common, so that is not a negative. However, you do reach a point of diminishing returns where you will not improve with additional attempts. GMAT test designers would say that generally occurs for most people after the 3rd or 4th attempt, but it does vary by individual.

Good luck,
Lisa
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by cpun922 » Thu Dec 03, 2009 2:47 pm
Hello Lisa,

Thank you for your response. Do you think that Duke, Darden and Carnegie Mellon could all be considered back up schools?

Thank you!

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by cpun922 » Thu Dec 03, 2009 3:19 pm
Hello Lisa,

I forgot to ask but would I need to address taking the GMAT multiple times in the optional essay portion or would it be okay to not address it.

Thanks!

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by Lisa Anderson » Fri Dec 04, 2009 5:54 pm
You should not write an optional essay about taking the GMAT multiple times. If you scored low or have a low GPA, then you might want to address that, but not the number of times you take the GMAT.

Duke, Darden and Carnegie Mellon are more reasonable school options than safety schools for you.

Good luck,
Lisa
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