Profile Evaulation Please!

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Profile Evaulation Please!

by PhillyFan » Wed Jan 30, 2008 10:07 am
Not sure if anyone quite fits into my situation, it's somewhat unique.... I know this will be a long winded story but I wouldnt be doing my background justice if I didn't tell you.

I wasn't the most attentive student in high school, and ended up with generally crappy grades, though I didn't really care because at that point I had no interest in pursuing higher education. However, surprise surpise, it dawned on me that I had to do something with my life, so i enrolled in the local state funded university the town over. It turns out that my lack of enthusiam for school spilled over into college and I ended up failing two courses and being kicked out of the school. At the time I was a part timer, so I believe that, combined with my low GPA in high school contributed to the harsh move by administration.

This was a very huge blow, and turned out to be the motivator I needed. Unfortunatley, no university would end up taking me with my grades so I was forced to go to community college, and I opted for a hotel/restaurant management degree. Went there for two years and earned a 3.8 GPA. During my time there I realized I had no desire to get into the hospitality business and decided to get by bachelors in business. I was very motivated at college and got a 4.0 GPA in the two years I was there.

Was able to get a credit analyst role in the middle market group of a supra regional bank where I spent two years.

Latest job has been a six month stint at another supra regional bank working in the loan syndications group. This is a fairly high profile group within the bank and gets to work on all the large loan transactions, so I know it's positive from a B-school perspective. From this position I would have a good shot getting into the I-banking group of a larger bank.

Currently a CFA LII candiate as well. Played hockey in HS if that counts for anything.

I haven't taken the GMAT yet, but was wondering how detrimental my community college background and the fact I was in three different colleges before I got my bachelors would be.

PLEASE HELP!!!!
Honestly, (preemtively) I really appreciate the feedback.
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by PhillyFan » Wed Jan 30, 2008 1:16 pm
EDIT** I'm very new to the board so if my post erred from standard procedure with respect to obtaining an evaluation I apologize. I also want to mention that my undergrad school I received my bachelors from is a small middle of the road private university. I should also mention that I graduated as the "outstanding graduate" from the business schools, meaning I was the top grad.

What I really want to determine, and tried to convey in my initial post, is whether a top 10-20 B school would even consider me if they saw the three higher ed institutions including the *gasp* community college experience. I think my work experience is solid, its quasi I-banking/corporate banking stuff at the moment.

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by Amy » Wed Jan 30, 2008 9:33 pm
Hi PhillyFan,

I don't think your college experience is necessarily a deal breaker for MBA admissions, of course a strong GMAT score will help. What I would want to see is some significant work experience and achievement after school that shows your maturity, leadership qualities, and management potential.

If you're planning to apply next fall, I would suggest using the time until then to take on significant community work and also excelling at work as much as possible. Take on additional responsibility, and concentrate on learning and developing yourself.

I would also make sure to apply to a range of schools. Though I think you will be able to explain your background, some schools may be more receptive than others.

Good luck!

Amy
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Stacy Blackman Consulting

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by PhillyFan » Thu Jan 31, 2008 6:40 am
Thanks for the advice Amy, very informative; I'll use it to develop a strategy to get into a top B-School. I hope I'm not reading too much into your advice, but when I see "range of schools" I'm interpreting that to mean schools outside of the top ten. In my case, a school outside of top 10 or 15 probably wont be a good value proposition. I likely will not pursue an MBA if I cannot get into a school that will take my career to the next level, i.e. getting me face time with bulge bracket I-banks.

First and foremost, I'd like to get a GMAT score that's around the 700 mark. That's the first hurdle I'd like to overcome.

This is the timeline I'm envisioning:
Now-June 2008: Study for CFA LII. Once I get through this I will have time to devote to studying for the GMAT.

June 2008 - on: I'll devote roughly six months to studying for the GMAT. Shouldn't take that long, but I'd like to give myself a buffer. I have a rather large hole in my resume in the community service/extracurricular
activities, so in order to maximize my time, I'll work with some community groups starting concurrently with GMAT prep in June 2008.

In order for the community service to have any positive impact, I think I would have to forgoe applying for the fall of 2009 and wait for the fall of 2010. Otherwise, If I apply in the fall/winter of 2008/2009, for fall 2009 classes I'd only have 6 months of community involvement under my belt when they see my resume. Not enough in my opinion to make a difference.

What do you think Amy? Is this a reasonable strategy? Or do you think that's too much time and I could swing fall 2009 enrollement. Again, this would be aiming for a top B-School that is a target for bulge bracket I-Banks. Thanks in advance, your advice helped me craft this strategy to focus on my weaknesses.

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by Amy » Thu Jan 31, 2008 2:21 pm
Hi PhillyFan,

It sounds like a good strategy. I would get started on an extracurricular now, I think you can manage your time spent and still be able to have an impact. I think you're fine to apply next fall.

By focusing on top 10/15 only you are taking the chance of not being accepted anywhere, which is fine if you are willing to risk it. I think it's even more of a reason to apply in the fall, because you can re-apply the following year if you do not get the results you are looking for.

Good luck!

Amy
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Stacy Blackman Consulting