A bit confused

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A bit confused

by Rudolph » Tue Apr 23, 2013 4:36 am
Dear Colleagues,

My name is Rudolph and I am from Zimbabwe. I am not sure on which program to choose between MBA/MPP. I have 5 years banking experience in an Investment Bank holding various positions. I have a Bachelor of Commerce Honours Degree in Banking and Finance. I have tried applying for MPP, but due to my educational background and experience I did not manage to secure a place. I am not sure on whether I should just stick to MBA or that I should keep pursuing the MPP.

My dream is to be able to work for World Bank and contribute towards poverty reduction. Can you kindly assist, I am a bit worried and confused at the moment. :?:
Source: — GMAT Strategy |

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by essaysnark » Tue Apr 23, 2013 7:11 am
Hi Rudolph! This process is definitely confusing, so we can understand your question!

Your background definitely looks like you're well qualified for most MBA programs, so if that's an interest then certainly you can pursue it. The MBA is very flexible, and many top bschools have joint programs with their other schools on campus - just as an example, Columbia has the MBA and they also have their School of International & Public Affairs, with a joint Master of International Affairs + MBA. See https://new.sipa.columbia.edu/internatio ... ual-degree for more.

This is just one example. Other great schools like Georgetown also have plenty of educational programs that can help you, either with the MBA or the MPP or some other flavor of master's. We've also heard of people going straight from an MBA to the World Bank and other such organizations.

So basically, what we're saying is that there's lots of routes you could take to get there, and even if you decide to try for "just" an MBA, that alone could totally set you up for success. Your profile would be appealing to many of the schools, based on what we've seen here (obviously we don't have the full picture but there's some interesting stuff that you've already said in this thread).

Finally though: There could be lots of reasons why your original MPP apps were turned down. Have the schools actually given you feedback to say that your profile is not a good fit? If they have, then clearly that is the issue, but if you're just guessing as to why you were turned away, then maybe there's other things going on. Maybe you just didn't have essays that were strong enough, given the other competitive candidates applying. Maybe there was a mistake made somewhere in the apps. If you really want the MPP then don't give up on it yet! Most schools are quite open to reapplicants so you could try again with some improvements in your app and see what happens.

Sorry for the long response! You have so many options that yes, it can be overwhelming, but it's also a good thing!!! If we can answer other questions just let us know.

EssaySnark
EssaySnark has MBA application guides for HBS, Stanford, Booth, Wharton, NYU and pretty much any other school you can name - including a fully revised and expanded 2015 Columbia essay guide!
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by Rudolph » Tue May 21, 2013 10:18 pm
Thank you for the response. I did not have the opportunity to ask why my applications were turned down. Yes, you could be right my essays might have not been good enough ( that could be a probability). I am not sure, do you know of any consulting firm who can assist me in preparing a winning application?

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by essaysnark » Wed May 22, 2013 5:55 am
Rudolph wrote:I am not sure, do you know of any consulting firm who can assist me in preparing a winning application?
Hey Rudolph - that's exactly what we do! ;-)

You can check out our daily blahg for lots of free articles on applying to business school ( https://essaysnark.com ), and we have different services designed specifically to help you prepare a winning application. A good place to start is with the Comprehensive Profile Review, which will help you understand the strengths and weaknesses of your background: https://essaysnark.com/tutorial/comprehe ... le-review/
Or, we can go through what you presented to the schools originally and evaluate why it didn't work the first time with the Post-Mortem Rejection Analysis: https://essaysnark.com/salespage/mba-rejection-analysis/

Or just contact us for more details - you can message us through this system if you want to ask directly.


We've got a great success rate and have been doing this a long time. Hope we can help you! :-)

EssaySnark
EssaySnark has MBA application guides for HBS, Stanford, Booth, Wharton, NYU and pretty much any other school you can name - including a fully revised and expanded 2015 Columbia essay guide!
https://essaysnark.com/bookstore/
* * * * * * *
The Indians' Guide to Getting In maps out everything you need to evaluate your own profile and select your schools. https://essaysnark.com/ssguide/quicksnar ... ans-guide/
* * * * * * *
MILITARY CANDIDATES! We've got some pro bono offers just for you: https://essaysnark.com/military-mba/
* * * * * * *
Follow EssaySnark on Twitter!

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by Rudolph » Wed May 22, 2013 7:21 am
Thank you very much, I really appreciate it.