Should I apply this year?

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Should I apply this year?

by bb11 » Fri Oct 31, 2014 2:00 pm
GMAT: 730, 48 Quant (76th%) and 42 Verbal (96th%), 8 IR (93rd%), 6.0 Writing
3.51 GPA, B.A. in Psychology from a mid-tier UC (Davis/San Diego/Santa Barbara/Irvine group). Graduated in 2012.
White male. Strong extracurriculars but lacking in leadership roles.

Worked two years at Intel as a sales/marketing analyst. I couldn't stand the Bay Area anymore so I finally quit my job, packed up, and drove to NYC a couple months ago. Got a job as a marketing analytics coordinator at an online video startup about a month ago (building on my previous experience, as I worked in Intel's digital video arm). Obviously I don't have leadership experience yet, and to be honest I don't know that my work accomplishments would stand out. I've got to work on many different types of projects, but all in junior roles.

However, I want to be in management consulting. It seems that continuing to wait to gain more experience is mostly a waste of time, as I don't want to stay in marketing and I'm delaying the doubling or tripling of pay that would come if I hit the average compensation of graduates a top 20 MBA program. I'd like to look at programs that would give me a great shot at consulting somewhere like Deloitte in the Northeast, so programs like Columbia, Yale, Duke, Northwestern, and Michigan would be ideal with Carnegie Mellon and Georgetown as lower-tier targets. Should I apply this year or wait until Fall 2015 to have a realistic shot to be admitted and be able to land a consulting job?
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by interviewbay22 » Sun Nov 02, 2014 9:02 pm
Hello bb11

Your stats are impressive. 3.51 and a 730 exceeds the average at your target schools (with the exception of Northwestern). But it is almost imperative to have some leadership experience to make it to top B-schools. If you cant find it at work, there can be opportunities to assume such a role through volunteer work or extracurricular activities outside of work. Tell me about the extracurricular activities you were part of during college.

You have mentioned that you have a few achievements at work. Can you elaborate on this so we can comment how relevant they are from the point of view of a business school application? Leading teams, promotions are a few ways you can display leadership skills. Apart from this, if you managed to raise a substantial amount of money for your company, if you were part of major projects or if you managed to introduce path braking changes to the marketing strategies at your firm, if you have organized major events, it would show that you have leadership potential. How much has the video start-up grown as a result of your involvement? Also, how was your performance in comparison to your peers?

In any case the average work experience at most B-schools is 4 -5 years and you could improve your application with a little more seasoning. Gain another year of experience, as it is not only about leadership. An applicant must have a lot to offer to the MBA class for the adcoms to consider him/her.

So tell me more about your ECs. I suggest you make use of another year gaining leadership experience outside of work. Also work in the direction of management consulting - interact with the people in the field, get to know it as much as you can because you will have to explain why this particular field moves you, in your essays.

All the best
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by Dina@Fortuna » Thu Nov 06, 2014 11:06 am
Hello bb11,
Good advice provided already and something else I'd add is you want to think about what will make you a stronger candidate to get hired in a consulting job. Admissions committees will be evaluating your employability and how realistic your goals are. If, as you say, you are weak on leadership experience, waiting another year could allow you to work on this area. Are there projects at work that you can take the lead? Think about other leadership opportunities to strengthen this area, and think of leadership outside of work as well. If you're not involved in extracurricular activities, consider activities or causes that you enjoy and find ways to get involved in a meaningful way. Many organizations are looking for members to help out and take the lead so there should be plenty of opportunities for you to assume some leadership roles before you apply.
Typically for candidates who have fewer years of work experience than the schools' average, the schools are looking to see if they have progressed rapidly or taken on increasing levels of responsibility in the short time that they have been working. You should make an honest assessment of your own profile before you make your decision and if possible, attend information sessions at the schools you are considering to learn more about how your background stacks up. Good luck!
Take care,
Dina
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