I'd like a little help in deciding which schools I would be competitive at and should apply to. I'm looking at applying round 2 of this application season.
Education:
BSE & MSE from Michigan in Industrial & Operations Engineering
GPA: 3.34/4.0 for undergrad and 6.5/8.0 for grad (which translates into exactly between a B+ and A-, or a 3.5 on a 4.0 scale)
GMAT: 730/96%, Quant: 49/88%, Verbal: 40/89%
Work experience:
2.5 years as an "Industrial Engineer" at a top semiconductor company
1 year contracting as a "Data Analyst" at a top internet company
9 months to date as "Manufacturing Program Manager" (full time) at the same top internet company (not managing people, just doing supply chain management)
Extracurricular activities:
Volunteer once a week for a few hours doing street outreach for homeless youth
Photography assistant (have assisted doing candids for a few weddings, may be shooting solo for a friend in a month)
Pick up ultimate frisbee twice a week (is that really even worth anything?)
Why applying to b-school:
I want to transition into ibanking/consulting (is ibanking even an option still??). Ideally, I am looking to leverage an MBA into a job at a McKinsey/BCG/Bain.
I was thinking MIT/Columbia/UPenn with Stanford as a stretch and Haas as a safety. Does that sound about right? or should I be aiming lower?
5-Day Free Trial
5-day free, full-access trial TTP
Available with Beat the GMAT members only code
MORE DETAILS
what schools should i apply to?
This topic has expert replies
GMAT/MBA Expert
-
Lisa Anderson
- MBA Admissions Consultant
- Posts: 3845
- Joined: Wed Feb 06, 2008 8:57 pm
- Location: Houston, TX
- Thanked: 442 times
- Followed by:148 members
Dear justaboi,
I think you will be a competitive applicant at any program assuming you present a strong, compelling application to these programs. Many schools will be interested in reviewing your qualifications and also have you in their programs. However, I think your assessment of schools is interesting and inaccurate.
Schools in the top 10 (which all of these are) have almost the same applicant pools. Therefore, none of these schools are less of a stretch than the others nor are they more of a safety than the others (regardless of the applicant's profile). Granted, some of these schools might be a better match for your career goals but I think they are all equally competitive in terms of admissions.
I would suggest identifying a safety alternative(s) in the top 20-40 range, but feel relatively confident you will be at one of your top choices if you present a strong application.
Best of luck,
Lisa
BTW, investment banking is still an option but the number of opportunities might be less...a lot can happen between now and May 2011. And the ultimate frisbee games are probably not worth mentioning.
I think you will be a competitive applicant at any program assuming you present a strong, compelling application to these programs. Many schools will be interested in reviewing your qualifications and also have you in their programs. However, I think your assessment of schools is interesting and inaccurate.
Schools in the top 10 (which all of these are) have almost the same applicant pools. Therefore, none of these schools are less of a stretch than the others nor are they more of a safety than the others (regardless of the applicant's profile). Granted, some of these schools might be a better match for your career goals but I think they are all equally competitive in terms of admissions.
I would suggest identifying a safety alternative(s) in the top 20-40 range, but feel relatively confident you will be at one of your top choices if you present a strong application.
Best of luck,
Lisa
BTW, investment banking is still an option but the number of opportunities might be less...a lot can happen between now and May 2011. And the ultimate frisbee games are probably not worth mentioning.
