What Do You Think?

Launched June 1, 2012
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What Do You Think?

by dman25 » Tue Jun 26, 2012 2:25 pm
Hi Shawn, you provide really good insight in your responses so I'm hoping you can look over my stats and give me a synopsis on my chances at a top school as well.

26 year old white male (27 almost 28 at matriculation)
Double Major from a non-elite Pac-12 state school (ASU, UA, Colorado, Utah etc.)
-B.S. Finance and B.S. Supply Chain Management, 2007
-3.64 GPA overall, magna cum laude
GMAT: 700 (44Q, 41V) and 690 (Q47, V38) - considering taking for a 3rd time in mid-July because deep down I know I can pull better than a 700 and it's honestly bugging me

5 years of work experience at Honeywell Aerospace (still employed) in supply chain management (will be 6 at matriculation)
-Started in a 2 year rotational program after undergrad moving through 3 different procurement, planning, and production scheduling roles
-Next moved into a research and development planning position (15 months)
-Current role is a team lead in a planning group responsible for multiple production lines producing a combined $15-20 million in revenue per month (no direct reports though)
-In between my last two jobs I also was a key part of a team deploying a new planning system, responsible for troubleshooting and training about 50-75 people (while holding down my regular job). This lasted for about a year but again, no direct reports, although it did give me a taste of what consulting is like.
-Top performer in every role I have had with very good reviews
-One downside I see is that not many of my colleagues leave for full-time programs (mostly part time) and this type of job doesn't seem very sexy compared to consulting or finance.

Marginal Extra Curric's, nothing special: Some intermittent volunteering at a local community center doing fundraising and tutoring as well as some clubs and intramural teams in college...standard stuff if not below average

Letters of Rec: Will be from my current manager and director. I'm pretty sure they'll both say good things but neither have an MBA or connections so I won't get any special push there.

Goal: To move into a supply chain strategy or general management consulting role. I really want to get into a job where I can 'think bigger' and I don't see a path to that where I am currently and I feel like I'm starting to get pigeonholed.

My guestimate on where I fit with the schools
Target Schools - UCLA Anderson, Haas, Stern, Kellogg
Stretch - Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, Booth, Columbia, Sloan
Safety - USC or just go for part time UCLA

I would like to stay on the west coast but if I got into a top 5 school I might be forced to change my mindset.

Now my questions:
-Other than my own personal obsession do you think it's necessary to retake the GMAT? Which score should I submit, the 700 or the 690 with a higher Q? Does having the finance undergrad prove to schools that I can handle the quant so that I can submit the 700?
-Will my admission chances be hurt by the fact that I'm in what is considered a non-sexy industry (you know, not consulting or finance)?
-One of the big reasons for my lacking XC's, staying with the same company all 5 years, and moving towards the wrong end of the experience 'sweet spot' is because a parent developed early onset alzheimers so I transferred back to my home town 2.5 years ago to be a partial caregiver. I'm sure I'll be able to write some meaningful essays based on my upside-down personal life but do schools care about that kind of real-world family stuff (which I'm still dealing with)?
-Does a double major give me a boost? I didn't get to take many GPA boosters because I was taking almost all core classes and I'm just wondering if having the 2 degrees will give me any boost.

Thank you in advance for any advice you can provide!

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by Shawn@StratusPrep » Thu Jun 28, 2012 6:51 pm
dman25,

Thanks for your profile. It is great to have a chance to share my thoughts with you.

As you may know, before founding Stratus Prep six years ago, I worked in strategy consulting and did a lot of supply chain work so I can certainly relate to your profile.

First off, I think that you have a tremendous amount going for you. Without a doubt, you have significant potential and could easily end up at one of the top 5 schools in the nation if you present yourself in the most strategic way possible. Last year, my colleagues at Stratus Prep and I helped an individual with a very similar profile to yours but with a much, much lower GPA into Wharton with basically a full merit-based ride.

I do not think your coming from what you consider a "not-sexy" industry will hurt you at all. In fact, I think that with proper positioning, we can actually turn your Honeywell work into a huge asset. Today, it is quite hard to get into HBS/Stanford with a finance background, but both of these schools are looking for more individuals with real operating experience as well as technologists and entrepreneurs. If I were working with you, I would emphasize your operating and supply chain experience (as well as your family responsibilities which I think will REALLY resonate with AdComs).

As you may have noted, I rarely tell folks on here that they need to retake the GMAT. But in your case, I think you should retake with the goal of hitting 720+ as well as 48 on the Quant. I know this may seem like a tall order, but I am confident that you are up to the challenge. Your finance undergrad and quant-based work will not be enough for some top schools (I am excluding HBS and Stanford here) who really want to see about 48 on Quant and 720+. If you find that you are hitting a plateau with the GMAT prep, shoot me a private message or an email at [email protected] I am confident that a little quant-focused tutoring would get you there if need be.

You also should try to establish a more sustained commitment to the local community center where you have previously volunteered. Maybe you could get on a committee or junior board there.

Clearly, your recommenders really value you but will need some gentle coaching to ensure that they produce the kind of MBA recommendations at top firms are looking for. This is a must have!

Finally, your double major will not give you a huge boost, but you have a relatively strong GPA so I would not worry too much about that. I think that you have the raw material for a top 5 admissions if you craft your work and personal experiences correctly.

If you have additional questions or would like to speak about working together, please feel free to private message me her or email me at [email protected] I am happy to do a free 30 minute consultation with you about how Stratus Prep and I could really help you maximize your chances of admission to one of the nation's top MBA programs (which you should go to, if admitted, given your stated goals even if the program is not on the West Coast).

Best,
Shawn
Founder/Director, Stratus Prep
Harvard JD/MBA

[email protected]
212-307-1788
www.stratusprep.com

See more Stratus Prep reviews.

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by dman25 » Mon Jul 30, 2012 8:01 am
Thanks for the feedback Shawn. I retook the test on Saturday and pulled out a 750 (49/42) :)