From Secretary to B-School. Will this hurt my chances?

[DevitaN]

Stacy,

Thank you for taking the time to answer everyones questions.

I have been debating with a co-worker who is interested in getting his MBA as well. We both are admin assistants at Morgan Stanley. Will being a secretary hurt our chances of getting into a top-tier school? Would it be better to wait to transfer into a position which is more of an actual position rather than solely clerical? We are recent college grads (2008), and although we are thankful to have a job, we both agree this isn't something we ever imagined doing. We both agree having Morgan Stanley's name behind us is a huge plus, but does the whole administrative role take away from the Morgan Stanley pedigree?

I have a 3.9 undergrad. Graduated Summa Cum Laude from the John F. Welch College of Business at Sacred Heart University. Double major in Business Economics and Business Administration with a concentration in Management. I did two summer internships at UBS and a full year of internship at Morgan Stanley. I plan on breaking 700. I am looking to attend a top-tier B-School such as Columbia, NYU or Stanford.

Just wondering your thought's on the matter and I am sure a few others may have simliar questions.

Thank You,

Nick

P.S. I am new to the forums and used the search function and found nothing. Hope this isn't a duplicate question!

[Lisa Anderson]

Dear Nick,

It is hard to know how much, if at all, your job title will hurt you. For top 20 programs, I think the chances are greater your clerical role will be a weakness in your application since the competition is tougher and application volumes are higher than at programs outside the top 20. You need to effectively convey the professional-level tasks and responsibilities you have in your role. Likewise, it is important to communicate your career progression in your role--how have your responsibilities increased while at Morgan Stanley? If you can, I think you should try to move into more of an Analyst role or other professional position prior to applying. It would help your profile on paper to have more of a professional role as well as demonstrate progression in terms of title.

Best of luck,
Lisa

[DevitaN]

Lisa,

Thank you.

I agree with you on the whole analyst role. I do have a few lined up, but I must wait 18 months to take advantage of the internal job bank. I believe that taking the time while holding a clerical role to concentrate on my GMATs is in my best interest, this way when I have a more demanding job I can focus my time on really making my B-School application shine.

Fortunately I pretty much run books of business, place trades, and do all of the other things retail and institutional DVP brokers do so I am sure I can put a positive spin on it. After I wrote this I thought about it. Much is about perception. After all, who would believe that a 24 year old truly held a position where they led and made important decisions. I will do my best to put this position in the best light possible.

Thanks again Lisa,

Nick