Hi Lisa, your input is appreciated.

[mp2437]

Hi Lisa, I was interested to get your input regarding my candidacy:

I am debating the pros and cons of part-time vs. full-time programs, but NYU's Langone program as well as Chicago's Booth part-time program (Chicago Business Fellows) look very interesting to me at the moment as I would like to remain working while in school (though open to alternative suggestions).

I have a little over 2 years experience working in finance (1 year as a equity research analyst at a big bank, the other as a data analyst in a hedge fund). In both roles, I have been given quite a number of responsibilities, though it hasn't come to the point yet where I was formally promoted as the timing couldn't have been worse with market conditions.

I have just passed Level 2 of the CFA program and plan on taking the final level next June. I just picked up GMAT material, and hope to attain (within reach) a score of 700+. I plan on taking the exam in late October in case I decide to apply for several round 1 programs for matriculation in 2010.

My main issue is that my undergrad GPA is a 3.1 in Engineering (Operations Research) from Columbia University. My Spring semester grades were worse than the Fall ones, and that had to do with a seasonal illness my grandfather had that had me take time to nurse him. I worry about how adcoms feel about the GPA, and if they'll take into account the sympathetic story in the optional essay.

I'm currently 22 (turning 23 in October), so I'm on the younger side, and have no idea how schools are looking into the younger candidate pool these days, but I am a bit hesitant in applying now because of this reason along with the GPA factor (some classes were quantitative-finance courses with weak scores, which worries me). On the flip side, I have taken many math classes (calculus, multi-variate calculus, differential equations and linear algebra) and have received scores of A in all of them. As for extra-curricular activities, I have been involved with a local charity group for many years now and continue to be a part of the group.

Why an MBA right now? I think that the financial mess the US has gotten into as of late will require workers in the field to be more educated and well-informed of proper business practices. Being young and having the privilege to come out of a top MBA program early on can demonstrate leadership qualities as well as a boost of professionalism.

Based on your experience, would it be wise to take some post-bacc classes to boost GPA, or may the adcoms take my CFA exam results into account to balance that out as it will show them I am passionate about finance? How do you think adcoms feel about younger candidates without the 4-5 average years of experience, especially in a part-time program? Will the sub-par GPA factor be looked at by what program and school I went to, and the difficulty of it? Is it easier or more difficult to get accepted into a business school program at your undergraduate university? All in all, how competitive do you think my candidacy is to the general pool should I apply right now (assuming a score on the GMAT of 700-740).

I sincerely appreciate you reading this lengthy post, as well as any insight you can provide. I look forward to hearing from you.

Best,
Milan

[Lisa Anderson]

Dear Milan,

Your GPA is not that low and the degree and school are factored into your evaluation. So, your 3.1 from Columbia in engineering will probably be seen as a good academic record. You do have mitigating circumstances for the one semester, but I'm not convinced you need to write an optional essay addressing your GPA. Your strong performance in math courses and CFA, combined with a 700+ GMAT score, will demonstrate your ability to succeed in the program and handle the coursework. I do not think you need to build an alternative transcript based on all of these factors.

As for your age and limited experience, you will be right in the mix for folks applying to business school. The trend has been for schools to consider more applicants with less than 3 years experience. The key will be having a solid rationale for why now in a part-time program versus doing a full-time program. Also, you should expect that the majority of your classmates in a part-time program will have 4-10 years of experience.

Applying to the business school at your undergraduate institution is generally neither an advantage nor disadvantage. There are some schools that get a large number of applicants from alumni, so for them, that might minimally affect your chances, but that is usually more in the case of business undergrads from the school.

Best of luck,
Lisa

[mp2437]

Hi Lisa,

Thanks for your response. It is very much appreciated. As for the grades, both of the Spring semesters (I graduated in 3 years) show lower scores than the Fall, so perhaps the adcoms would see a pattern and want to know why.

In your experience, have you successfully seen younger candidates accepted into the part-time program, or are they mostly gearing towards full-time studies? As with any other part-time student, I worry about the opportunity cost of leaving work for 2 years and paying the high price of business-school, but are part-time students really at a disadvantage in terms of networking events at the school (perhaps applicable only to full-time students), or do career centers narrow in only on full-time students? I would assume the answer is no, but in reality, I would suspect that schools do more for the full-time class.

Again, thanks for reading, and responding to my previous posting.

Sincerely,
Milan