interest in consulting post MBA - which schools to consider?

[jasonc]

Target Schools: HBS/GSB/Wharton/kellogg

I'm worried about my low GPA, soso GMAT (for target schools; and for my profile: asian male), lack of extracurriculars, etc
How do I stack up and what can I do to improve my application?

Short term plan is to switch industries after B-School & do management consulting.
Longer term plan is to help manage this education reform non-profit in Taiwan, then perhaps start my own company.
(I've been thinking a lot about why I want to attend B-school, & why x particular B-school, but don't have the perfect answer yet, am actively working on this)

GPA: 3.42 (played too hard in undergrad & did not focus on academics)
Major: Economics
Undergrad School: less prestigious ivy
GMAT: 760 (49Q/44V) AWA 5.5

Resume:
undergrad - different leadership positions within clubs (treasurer, publicity chair, etc)
Company - a highly regarded tech company, my core job is related to online advertising.
promoted once (avg rate @ the company). Will have ~38 months of work experience by fall of 09.

no current extracurricular activities besides having taken a few 1st year MBA classes the past year.

Born in taiwan. Studied abroad in japan for 3 months. Summer internship in beijing one undergrad summer. Short 1 month volunteer gig with a non-profit in taiwan.

[Lisa Anderson]

Dear jasonc:

While I can understand your concern, I am not as worried as you might be regarding your profile. Your GPA and GMAT are not shabby and put you in a good position in terms of the academic profile. I think your concerns are valid as it is always hard to figure out how to distinguish yourself when yhou sort of fall at the average (or within the mid-50% range) on most of the stats (GMAT, GPA, years of work, age).

You need to start figuring out your strategy on how to position yourself and find a volunteer/community organization you can get involved with now. If you can take on a leadership role in the organization, that would be even better. Lastly, go visit the schools if you can swing it and go to any school events in your area so you can make a positive impression.

Best of luck to you,
Lisa

[jasonc]

Hi Lisa,
Thanks for the suggestions. I just started searching for a community organization that makes sense for me to be involved in (in the bay area).

My work experience within my current company has been pretty unique and will hopefully help.

I'll definitely make try to visit the schools & attend the school events (I attended many of the bschool events last year to get a feel for the application process and to see the differences among the top programs).

[jasonc]

Update:

Improvements to my profiles:

• -I retook the GMAT and got a 760 Q:49 V:44
  
  -I'm involved in a mentoring program for minority students so I'll be mentoring 3 undergrad kids during their internship this summer.
  
  -I'm also on the planning committee for an annual company outing event this year for 10,000+ people.
  
  -I'm finishing up the 3rd 1st year MBA class that I've been taking outside of work. (taken marketing, org behavior, operations management)

How can I strengthen my profile further?
I love mentoring kids, so I took up the mentoring program as one of my extra-curricular activities. However, I've looked into additional volunteering opportunities in my area, but haven't found any opportunities to get into a leadership role in an organization in the short term.
Do you have any advice/places to look/other ways of strengthening my profile?

Question
I've heard that having a sales background is beneficial to my profile since its less common, is this true? And if so, how should/can I use this to my advantage?

Waiting for my copies of 'How To Get Into the Top MBA Programs' & 'Your MBA Game Plan' to come in the mail, can't wait to read these

Thanks again.

[Lisa Anderson]

Dear jasonc,

Congratulations on your new score--that is awesome! It sounds like you have some other activities you might be able to use in your application, particularly the mentoring. At this point, I don't think you should necessarily keep finding activities to find activities. It is just important to focus on what you are doing and do it well.

In addition to visiting the schools if you can, you need to spend considerable time on your essays for the schools you apply to and putting together a strong application. Sales is a profile seen in any applicant pool, but it is not as prevalent as other career paths. Since sales usually has quantifiable results, just be sure you clearly communicate your impact on the company on your resume. Likewise, use examples in your essay from your sales experience to help distinguish your application.

Good luck,
Lisa

[jasonc]

Thanks Lisa!
I plan on spending June-Sept to work on my essays, and will definitely visit the schools as you've suggested.

Besides figuring out if the school is a good fit for me, is there anything else I should be doing during the school visits?

Thanks again.

[Lisa Anderson]

Dear jasonc,

The reason to visit your target schools is two-fold: 1) figure out if you would be comfortable/like the program and 2) make a solid, positive impression. Not only will the admissions office make notes on your visit, but they will ask any student, faculty member, or administrator you meet with about you as well.

Think positively--you are on the right path!
Lisa

[jasonc]

Hi,
I'm in the process of narrowing down my school choices (to 3-4) and am running into a few questions:

-Which MBA programs are good for someone interested in management consulting post grad? (strong alumni network, reputation to recruiters, strong coursework, unique smb consulting related learning programs, etc)

-I'm having issues with finding good recommenders. How do my current list of recommenders look, and what can I do to strengthen my recommendations? (I will be assisting my recommenders with areas I'd like them to write about and remind them of specific examples to help them) Right now I have in mind the following people (right now only my direct manager is a strong choice IMO):

• My direct manager, she will be great since she was an english major & we have a great relationship (been under her for a year).
  
  Another manager who I have worked with some, and will work with a lot this upcoming quarter on a project.
  
  My previous manager, only worked under her for ~4 months (had 3 different managers prevoius to this one, but all <3 months, new hires in my company use to change managers very often as our roles/responsibilities developed), but she is a great writer.
  
  My direct manager's manager. I have not worked closely with him on any big projects, but he is familiar with my work through my manager. Not the best choice, but I may consider developing our relationship/give him more direct exposure to my work.

Thanks

[Lisa Anderson]

Dear Jason,

Management consulting firms always receive attention from MBA students as it is a coveted industry for MBA graduates. Consequently, I would weight the school's reputation with the firms most and the rest of the things you mention are secondary. It is not that you cannot get a job in consulting from a school that does not have strong connections to the consulting industry, but a school with strong connections to the industry (i.e., firms come to campus, active alumni in the consulting industry, etc.) will give you easier access to the firms' representatives.

As for your recommenders, I would go with the first two people you listed. Your current manager is a great choice. Out of the others listed, I would go with the other manager you will be working closely with in the next quarter (assuming the work goes well, of course). You do not want to go with former managers if the tenure was less than a year nor do you want someone that really has not worked with you directly (your boss' boss). If this other manager you mention does not appear to be a good choice over the next couple of months, perhaps there is a co-worker, client or vendor you could ask?

Good luck,
Lisa

[jasonc]

Thanks for the advice.
Can I find information online regarding the school's reputation with the firms?
Or is this something I need to gather through talking with the firms/schools/alums?

For the recommenders, thanks for the advice!
But your suggestions makes me a little more worried about finding someone for that third essay for HBS or GSB. Because I work as a sales support (for a particular product) my relationship with my clients are somewhat limited in depth & scope (mostly I'll devise a strategy & pitch with the account teams when pitching this product and do some follow up support, but do not have constant contact with the end client). However, perhaps I can have someone on one of the account teams write a recommendation.

EDIT:
Not that it matters much, but I just got my official score report and got a 5.5 for the AWA! Yay.

[Lisa Anderson]

Dear Jason,

I think the best way to evaluate the school's reputation with the firms is from talking to people in the firms and at the schools. You can also glean the strength by looking at where a school is placing graduates. Do you see a sizable percentage entering the consulting industry? If they list the firms, are the ones of interest to you on the list? Do you see those firms active in the school by sponsoring events/activities?

I think someone on the account team sounds like a good idea for your third recommender.

Good luck,
Lisa