NYU Stern Langone Program- Fall 2013 Shot?

[chris558]

I'm planning on applying to part-time programs for Fall 2013, and Stern Langone is my reach. Please evaluate my profile to see if I have a shot..

- I will be 25 upon matriculation
- First Asian-American to go to college, first language was Mandarin but born in states.
- Undergrad school was Rutgers Univ, 2.9GPA in Economics with Psych minor (5 yrs). It took a while because I kept changing my major... I also was really involved in orgs (sorority, asian cultural orgs) and had some personal family/financial issues on the way. In the end it was my fault for not stepping it up.
- GMAT: 720 (49V,39Q)
- Currently working on an alternative transcript, taking 2 classes (Accting & Managerial Mathematics) at UCLA Extension. Will be taking another 2 in Spring... expecting A's in all 4 (hopefully!!!).
- By matriculation, I will of had 2.5 yrs of WE in alternative investment services. Employee of month, great year end reviews.
- Extracirricular: 1 year as an advisor for a sorority, currently the advisor for a new high school volunteer group for animal rescue (helped start it up), and currently volunteer at an urban animal shelter. Also played softball for company team...
- Other notes:
- Plan on either going into media or luxury & retail (so career-changer)
- Chose part-time instead of full-time, which I know is better for career-changers, because of financial reasons. I am financailly independent, and there are others that rely on my financially. I need a constant inflow of income. My work will also help me pay (for at least the core courses).

thank you in advance for any feedback!

[Stacey Oyler]

Hi,

Thanks for your post. You certainly are doing the right thing by building an alternate transcript. Your GMAT score is solid, but the additional courses will help mitigate any concerns the adcom might have about your ability to perform well in a classroom environment.

My main question for you is around the timing of your MBA. It sounds like you'll have just shy of 2 years of experience at the time of application. Why is now the best time for you? Why not wait a year or two?

Regards,

Stacey

[chris558]

Hi Stacey! Thanks for your quick reply. I'm happy to hear your encouraging words about me making an alternative transcript!

During my undergrad, I initially didn't know which direction I wanted to go in and ended up majoring in Economics because of how broad it was. I knew it would be difficult finding a job given my lack of specialization and GPA, which is why I started my job hunt REALLY early on. I ended up getting an offer, but the position would start before I actually graduated (human resources gave my group a now or never deal). I took it knowing this may be the only/best offer I got, and spent my last semester of school working full time and going to school full time. That's why by the time I hand in my application next year, I will have about 2 yrs and 4 months of WE.

My current role is very specialized, and while I have both gained and contrinbuted a lot to my company, I feel that my learning curve has flattened and I'll only be applying what I have already learned to new projects in the forseeable future. I don't want to be put in a position where it will be harder for me to break out of my current type of role, and I'll be pigenholed. This is expecially a concern of mine because I do plan on changing the path of my career. I don't plan to stick around in investment services.

Wanting to go into luxury and retail, I want to get started in acheiving my goal of breaking into the industry of luxury brand management. I don't have a holistic knowledge of the business, something I think is imperative for me to suceed not only in my desired industry but also in my current industry. With the luxury industry healing from the effects of the economic downturn, and its every-growing presence online as well as in social media, there are a lot of growing opportunities in the industry that I want to take advantage of.

So basically, I know what I want to do and I know an MBA is needed to reach my goal. I've come a long way from my naive self in college, and I have a good perspective of what I want to achieve. I've thought about this for a long time and started preparing earlier this year. Stern offers a great specialization in Retail and luxury goods and it is my first choice school. I have a lot of potentional to offer, and given the leadership and innovative skills I have demonstrated in my current role, I know I'll be a great contrinbution to whatever school I apply to.

And yes, I'm going to play the female card. I don't know if I should even mention this in my application, but ideally, I want to pop out a few kids before or around 30. Given that I will be a part-time student, it will take me at least 3 years to finish my degree while working. I want to take extra percausion given the history of pregnancies in my family.

I also have a few questions... I've been meaning to look for another job for a while now.. probably a finance position in the luxury industry, so at least I can dip my feet in. I've basically held off my new job search for a few reasons. 1) I was studying for the GMAT, and basically put my concentration on that 2) If I'm applying soon, I figure I'd stick it out for a few more months so I can get my recommendations and a possible promotion.. and raise lol. I'd concentrate on my app first and then leave the job hunt for later. Do you think this it's worth looking for a new position sooner than later?

[Stacey Oyler]

Hi,

Thanks for the additional information. I have some thoughts to share below:

And yes, I'm going to play the female card. I don't know if I should even mention this in my application, but ideally, I want to pop out a few kids before or around 30. Given that I will be a part-time student, it will take me at least 3 years to finish my degree while working. I want to take extra percausion given the history of pregnancies in my family.

I would not recommend telling the adcom of your plans to start a family before age 30. Many things can happen between now and then and speculating won't benefit your application. Also, stating your desire to get your MBA done sooner rather than later in order to have a family could cause the adcom to question your goals and whether or not you truly plan to achieve them.

I also have a few questions... I've been meaning to look for another job for a while now.. probably a finance position in the luxury industry, so at least I can dip my feet in. I've basically held off my new job search for a few reasons. 1) I was studying for the GMAT, and basically put my concentration on that 2) If I'm applying soon, I figure I'd stick it out for a few more months so I can get my recommendations and a possible promotion.. and raise lol. I'd concentrate on my app first and then leave the job hunt for later. Do you think this it's worth looking for a new position sooner than later?

I would suggest sticking with your current role for now since you don't have other options available to you. Being employed at the time of your application is a good thing and leaving before you have another job lined up is a big risk. It's completely fine to change jobs after you apply, but you'll need to be prepared to discuss your job change in your interviews since you'll likely want to update your resume.

Best,

Stacey