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by Jon Fuller » Wed Nov 13, 2013 10:29 am
saintforlife -

Thanks for contacting Clear Admit for some advice . . . the PT program at Haas is generally one of the more selective PT programs out there - it typically admits about 40% of its applicants - but your high-level profile has some good fit with their stats.

I'd prefer to see a bit more career progression to date as it sounds a bit like the shift to your current position was more of a lateral move, and it's unclear to me what kid of leadership roles you can point to in your application. You'll need to bring those leadership and teamwork experiences out more fully in your essays, and hopefully your rec letters will be able to speak to your senior management potential and superior performance to this point. From a volume of experience perspective, your ~7 years lines up reasonably well w/Haas' median of 7 years of work experience with their 80% range of 5 - 12 years.

Your GMAT score is decent but is certainly at the lower end of their range . . . Haas' average is about a 700 with 640-740 being the 80th percentile spread. However, given that you've taken it three times already, I wouldn't recommend that you try again at this point. I see your undergrad and master's degree helping to offset concerns raised by your GMAT score.

While the extracurricular dimension doesn't quite get as much emphasis/weight with PT programs, you definitely shouldn't overlook that in your application. It's good to show involvement and leadership in your community, so it's definitely appropriate to make mention on your resume and possibly even within essays responses.

Lastly - goals. PT programs aren't typically the best match for someone who is looking to make a career shift; they're most often leveraged by people who are looking to advance in their current roles/industry. The recruiting process for PT students, resources available from the career service office, etc. is significantly different and usually more limited. I think it's OK to mention goals in finance, but I'd keep the focus on opportunities that are available to you at your current company in the corporate finance group. What you do once you get in and enroll is up to you, but know that it might be a cause for concern w/the adcom if you talk a lot about a wholesale career/industry/function shift, so be mindful about how you talk about your goals and timing.

I hope that helps and best wishes to you with your application!

Regards,
Jon

Jon Fuller
Clear Admit, LLC
215.568.2590

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by saintforlife » Wed Nov 13, 2013 10:28 pm
Thank you for your feedback Jon. I appreciate your time.