Profile Evaluation

[ecgrageda]

Dear Sirs/Madams,

I would deeply appreciate you taking your time in evaluating my profile. Thank you so much in advance!

1. Demographics: Filipino Male, Age 28
2. Education:
- GMAT 750 (Q49 V44)
- GPA 2.167 @ De La Salle University (top 3 "Ivy league" university in the Philippines) - Bachelor of Science in Applied Economics

I know my GPA is embarrassingly low. Was too lazy to study, family problems such as parents being sick (dad-kidney transplant; mom - lung cancer); thankfully still alive. Didn't see any point in studying so I just made sure that I graduated on time.

3. Work Experience:

- 2 years in Investment Banking - doing advisory; working with government (transaction advisory) on Public-Private Partnership Projects and Infrastructure Projects such as: Toll roads, Railways, etc.
- 3 years in UBS as an Equity Research Associate - transferred to UBS since I figured having a brand name like UBS would help me in my applications for business school

4. Extra Curriculars (Undergrad):
- Assistant Vice President: Economics Organization
- Officer for a University Political Party
- Volunteer for Gawad Kalinga Community Development Foundation, Inc. It's a Philippine-based movement that aims to end poverty for 5 million families, by first restoring the dignity of the poor.

5. Goals - To pursue an MBA and move into Private Equity, where hopefully one day I can setup my own Private Equity firm in the Philippines.

Dream Schools:

1. Wharton
2. Chicago Booth
3. Northwestern Kellogg
4. Yale
5. Columbia
6. Tuck
7. NYU
8. Cornell

Please let me know what your thoughts are! Thank you.

Regards,
A very Sad and Desperate Candidate (due to my very low GPA)

[ecgrageda]

Note that I got 4.0s in my Calculus classes since Math is really a strength of mine.
Founded a Music Production where we setup various gigs/events that showcase amateur bands from different universities. Also performed during the events/gigs setup as I have a band as well.

Internship
- LiveIt Investments (Investment Management arm of Ayala Corporation). Ayala Corporation is a holding company for the diversified interests of the Ayala Group. The company is known to have a portfolio of diverse business interests, including investments in retail, real estate, banking, etc.
- Selected to be part of a project team which collaborated with Pearson for the purpose of developing and putting up low-cost private schools in the Philippines.

In case these would help as well.
Thanks!

[MargaretStrother]

Dear Sad and Desperate,
That GPA is a bit of a challenge, but you can try to work around it by showing that it was a maturity issue and that you have grown out of it. The best way to show that is by taking some challenging courses now, particularly those that will be relevant to the MBA, and scoring well in them. You will of course want to write an optional essay about it, and hope that your campaign bears fruit. Fortunately that GMAT is strong enough that top business schools won't be worried about your ability to handle the academics, but you do need to convince them that you have the discipline to do so.

Your work experience and university involvements look good; if you have ongoing community leadership, that will also be an important asset.

Now, which schools? Your list is long and varied. I recommend no more than four or five schools per round, and that you narrow your list to schools that you are really passionate about and have researched in depth. If you can get away to visit the campus of a school you're applying to, that's always best, but it's not always possible. However, you can certainly do a lot of outreach to current students whose goals or background is similar to yours, and start to learn more about each program from the inside.

One last comment about school choices: given your GPA, all of the schools on your list end up being "stretch" schools, so you may want to diversify: pick two stretch schools, the two you love most from this list, and then pick a couple of great programs that have a lower average GMAT, so that your 750 will be even more of an asset. That way you can be sure that you'll be going somewhere in the fall of 2016, and you won't be leaving so much of your future to chance.

Good luck!
Margaret Strother

[ecgrageda]

Hi Margaret,

Thank you so much for your comments! I'd still have to dig deeper and do more research as to fit but I've found that Cornell, Tuck and Kellogg have a lower average GMAT compared to mine, while Wharton and Booth are the two schools I absolutely love. Obviously my GPA literally makes all of the schools a stretch for me. Would you have an idea as to what range I should consider and could be realistic for me? I'd really want to stay in the top 20 schools. Or is my GPA already a deal-breaker?

Thanks very much!

[MargaretStrother]

At this point, you're best moving from a public board to a private consultation with a professional admissions consultant -- many companies, including ours, offer a free preliminary conversation so that you can determine whether you're a good fit with the working style of that company. I try to use this forum as a place to discuss issues that will be relevant to many readers; you might be at the stage where you need to get into your personal details on a one-on-one basis.

Your GPA will be a challenge, but your job will be to immerse yourself in a select few top MBA programs and really "show your love" in your application, so that despite your low academic performance in the past, the admissions committee of that school will see you as an overall asset to their community.

Thanks,
Margaret Strother