Too late for 09 admission?!!

[yangxuandudu]

Hello,
I have recently found out that I will HAVE TO go to business school in 2009 for a variety of reasons.

Here is my background:
1. graduated from a small name school, finance major, GPA 3.7
2. have been working in a corporate finance consulting firm for a little over 2 years. btw, 3 out of the 6 partners in my office are Harvard MBAs.
3. have not yet taken gmat, but i have confidence of scoring 700+ if i take it in December
4. have passed CFA Lvl II this year, and i passed both levels on the first attempt. Will take lvl III next June.

I'm aiming at the top 10 schools because a second tier mba will not add value for me.

Now, is it too late to get ready for 09 admission? I'm very determined to go next year, and I'll do what I have to do to achieve the goal.

[Graham]

Dear Yangxuandudu,

Thanks for your post!

While you are by no means an 'early bird' to this process, it is certainly not too late to apply for admission to programs that start in the fall of 2009. This just means that you will likely have to apply in Round 2 for most programs (R2 deadlines are typically in January).

As to your profile, you didn't provide too much information but here are some quick thoughts:

1) Your ugrad academics look sound, although as you might imagine, there are a lot of ugrad finance majors in the applicant pool. Were you active in college activities? Did you pursue substantial coursework outside of your major?

2) Your work experience seems reasonable, albeit not terribly unique. Ideally you have been promoted at least once over the course of the two years.

3) The CFA is a nice touch - but not as valued by the schools as one might think. It's viewed as a professional credential more than an academic pursuit.

4) Having recommendations from direct supervisors who have MBAs can certainly be a positive - assuming they are able to bring that perspective into the process and actually compare you favorably to their former classmates and demonstrate an understanding of your fit with a school, etc

The real question marks here are the GMAT, your career goals and your XCs/outside interests, since to this point I am not hearing anything that sounds terribly unique in your profile (this year is likely going to be hyper-competitive due to high application volume).

If you are targeting top 10, you will need a 700+ on the GMAT and very solid application essays (that highlight unique accomplishments, outside involvement in your community/or with hobbies, clear career plans, deep understanding of the MBA programs, etc).

You should aim to get the GMAT out of the way by December 1st, so that you can devote the month of December to essays, application forms, etc. Ideally you would get started on all elements ASAP, but I understand that the GMAT may take some intensive prep time in the near-term.

Best of luck,

Graham