Profile Eval for 2009 Matriculation

[hjhj]

28 year old Korean American (will be 29 when applying fall 09)

GMAT:
710

College:
B.A. Economics 2007 - graduated in two and a half years
3.78 GPA (community college - 63 credits in 1 year (spring, summer, and fall semesters)
3.14 GPA (University of Michigan - 1.5 years. Worked 30+ hrs a week during my time here - not an excuse by any means, but working did adversely impact my grades.)

Work Experience:
Pre-college:
2 years in East Asia - 1 year teaching SATs and 1 year working in operational/strategic roles at private academies (SAT, AP subject exams, etc).
Post-college: (will have 3 total years by 09 MBA matriculation)
1 year at Accenture (operational consulting not IT implementation: business case, NPV analysis)
5 months (will have 2 years at matriculation) in an internal corporate strategy role at a company with midsized company - $500M annual revenue - (corporate growth strategy, metrics analysis, data driven analysis, financial modeling)

Extracurricular Activities:
Strategy engagement for nonprofit organization. Final deliverables and recommendations include 5 year growth strategy (new services, joint ventures and mergers), competitive intelligence, and industry research/benchmarking. Currently leading one of these work streams.

MBA schools:
I'm planning on applying to CBS, Stern, Hass, Darden, Kellogg, and Tuck.

Post-MBA plans:
Strategy consulting or corporate development/strategy at a large multinational company.

I've considered building an alternative transcript but wasn't sure if it was necessary. I thought about taking 1 or 2 corporate finance classes at berkeley extension or at a local university as I took all the various economics, statistics, and calculus classes as an econ undergrad (not sure if I should retake any of them).


One final thought - I'm thinking about taking another job soon, at a larger company, doing similar type work as I'm doing now but with more of a focus on marketing/sales strategy and corporate development, M&A. But I'm considered about the job hopping stigma.

Pros of taking the job - The new place offers a base salary that's around 50% more than I'm making now and I get a title upgrade (analyst to senior analyst). I'd also get closer interaction with senior executives.
Cons - can only really think of one. I'm concerned that I'd be viewed as a job hopper, hurting my MBA candidacy. If I leave and take this job, I'll only have 1 year at my first job, 5 months at my second, and 1 year and 7 months (at time of matriculation) at this third job. But I'm thinking the job hopping factor might be negated given current economic conditions.

I'd also consider working an additional year at this new job, so I'd have 2 years and 7 months (at time of matriculation) there and a total of 4 years post college experience at time of matriculation.

[Eliot]

hjhj,

Thanks for your post.

Your academics present a bit of a quandary. One the one hand, it is impressive that you graduated in 2.5 years while working 30 hours a week. On the other hand, your 3.1 gpa suggests that your grades suffered as a result. The adcom might wonder why you didn't give yourself more time in school to improve your grades.

I am interested in learning more about what courses brought down your grades. If you received Bs/Cs in business foundation courses such as Economics, Statistics, Accounting and Calculus, then it would make sense to build an alternate transcript this Spring. Take 1-2 classes and get As in them. This will address your academics. Meaning, the alternate transcript will show that you are capable of doing A work right now.

Workwise, you have some good operational strategy work at Accenture and internal strategy work at a mid size company. Just be sure to quantify the impact of your work and highlight your leadership at work.

The key question you face is - should you take your new job offer or stay at your current job? Given the increased salary and role, I suggest that you take the new job because this will show upward trajectory in your career. Just be sure to show impact in your new job within the next 6 months so that you have some accomplishments to discuss in your essays. You might also want to apply in Round 2 so that you have a few extra months at your new job.

Sincerely,

Eliot Ingram
Clear Admit LLC