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Profile Evaluation

by oov » Thu Aug 26, 2010 3:17 pm
First off, I'd like to thank all you Admission Consultants for taking the time to review my profile. But here it goes.

I just graduated from The University of Texas at Austin with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering and a Minor in Economics. I believe UT is a top 10 Engineering school; however, my GPA ended up being a 3.18 at graduation, which is pretty low in my opinion. And I can only blame this on myself and my declining interest for Engineering as my college years went by.

During my last two years of college, when I realized that I didn't want to go into the engineering industry, I found myself getting really involved in the consulting scene at UT. I became a part of a couple business/consulting student organizations and participated in numerous case competitions, including a GM case competition where the marketing team actually took my idea and transformed it into reality. And during my senior year of college, I ended up leading a small consulting team where we helped out a small, local organization. So I really had decided that I didn't want to get into the engineering industry any more and found my niche in consulting.

After graduation, I took the GMAT and scored a 740. And currently, I am working at a small IT consulting firm specializing in the energy industry. I plan to stay for another year or two and hopefully get in a decent MBA program Fall 2012. After obtaining my MBA, I plan on re-entering the consulting industry; however, this time with more of a strategy/management type consulting firm.

My questions are:

1) What are my chances of getting into a top 10 MBA program, like Harvard, NYU, Columbia, MIT, etc. given my 740 GMAT, 1-2 years of consulting work experience, consulting practice during undergrad, and a 3.18 GPA?

2) What can I do from now until I apply (about 1 year) that will better my chances of getting into the above stated MBA programs?

3) I recently got a flyer advertising the MIT LGO program, which is MIT's dual degree program for an MBA and a MS in Engineering in 2 years. Have you guys had any experience with anybody currently in the program or how the strategy/management consulting industry views this type of program? It seems to pack a lot of education in 2 years, but I'm not sure if it's worth all the work/money compared to a typical MBA program.

4) Currently, I have a whole list of schools that I would love to go to. However, given that I'd like to pursue a strategy/management consulting, which schools do you recommend that I focus on?

Once again, thanks so much for all your advice and time. I truly appreciate it.
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by Tani » Fri Aug 27, 2010 8:55 am
Lots of questions!

First, your GMAT is, of course, great. No problems there and it's good for five years.

Second, the undergrad record is soft, but not terrible. You are right, UT-Austin ranks 9th according to US News, which is in your favor.

Your consulting projects during college can be a great help. You will want to highlight those in your application essays. (An experienced admissions consultant can help you with that.) You should play up the leadership aspect as well as the business learning. Be concrete. Tell them what you did and, where implemented, what the results have been.

It is hard to evaluate your industry experience this early, but energy is a hot field and its link to your engineering background makes sense. A lot will depend on how you perform and what your recommendations look like a year from now.


Your chances at a top program are good, but no one really has a slam dunk in those highly competitive environments. You will have to tell a great story in your essays to explain why you would be an asset tho their programs. 1-2 years is very little in which to showcase your abilities. Frankly, your chances would likely be better with even an additional year of experience. Again, that depends on how much you are exposed to in the next 12-18 months. There will certainly be several strong safety schools at which you would get an excellent education.

Between now and applying you should certainly do everything you can to expand your professional background. Talk to management about leading programs and taking on new tasks. Be sure that you can demonstrate both growth and real contribution. You might also enhance your community profile - volunteer for an organization in which you can really provide a contribution based on your training and skills. The idea is not to add five lines to your resume, but to demonstrate leadership in an environment in which you can't rely on your position or title. Look for a group for which you can make a difference. If necessary, start something.

As for MIT, I have a personal bias since my daughter just got her masters there. It is a fabulous school and worth any amount of effort it would require just for the experience of being part of that amazing community and the entire Boston academic environment. The friends you would make in their program would be invaluable.

I am always a little wary when people say they want to be consultants. Consult in what? True consultants work from a knowledge base. I wouldn't hire a consulting engineer to work on a marketing problem. You need to think about what kind of consulting you want and why. Don't be blinded by the $$$. Then, choose your school on the basis of the curriculum that will give you the background needed to be a credible resource. All top schools pay serious attention to general management strategy, if that is your target. Think hard about walking away from your engineering and industry background.

Try working backwards. Keep your eyes open on the job and identify a few companies you would like to work for. Then find out where they hire their entry level managers. Also check out which firms interview at the schools you have targeted. That information is pretty openly available. Most schools will also post information about where their graduates get hired.


Good luck
Tani Wolff
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