Good morning,
I am planning on applying for my MBA this fall and have already started my applications. Please evaluate my candidacy for the following schools, and provide feedback as to which schools I should focus on.
I graduated from a top 30 undergrad business program with a degree in finance. My cumulative GPA is a 3.0 even. After school, I worked at a big bank in it's consumer lending office for 6 months, then transitioned to consulting at a top worldwide consulting firm. I was promoted a year early, and am on pace to get promoted again in the next 6 months. During my time in consulting, I have worked on various engagements, specializing in financial analysis and modeling, price analysis and modeling, audit readiness, budget formulation, and strategic planning. Cost models and pricing models that I developed have contributed to winning contract awards for 2 separate projects of +$600K each. I have worked in consulting for 3 years now, and my cumulative professional experience is just under 4 years (will be 4+ at matriculation, almost 5 when I include internships).
I recently re-took the GMAT and scored a 700 (Q48, V38). This is about my average (practice tests between 680-720), and given that I just got this score this week, I feel it's best to move forward with the applications and not re-take for a higher score.
Community involvement: Lead sub-tasks for a park resotration and clean up effort at local park this year - 2 years ago, I was a participant and did not lead. These efforts account for about 30 hours. Also - 6 years ago I was a HS Girls Basketball varsity assistant coach, accounting for hundreds of hours (all volunteer work, no pay). Is this too dated to mention/count, or is 6 years ago perfectly acceptable to include?
My story: I realize my GPA is low and will need to be addressed. When I was in college, my parents moved away from my hometown and I decided to continue living in my hometown. In addition to paying for college, I now also had to pay for living expenses during the summer. I held 3 jobs over the summers and steadily held jobs while on campus at college. Not that this should be read as a pity story (because its not), but I feel it contributed to my lower than expected GPA (25+ hours per week at work). There were times when my GPA dipped below 3.0, and I worked to make Dean's list to improve my GPA. Basically, I want to tell the story that I have proven the ability to suceed in the classroom, but balanced other factors, and demonstrated the ability to succeed in the classroom when necessary (any help on this specific subject is greatly appreciated).
Now, here are my target schools (in order of application due date):
UNC Kenan Flagler (12/2)
Kellogg (12/14)
Duke - Fuqua (1/4)
Chicago - Booth (1/4)
Penn - Wharton (1/4)
UVA - Darden (1/14)
Given that my post-MBA aspirations are to get into investment banking (the short answer to my goals/why mba essay), please evaluate my list of schools and let me know how I can best position myself for acceptance.
Note: I recently added Wharton (always knew it was the best finance school, but now that I achieved a 700, think it may be at least somewhat realistic). As the R2 deadline is the same as Duke, I am condsidering removing Fuqua from my list of schools. Please advise this decision, and my overall candidacy for all target schools. I would greatly appreciate any additional insight into how I can best frame my background and story to best succeed in the application process.
Thank you so so so much in advance for your advice - I look forward to your feedback!
I am planning on applying for my MBA this fall and have already started my applications. Please evaluate my candidacy for the following schools, and provide feedback as to which schools I should focus on.
I graduated from a top 30 undergrad business program with a degree in finance. My cumulative GPA is a 3.0 even. After school, I worked at a big bank in it's consumer lending office for 6 months, then transitioned to consulting at a top worldwide consulting firm. I was promoted a year early, and am on pace to get promoted again in the next 6 months. During my time in consulting, I have worked on various engagements, specializing in financial analysis and modeling, price analysis and modeling, audit readiness, budget formulation, and strategic planning. Cost models and pricing models that I developed have contributed to winning contract awards for 2 separate projects of +$600K each. I have worked in consulting for 3 years now, and my cumulative professional experience is just under 4 years (will be 4+ at matriculation, almost 5 when I include internships).
I recently re-took the GMAT and scored a 700 (Q48, V38). This is about my average (practice tests between 680-720), and given that I just got this score this week, I feel it's best to move forward with the applications and not re-take for a higher score.
Community involvement: Lead sub-tasks for a park resotration and clean up effort at local park this year - 2 years ago, I was a participant and did not lead. These efforts account for about 30 hours. Also - 6 years ago I was a HS Girls Basketball varsity assistant coach, accounting for hundreds of hours (all volunteer work, no pay). Is this too dated to mention/count, or is 6 years ago perfectly acceptable to include?
My story: I realize my GPA is low and will need to be addressed. When I was in college, my parents moved away from my hometown and I decided to continue living in my hometown. In addition to paying for college, I now also had to pay for living expenses during the summer. I held 3 jobs over the summers and steadily held jobs while on campus at college. Not that this should be read as a pity story (because its not), but I feel it contributed to my lower than expected GPA (25+ hours per week at work). There were times when my GPA dipped below 3.0, and I worked to make Dean's list to improve my GPA. Basically, I want to tell the story that I have proven the ability to suceed in the classroom, but balanced other factors, and demonstrated the ability to succeed in the classroom when necessary (any help on this specific subject is greatly appreciated).
Now, here are my target schools (in order of application due date):
UNC Kenan Flagler (12/2)
Kellogg (12/14)
Duke - Fuqua (1/4)
Chicago - Booth (1/4)
Penn - Wharton (1/4)
UVA - Darden (1/14)
Given that my post-MBA aspirations are to get into investment banking (the short answer to my goals/why mba essay), please evaluate my list of schools and let me know how I can best position myself for acceptance.
Note: I recently added Wharton (always knew it was the best finance school, but now that I achieved a 700, think it may be at least somewhat realistic). As the R2 deadline is the same as Duke, I am condsidering removing Fuqua from my list of schools. Please advise this decision, and my overall candidacy for all target schools. I would greatly appreciate any additional insight into how I can best frame my background and story to best succeed in the application process.
Thank you so so so much in advance for your advice - I look forward to your feedback!
