Hi
Avi2017,
Thank you for the follow-up note. Here are my observations:
1. If the courses and content look similar, then I do not view there as being a meaningful difference between UC Berkeley Extension and UCLA Extension. If I were really forced to choose, maybe Berkeley by a subconscious hair given the brand tends to carry a little more weight. But adcoms are not going to be critiquing "Berkeley versus UCLA" for a couple of extension courses. (Full disclosure: I did my MBA at UC Berkeley.)
2. You have a fantastic GMAT score and some strong experience. That's a very nice foundation. But only applying to H/S/W would be too aggressive.
(a) I don't see a ton to your story beyond the GMAT score and job. I know you can't capture everything in a
Profile Review, but I'd encourage you to give HBS's
Who Are We Looking For? post a read. Unless there's groundbreaking depth to that Big Brother, Big Sister experience, I don't quite see where your differentiated "Engaged Community Citizenship" comes into play.
Being light in the way of ECs and light in the way of story beyond the GMAT/job makes an already extremely difficult task even more difficult. By all means feel free to shoot for the stars, but I'd encourage to approach the process with appropriate expectations. And I'd encourage you to take the opportunity over the next couple of years to try to build out the parts of your profile that currently lack. I don't quite see the differentiators beyond the nice job and score.
(b) A 3.3 GPA is on the lower end for these programs -- probably around the 10th percentile for a given H/S/W class. Your GMAT score settles some questions about that, but you are more or less in the high GMAT / low(ish) GPA club if we're talking H/S/W, where class averages run in the 3.6 to 3.7 range. If there are courses in which you struggled, then I do believe that remedying those via additional coursework would represent credible steps on your part.
You might also give these Poets and Quants articles about the top feeder programs to HBS and Wharton a read (links below). They're a few years old now, but they underscore how concentrated the HBS and Wharton MBA classes are in "prestige" undergraduate programs.
https://poetsandquants.com/2011/08/15/t ... ss-school/https://poetsandquants.com/2011/08/07/t ... a-program/ (c) HBS and Stanford tend to trend a little younger than most other top programs. You don't see quite as many folks with seven years of work experience at enrollment as you do elsewhere, which is what you'd seemingly have at enrollment. (The average work experience for students at HBS and Stanford are closer to four years.)
Long story short, you have a fantastic foundation with your GMAT score and jobs, and you can certainly consider including these schools in your strategy. (You'll have to decide whether it's worth to include all three, as that could tip you too aggressive overall.) But H/S are in their own league, and while Wharton is potentially more in range, I'd still encourage you develop a more balanced school strategy. Even with a more diversified list of targets, you will still absolutely need to build out your story and profile beyond the jobs and score (along all of the usual super-specific why MBA, why now, why this program, and short- and long-term career goal articulations in your future essays and applications).
Thanks!
Greg
Avi2017 wrote:
AvantiPrep wrote:
Hi
Avi2017,
Looks like @chris558's question is almost six years old (!), but I'm assuming your bump suggest that you're interested in what Chris originally asked about.
First, it is fine if the courses are taken via two different institutions, so long as both are reputable (which in Chris's example, they are). If you wanted to be really proactive, you could spend one sentence in the Optional Essay mentioning why you elected to go with two different institutions, which in this case was dictated by the institutions' course offerings relative to the courses you needed to take, skills you needed to build, and soft spots in your transcript you needed to address.
If you're building an alternative transcript, then presumably there is some weakness to your grades and transcripts that you do need to address, so you should be planning on some sort of Optional Essay already. Keep in mind that "essay" can be a strong or even misleading word; if you're explaining your academic situation and the steps you've taken / experience you have that address these weaknesses, it will often come in the form of a couple of paragraphs, rather than a whole "essay."
Keep in mind that Optional Essays need to be carefully worded. You do not want to come across like you're making excuses for poor undergraduate performance. You can provide context if that context is serious enough, but otherwise you should own it, articulate how you've grown, and detail the specific professional and academic strides you've made in the areas of weakness or concern. Also consider where and how your recommenders can buttress these areas of concern.
For example, if your grades in quantitative courses were weak, make sure your quant / analytical work is apparent on your resume, highlighted by your recommenders (among other qualities, of course), and touched on in the aforementioned Optional Essay. You should also aim to get A's in the courses you take for the alternative transcript.
As for Chris's second sub-question, it's fine to take a non-credit course so long as it's (a) equally legitimate and rigorous as comparable for-credit courses and (b) you still receive a grade in the course. If there is any give-up to the non-credit course, then I'd instead encourage you to take the "credit for graduate" option (and again, get A's).
Hope this helps!
Best Regards,
Greg
Avi2017 wrote:
BUMP
Hello,
Thank you so much for the information! I have a few more questions-
1. Which one is more highly regarded? UCLA Extension or UC Berkeley Extension? Both have Math for Management and other courses.. I am not sure which one to take, and are similarly priced.
2. Based on my profile below, do you think I need an alternative transcript? My goal is to get into Harvard/Stanford/Wharton full time MBA 2 years from now. Also, what are my chances of getting in these schools?
Profile
Undergrad- The Ohio State University
GPA - 3.3
Major- Double Major - Finance/Accounting
Minor- Economics
Age- 26
WE- 4.5 years
Jobs held-
1 year Big 4 Valuation (Ernst & Young)
6 months Duff & Phelps Valuation (New York)
3 years Investment Banking- M&A in Tech and Media (New York)
Current Job- Manager in Corporate FP&A- M&A Special Projects team. (This is an elite team at the firm where I have significant responsibility impacting major decisions of the firm)
GMAT- 770
CFA- Taking Level 1 in December. Level 2 next year.
Volunteer & EC-
Founder & President of a top business organization at The Ohio State University (Won the Outstanding New Student Organization award in 2013)
One of the Advisers in a Finance Scholars organization, a renowned club that helps students learn finance
Big Brother (Big Brother Big Sister)
Please advise
_________________
Greg Guglielmo
Founder | Avanti Prep
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