iamnaeth wrote:
Hi, as you can tell by my post count I'm rather new around here but I've been lurking for the last 2 months or so to study up for my GMAT.
Background
I graduated from Virginia Tech (top 15 engineering school) in May of 2003 with a Bachelor's of Science in Electrical Engineering. My undergraduate GPA was a lowly 2.8 because I wasn't great at attending class and the engineering curriculam is difficult. After graduating, I worked for a year when I decided to go back to school. I wasn't sure whether I wanted to pursue an MBA or a MSEE (Master's of Science in Electrical Engineering) so I took the GMAT in May of 2004. I didn't really study but I ended up with a 630 (I don't remember the % breakdown) and a 5.5 on the AWA. After a little soul searching I decided to pursue the MSEE. I continued to work full time at defense contractor designing power systems for aircraft carriers and in the evenings I took distance learning classes. Basically, I would watch classes taped earlier in the day. So two and a half grueling years later, I finished my MSEE (also from Virginia Tech) in December of 2006 with a 3.4 GPA. Much improved over my undergraduate one. Additionally, I've worked full time the last 3 years however, all my experience is engineering related. At my job, I have managed a small team to design the systems implemented on the ship. Additionally, I have become a lead member of the Six Sigma / LEAN quality team.
I decided last fall that I would like to pursue my MBA now. I want to get to a position where I can still use concepts from my technical background however, I prefer to be in a management position. So, for the last few months I've been studying for my GMAT and today I received a 710 (93%) Yay!
Honestly, I haven't seen a lot of engineers on here, especially those with an existing Master's degree. How do I fare? What schools (Anywhere in the world) should I be targeting? Thanks in advance. If you need anymore info, let me know!
Nathan
Oh yeah, I'm 26.
Nathan,
Your background as an engineer is a common one among MBA applicants. You didn't mention your goals so it's a bit hard to recommend specific programs, but based on your GMAT, GPA, and what you've told me I think you could consider schools such as:
Emory
Carnegie Mellon
UC Irvine
Florida Warrington
UNC Kenan-Flagler
Texas Austin
Wisconsin
Georgetown
These are all excellent programs. Outside the U.S. you could consider York (Schulich), IESE, and HEC Paris among others. Hopefully you have some community involvement or extracurricular leadership to talk about.
Good luck,