microjohn wrote:
Reading some of these other evaluations is a little discouraging, but I'm not shooting for the top tier, and I want to know if I have a shot.
I'm a little concerned that I'm at a demographic disadvantage, which is compounded by my lack of direction/experience at my age.
I'm a white male, 30, in NYC. My GMAT was 660 (Q:44, v:37), undergrad GPA of 3.5 cumulative and in Economics major at Rutgers.
My work history started well, and has kind of slid around since then. I started in customer service at Datek (old online brokerage). I quickly moved to management and stayed there for two years, but still just in customer service. After the bubble burst, I took the layoff package and moved to a market making company, but only stayed for 10 months (loathed my "boss" and the environment, not to mention did not see a future). Then I started trading for my own account at a prop trading firm in NYC, and quickly moved to the position of Head Trader. I was involved in a lot of strategy meetings with investors and such as well as running the daily functions of the desk AND still trading my own account full time. I was recruited away to do the same thing for a friend's trading company, and ran his desk for a year. However, this is right when algos and other programs had achieved over an 80% hold on the market, and my group could no longer make a real living, so I through in the towel. I currently work at Nasdaq in trade support. It's essentially entry level again, and I hate it, but will stick it out until I go to school to try to bring some stability to my resume.
So, my schools of choice are Texas McCombs and UNC Kenan-Flagler.
Do I have a shot?
Is my age/experience a real problem? I know that I can take the GMAT again, but I think that a 660 is probably about the same as a 700. If I really need the 700, I will take the dang test again, but I don't really want to.
Microjohn,
While I disagree that a 660 is about the same as a 700 (at least insofar as the schools perceive it), I think you have a shot at both schools. First, your numbers are close to their medians, and your GPA is good. Your challenge will be (a) reworking the career history you just gave me so it doesn't sound like you've just been treading water, (b) really selling them on a specific need for an MBA other than "I'm drowning, and an MBA is my lifesaver." and (c) showing that you are more than interested only in the remunerative payoffs of Wall Street but are fundamentally a leader (with proven stories to back it up) and someone with broad interests/passions and (ideally) a social perspective (where community work could help you). You might get into these two schools without doing (a), (b), and (c) but they would certainly help you. Your age is a borderline problem -- which makes having a compelling, well-worked-through goals statement all the more critical for you.
Good luck,