My long journey back to Troy...
[#permalink]
12 Apr 2007, 15:20
Hi all..
I would just like to thank gmatclub and its members for all the support and guidance i have received through this looong application process. I truly appreciate it; GMAT Club has proven to be a great support center.
A little background about myself:
USC Undergrad in Computer Engineering and Computer Science, GPA 2.9.
3.5 Years of experience in various IT departments, most notably The Walt Disney Company for 1.5 years as a Web Developer.
GMAT: 630. AWA 6.
Extra Curricular: Choreographer, founder of Indian professional dance team. Volunteer at local tutoring club. Avid investor in securities and founder of investment club.
My journey begins back in August of 2005 when I started looking into taking a supplemental class for the GMAT and I came across a post about Veritas Prep. I ended up taking the class and religiously studied the verbal and math postings daily to get additional practices. I ended up scoring a mere 590, which i later improved to a modest 630. After much deliberation and studying, I decided to retake the GMAT again a third time (its not fun when the testing center attendant starts recognizing you by name). However, due to some personal issues was unable to perform well. I ended up cancelling the score, utterly disappointed by my b-school prospects at the time. The whole process from when i started to prepare for the gmat to my final test took approximately 8 months.
I then hired a private consultant to help me prepare my application and help me nail down my strategy. I felt I needed any help I can get to achieve my goal of getting admitted to a top 25 program in the country, preferably USC or UT Austin. I applied to three schools through the Consortium (cgsm.org) to all my dream schools. I ended up getting dinged from NYU, UT Austin, Cal, accepted at Rochester (Simon) and waitlisted at USC Marshall and UCI Merage. I was more than a little disappointed at my prospects. I visited Rochester a couple of times and although the program seemed very appealing, my lack of interest in finance or settling in NY after grad seem to rule out UR as an option (although I still plan on attending their acceptance weekend).
My mission at this point was to do everything and anything to get into USC or UCI, I preferred USC of course. I wrote to my interviewer at UCI and developed a rapport with her and expressed further strong interest in being admitted into the program. She suggested to either retake the gmat or take some classes. I then signed up for an Acct class which lasted close to 6 weeks, got an A and presented the grades to both schools. I also landed a new position, a promotion of sorts from my current reponsibilities which further bolstered my case. My new position at the ABC Cable Networks group in Burbank is lucrative enough that I decided to switch my application to the PT program for Marshall.
My salvation from years of daily worry about my prospects of attending B-School came via a phone call last Friday when I was admitted into the Marshall PM program. I will be matriculating in the fall and accepting a partial re-imbursement for bschool from Disney.
Let my story be an inspiration to all those who feel dejected and de-moralized by this seemingly endless process. Diligence and perseverance are just as impressive as a high GPA & GMAT score at times.
Once again thanks to all and goodluck!!