ggggmmmaat wrote:
31, white male, US
-Eight years as a financial analyst (business operations and FP&A) for a top defense contractor. Steady promotions, increases in work scope and responsibility, bosses praise me. I’ve led special projects but as an individual contributor, I have no traditional management experience.
-I just began my GMAT prep, taking the test in a couple of months. Practice scores were high 600’s to 710 with barely any studying (q: 39, v: 45). I’m positive I can bring quant up with some refreshers/strategy.
-UCLA ‘06, Econ major, 3.1 GPA.
No excuses for GPA. Just got distracted by my new-found freedom. It took me a little while to develop my inner motivation. I know better now.
If I took some online quantitative classes, would it boost my case here?
-I have no significant extracurriculars or community service since high school. I get the distinct impression that this is a huge mark against me but I'm not sure anything can be done about it now.
-I'm working on getting my FP&A cert in early 2015 (somewhat equivalent to CPA but for different discipline).
-I’m aiming for the best school I can get into that offers an online option or part-time option in California (Indiana, MBA@UNC, Carnegie Mellon, AZ State, Santa Clara, etc.)
My dream is UCLA or Berkeley... If I somehow got a 760+ GMAT and submitted well-prepared essays/application, would these be possible?
-I’m typically a very strong essay writer so I think that could be a real positive for my application. My recommendations would be from former bosses (middle managers) who would have great things to say about me but aren't really influencers in the corporation.
-My goal is to get into financial analysis/business strategy at a major tech company (Google, Apple, etc.) since they seem to be enthusiastic recruiters of MBAs.
If I tell a cohesive story, put together a great application, score 710+ GMAT, maybe take a quant course or two before applying, do I stand a chance at making it into a good school?
Thanks for the help!
Hey there,
So first of all your work seems pretty good, and your industry is excellent. You do have that one black mark of UG grades, but if you aren't applying for Top 10 schools it's not necessarily an app-killer. You will just have to show academic potential in other ways (like for example acing the GMAT). The community service thing is too bad, but you also might have something that you don't consider community service. With a little digging, you might discover that you have more than you think.
I'm not sure sure that you need to take a quant course, or even if it will really help that much. Really just concentrate on your GMAt and do well there (although on the other hand, maybe the quant course will help with your GMAT???
)
What I would need is more details about your work experience, but basically if you were to get above a 720 I think most PT programs would be open to you, and even some very good FT ones (like USC, UCLA if you wanted to stay in Cali).
Hope this helps!
JF