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Joined: 19 Jul 2011
Posts: 24
Location: United States
Concentration: Finance, Strategy
WE: Investment Banking (Investment Banking)
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Profile Eval - 3.0 Engineering GPA [#permalink]
 02 Dec 2011, 01:33
Hi,
I'd appreciate if you could provide your feedback on my candidacy. Apologies for any poor grammar; I'm typing this pretty quickly.
Age: 25, will probably be around 28 when I apply (will this hurt my chances since average age seems to be trending down to 26 / 27?)
Nationality: Half Korean / Half Taiwanese
Work Exp:
- 1.5 years at an IT Audit / Internal Audit Company (spinoff company from Arthur Anderson)
- 1 year in a corporate accounting / finance position at a fortune 500 Silicon Valley based gaming company
- 8 months (current job) as an investment banking analyst at a mid-market investment banking firm, I recently received an offer to stay for a 3rd year (this is generally considered as a promotion at investment banks and definitely on the "fast track" considering i've only worked for 8 months at this firm, normally most banks would offer a 3rd year extension towards the end of your 2nd year). On top of that, I was chosen to be one of the individuals who will help my firm expand a new office in NYC (my firm is currently based in SF). I consider this a great opportunity to show my leadership / management abilities, and it's also pretty cool that I am one of two people that my boss is sending out (and my firm has a total of about 35 people).
Gmat:
- Have not taken it yet, have been studying for the past few months, assuming I will get somewhere in the range of 700-730 (eventually)
College info:
- UC Berkeley, 3.0 GPA, Industrial Engineering and Operations Research, I had a lower GPA because I initially studied electrical engineering and comp sci (EECS) and had a major injury that prevented me from going to class for the first 2 semesters, ended up having to switch majors and forced myself to take 5,5,5, and 6 engineering classes my last 4 semesters at CAL. I also received an A.A. degree in Accounting after my undergrad and graduated with a 3.9 (not sure if this will help or if it's even relevant)
Post college EC:
- I was heavily involved with a micro-finance organization called Wokai as well as a pro bono consulting non-profit called The Taproot Foundation
- Was able to provide an organization called "Rebuilding Together SF" a financial model valued at about $70k worth of consulting services
Certifications:
- CPA, Certified Info Sys Auditor (CISA) and Real Estate Brokers License
Schools:
- Penn, Columbia, NYU, HBS, MIT, CAL
PostMBA Career:
- Corporate Development in a large Gaming firm, Tech focused VC / PE shop or a SR Assoc / VP at a bulge bracket bank
Please let me know if there's any other information you'd like to know about myself in order to help with your assessment.
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Admissions Consultant
Joined: 23 Dec 2010
Posts: 668
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Re: Profile Eval - 3.0 Engineering GPA [#permalink]
12 Dec 2011, 17:20
liupatrick68 wrote: Hi,
I'd appreciate if you could provide your feedback on my candidacy. Apologies for any poor grammar; I'm typing this pretty quickly.
Age: 25, will probably be around 28 when I apply (will this hurt my chances since average age seems to be trending down to 26 / 27?)
Nationality: Half Korean / Half Taiwanese
Work Exp:
- 1.5 years at an IT Audit / Internal Audit Company (spinoff company from Arthur Anderson)
- 1 year in a corporate accounting / finance position at a fortune 500 Silicon Valley based gaming company
- 8 months (current job) as an investment banking analyst at a mid-market investment banking firm, I recently received an offer to stay for a 3rd year (this is generally considered as a promotion at investment banks and definitely on the "fast track" considering i've only worked for 8 months at this firm, normally most banks would offer a 3rd year extension towards the end of your 2nd year). On top of that, I was chosen to be one of the individuals who will help my firm expand a new office in NYC (my firm is currently based in SF). I consider this a great opportunity to show my leadership / management abilities, and it's also pretty cool that I am one of two people that my boss is sending out (and my firm has a total of about 35 people).
Gmat:
- Have not taken it yet, have been studying for the past few months, assuming I will get somewhere in the range of 700-730 (eventually)
College info:
- UC Berkeley, 3.0 GPA, Industrial Engineering and Operations Research, I had a lower GPA because I initially studied electrical engineering and comp sci (EECS) and had a major injury that prevented me from going to class for the first 2 semesters, ended up having to switch majors and forced myself to take 5,5,5, and 6 engineering classes my last 4 semesters at CAL. I also received an A.A. degree in Accounting after my undergrad and graduated with a 3.9 (not sure if this will help or if it's even relevant)
Post college EC:
- I was heavily involved with a micro-finance organization called Wokai as well as a pro bono consulting non-profit called The Taproot Foundation
- Was able to provide an organization called "Rebuilding Together SF" a financial model valued at about $70k worth of consulting services
Certifications:
- CPA, Certified Info Sys Auditor (CISA) and Real Estate Brokers License
Schools:
- Penn, Columbia, NYU, HBS, MIT, CAL
PostMBA Career:
- Corporate Development in a large Gaming firm, Tech focused VC / PE shop or a SR Assoc / VP at a bulge bracket bank
Please let me know if there's any other information you'd like to know about myself in order to help with your assessment. Assuming your GMAT score does land in the range you're hoping for, I do believe that your chances are good with the programs you are targeting. I would, however, advise two things: apply at 27 and apply to more programs, including a couple lower ranked but strong in Finance (some suggestions: Cornell, Tepper, UNC, Emory, Notre Dame, Georgetown, etc.). It sounds to me like you'll be starting the new office this year (when you're turning 26) and should have some results to show for that effort in another year (27), which might leave you trying to figure out what challenge to take on next when you are planning to pursue an MBA - in other words, potentially lacking the time to see that new effort through. It is this "dead year" that I believe you can avoid by applying at 27.
_________________
Regards,
Jennifer Bloom, CPRW
jbloom@accepted.com
310-815-9553
Follow Accepted on Twitter
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Subscribe to Accepted's Blog
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Intern
Joined: 19 Jul 2011
Posts: 24
Location: United States
Concentration: Finance, Strategy
WE: Investment Banking (Investment Banking)
Followers: 0
Kudos [?]:
5
[0], given: 2
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Re: Profile Eval - 3.0 Engineering GPA [#permalink]
12 Dec 2011, 17:42
Thanks Jennifer, appreciate your candid feedback.
One thing that I'm a bit confused / concerned about is regarding the age factor.
Can you elaborate a little in terms of why applying at 27 vs 28 makes that big of a difference in the probability of being accepted?
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Admissions Consultant
Joined: 23 Dec 2010
Posts: 668
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Re: Profile Eval - 3.0 Engineering GPA [#permalink]
13 Dec 2011, 02:27
liupatrick68 wrote: Thanks Jennifer, appreciate your candid feedback.
One thing that I'm a bit confused / concerned about is regarding the age factor.
Can you elaborate a little in terms of why applying at 27 vs 28 makes that big of a difference in the probability of being accepted? Applying at 27 means you will graduate at 29; applying at 28 means you will graduate in your 30s. Recruiters are seeking younger graduates,and that year can make a big difference to them. Plus, as I mentioned in my previous reply, you may be seen as stagnant if you stay in the role of launching the new office for a third year, but the alternative of moving positions may make the admissions committee question whether you have given that new role enough time. Obviously, none of these are absolutes - there are certainly 28 and 29 year olds joining the programs each year! - it just makes sense in my opinion to apply earlier rather than later in recognition of these factors.
_________________
Regards,
Jennifer Bloom, CPRW
jbloom@accepted.com
310-815-9553
Follow Accepted on Twitter
Friend Accepted on Facebook
Subscribe to Accepted's Blog
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