artkin76 wrote:
White American Male, Age 28
1) 1 year as a paralegal followed by 5 years working in private wealth management as an analyst/portfolio manager. Deal with exclusively HNW clients.
2) 710 GMAT (45 Verbal - 98% / 43 Quant - 65%)
3) Connecticut College, 3.6 GPA, 2005 Graduate, Double major in Government (focus in political philosophy) & History (focus in European history).
4) No community service, have always been busy with work. Hockey, weightlifting (I know these are not particularly scholarly endeavors, but they keep me sane in and in shape). I do help organize hockey tournaments for friends and pretty much play year round.
5) Just took Level 1 CFA - hopefully I pass.
6) Targets I am trying to determine... at this point I would just like to know what is feasible.
7) At the moment I would like to deepen my understanding of finance and ultimately probably switch to the buy-side of the industry. This is not set in stone necessarily, however.
Hey, don't knock the hockey involvement: team sports are viewed positively by the MBA programs
Considering your finance focus, I do think you may need to boost the Quant score a bit. I think you need to be in the 75th percentile or above to prove that you can perform in the rigorous MBA course load.
Depending on how much you've done as an analyst/portfolio manager, any or all of the following programs might make sense for you:
1) If you've been a superstar in a top firm, then Wharton, Yale, Columbia, UCLA, Kellogg, Chicago, etc. may make sense (once you boost the quant score).
2) If you've been relatively successful, then I would say NYU, Tuck, Duke, or Ross, etc. may make better target programs.
3) If you have little to show for your work experience in terms of accomplishments but you do have a strong network and experience in the finance industry, then I would say Georgetown, Maryland, Rochester, UNC, and Notre Dame, etc. would be more appropriate choices.
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