jdbass wrote:
Here's the stats:
- Age: 27
- Education: 3.9 with honors; Majors: Finance, Accounting; Indiana University - 2007
- 740 (74% Quant, 99% Verbal, 6.0 AWA)
- Work Experience: 4yrs in Finance @ Large Consumer Products Company; increasing responsiblities with 2 promotions; currently Assistant Site Controller for our largest manufacturing facility
- Extracurricular Involvements: Assistant HS Hockey Coach (10+ hrs/week); Treasurer for local 5k charity ($50K + in donations); 'executive on-loan' for community United Way campaigns
- Would like to continue in Corporate Finance after MBA
- Current Application Plan: Rd1 - Wharton, Booth, Ross; Rd2 - Harvard, Kellogg
I'm concerned about a couple of things:
1) Not having 'blue-chip' undergrad or employment (IB, MC, etc)
2) Being part of an 'over-represented' group (White Male/Finance)
3) Skewing toward the older end for some of the top programs
4) Having an unbalanced GMAT
Couple of questions:
1) How does my profile stack up for the schools listed? Is there anything I can do to mitigate some of the concerns listed above (I'm not re-taking the GMAT!!!)
2) Would I be well advised to consider a couple of 'back-up' programs? Or are there other 'top' schools that fit my profile well?
Thanks in advance!
I do like the GMAT score in both Q and V to be above the 75th or 80th percentile usually, but if you are unwilling/unable to retake the GMAT don't worry about it much: the reality is that you received a 740! The non-blue chip degree is not a concern actually since most programs like a diverse range of undergraduate programs represented. Yes, white/male/finance is a hard group to differentiate yourself from: do so by highlighting the aspects of your application that not everyone from that pool can talk about (consumer products, manufacturing, hockey, United Way) to mitigate. I also recommend working with a professional consultant (shameless plug, sorry!) so that you can apply to all of your top 5 choices by the first deadline (we just take the guess-work out of your essay writing to shorten the process for you) and add some good second choices (NYU, Cornell, Goizueta, Notre Dame, Georgetown?) to second round.
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