SouthBabySouth wrote:
Hello all,
A few questions for you seasoned veterans - I would be applying in Fall 2016 for Summer 2017 matriculation.
The main question I have: I took the GMAT on 12/12/2011 and scored a 720 (49Q, 40V, 6.0AWA) and I DO NOT intend to retake the test prior to applying. Based on my research so far, this shouldn't be an issue - as long as my test is under 5 years old when I hit submit on my application, I'm good to go. Has anyone had experience with this? Are there any schools in, say, the top 30 that require the test to be good through the day you start?
Secondly, below are my stats, and although I recognize this is an imperfect science, I'd like to know what sort of chance I stand at getting full-ride scholarships (schools I'm interested in further below). I'd like to pay as little as possible to go to business school, for personal reasons. I also have no aspiration of applying to HSW, etc. and other highly prestigious programs.
Stats:
Undergrad: Non-Ivy top (e.g. Stanford, Chicago, Duke, MIT, Cal Tech)
Undergrad GPA: 3.81
Undergrad Degree: AB, Political Science
Graduation Date: 2011
GMAT: 720 (49Q, 40V, 6.0AWA; first and only attempt)
First job out of school: Software Developer, large software company (1 year)
Second job out of school: Investment Banking Analyst, top middle-market investment bank (3 years, top-ranked analyst all 3 years and recommendations will be stellar)
Third / current job: Associate, top middle-market private equity firm (current, will be 2 years by matriculation)
I have followed the anointed finance path, I've enjoyed it and learned a lot, but I'm seriously burned out and ready for a change. I see b-school as a good opportunity to get exposed to some new fields and gain a broader scope of what else is out there - people in high finance often have tunnel vision, myself included. I would also like to position myself for non-profit / government work in an analytical capacity through my past experience in finance. These are fairly high-level ideas currently, more to come on that since there's still plenty of time before applications are due.
My geographic focus is exclusively Southeast, which is my home and where I plan to live, well, forever. Currently I am on the West Coast and itching to get back to the South.
Schools, in order of preference:
Duke - Fuqua
UNC - Kenan-Flagler
UVA - Darden
Georgetown - McDonough
Vanderbilt - Owen
Emory - Goizueta
Remember, thinking about the above schools in terms of how much, if any, merit-based scholarship money I can receive. 50% is the low target, 100% would be amazing. I would be extremely comfortable going to any of the above programs.
I have no idea how merit-based scholarships work in business school but based on other GMAT Club threads I've read, I think I'd be competitive for pretty good money at least at Kenan-Flagler and Goizueta, which is more than good enough for me.
Also note, until recently, I was a North Carolina resident for my entire life so might be able to play that up to get in-state tuition at KF.
I appreciate you all reading this and really appreciate your candid advice. I'm new to the whole MBA thing and look forward to learning more!
SouthBabySouthYou stand a pretty good chance at getting good scholarship money at most of those schools. The combination of your experiences and academic background will help you a lot with merit scholarships. Your background has a lot to do with scholarships, though essays become very important. Once the acceptances are decided, scholarships tend to go to applicants with the most impressive applications and most powerful stories. Spend a lot of time on the application and ensure it is perfect and you should see some money coming your way. I would need to know more about your background outside of work/school and see the writing quality to give you a sense of how much money would be reasonable to expect.
I help a lot of folks with getting scholarship money so if you are interested in help putting together your applications, see my offerings at
www.personalmbacoach.com and send me an email to discuss:
scott@personalmbacoach.comGood luck!