Another one of those "Am I Early?" concerns

Question

Hi All, I am a software engineer with abt 18 months of experience(till date) working in NJ. I was initially planning to apply for the Fall2008 term NYU part time MBA program(Yeah... at my company's cost). But now I am thinking of trying to somehow squeeze in my app for the Spring 2008 term. Otherwise it would cost me a good 9 months. This change of mind is after I figured I dont actually need a 750+ score in GMAT to get into a PT program. My GMAT preparation is going on for a whopping 8th day now

I am expecting 650+, but I cant zero in on a more specific range right now. The +'s in my app would be 1. Good Acad performances in UnderGrad 2. M.S from an Ivy League University(Columbia U)(B+ equivalent GPA) 3. A great 1st year review at work(if at all it counts) and expecting good professional recos 4. I can make up some interesting stories abt a variety of crappy leadership roles in college(both columbia and UG) I guess the -'s in my app would be 1. I am only 24. 2. I wont even have 2 years of experience by the time I send in my app 3. I am planning to take my GMAT early october, so I would be one of those late applicants for Spring. Quite naturally, I dont want to apply for any other university. There is really no other alternative in the NJ/NY area. My concern is "Am I rushing through this process", "Am I too early", "Do I even stand a chance considering the lack of experience in different roles?". And most importantly, Would I be reducing my chances of an admit in Fall 2008 if I get rejected in Spring 2008? Your suggestions/inputs will be highly appreciated.

aviroop · Answer

ioiio,
Well I cant really judge from your profile - but I guess if you can satisfy the school by answering the perennial "why MBA and why now" in a convincing manner, you are in.

From the experience and age point of view, you fall in the median range of what the schools publish. Now I know that some schools have a strict work experience limit for PT programs, so you have to follow the up with NYU/Columbia.

So, just prepare for the worst and hope for the best

ioiio · Answer

Hahaaahaha... I know that some companies dont allow u to apply if u had interviewd with them once in the last 2 years with no success.

Does that apply to schools? I just dont want to rush through this and screw up my chances for fall 2008. Spring in my opinion is going to be lottery.

mNeo · Answer

My personal opinion is that if one applies to schools without fully preparing himself for it, there's a high chance of a 'ding'. Add to that the fact that some schools are re-applicant unfriendly, and most others will look at your previous application when you re-apply .. so you may not have as much freedom in re-applying anyway.

It's just a difference of 9 months .. and you have time on your side. So, I'd recommend that you focus on fall 08. You'll gain some more experience by then. And now that you already know what you are going to do for fall 08, you can start working on your profile right away.

pelihu · Answer

I do recall that some schools only allow on application per calendar year. For example, you can't apply for the 2 year program, and then the part-time in the same year. It was just something I heard during the application process and it didn't apply to me so unfortunately I can't really remember which schools had this policy. I think Columbia and Berkeley did, but I could be wrong. You should check with the schools you are interested in.

lepium · Answer

With some schools reapplying is neutral, with some schools it is slightly positive and with some other schools, you basically have one shot only: even when they will let you re-apply, they are unlikely to change their decision unless you applied as a college senior and then show up 5 years later as an accomplished person.

I don't have info on NYU, so I wouldn't know in which category they fall.

L.

Another one of those "Am I Early?" concerns

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