Asking Hjort as Well as Others...

Question

Hi ,

Just took my GMAT for the first time and scored a 750. I plan to enroll in an MBA program starting Sept. '06. I have been lurking on this immensely helpful forum for quite some time now. I would appreciate some feedback from Hjort as well as some of the other knowledgeable folks on my chances of getting into a solid MBA program.

Profile:
Male, Indian American - U.S. citizen, 26

GMAT scores:
Quantitative 49(90th percentile)
Verbal 42(96th percentile)
Overall 750(99th percentile)

Work experience by Sept. '06:
-Total of over 6 years of professional experience in the financial services industry (Experience breakdown below)
 -4.5 years of IT consulting with a top global consulting firm
 -Limited International exposure - A short-term role on a project at a mid-size bank located in the Caribbean
 -1.5 years of IT experience with a top U.S. retail bank
 
Academics/Extra Curricular:
-Bachelors in MIS from an average university; GPA - 3.34
-Excellent grades in most business courses except Accounting (details provided below)
-Interests: Films, traveling, martial arts
-Currently assisting on an independent documentary exploring a tribal culture's response to oppression through the means of performing arts. The producers include a professional film-maker, an anthropologist (Ph.d. grad from Temple university), and an anthropology professor from Georgetown Univ
-Acted in 2 independent films.

Community service:
-Junior Achievement - volunteering program that allows me to teach at a local elementary school (one hour a week)
-Junior Achievement - Served as a mentor to the Junior Achievement IT staff.
-Have held a leadership position for the Asian American Diversity Network through work. Currently a member of the network.

Other:
-Fluency in 4 languages
-Lived in India for 13 years
-Attempted an IT consulting business with a partner, but failed after 2 clients
-Owner of a brick & mortar retail business

Why MBA? (still thinking about this, but list below is in order of interest)
-Interested in entrepreneurship, finance/marketing
-Interested in film production
-Interested in non-profit work

Criteria for college/program selection:
-Reputation/ranking
-Focus on finance and entrepreneurship
-Good chances of some loans/scholarships to fund my MBA education.

I have zeroed in on the following schools, but am not in anyway set on any of them in particular:
-UNC Chapel Hill - This would be in-state school for me and would be an awesome deal financially!
-Duke
-Yale
-Georgetown
-London School of Business - Not sure about this choice as I am looking to settle down in the U.S.

Queries/Notes:
1)Please suggest good programs where I could explore my combined interests in film production and non-profit

2)What are my chances at the schools listed above?

3)My goal is to get into a great program, but I am very discouraged by my undergrad record. My mediocre GPA and my failure to get into a good undergrad program certainly won't help. I can justify the lackluster performance to a certain extent for I did not learn to speak English fluently until college. To make things even more interesting, I had to take an accounting class 3 times in undergrad. How will this affect my chances at a reputable program? How can I address this weakness in my application/interviews?

Canis lupus · Answer

i'm no hjort but that seems like an extremely competitive profile..if you are looking at finance you would be competitive at columbia and stern too..any particular reason why you chose yale and georgetown for that list..

i would definitely add in columbia and stern in that profile..
best of luck with your apps

orsang8 · Answer

It looks like the break down of my work experience did not indent. It makes it a little confusing, so here's a quick clarification. I will have over 6 years of experience by Sept. '06. 4.5 of those 6 years as a consultant and 1.5 of those 6 years in a retail bank IT department. Hope this helps.

Thanks for your reply.

I added Yale and Georgetown for their appeal among non-profit organizations.

Hjort · Answer

Some schools that come to mind:

NYU- elite cluster, strength in finance and film

UCLA elite cluster, strength in finance, entrepreneurship, and film

USC transelite

I would consider adding an ultra elite

Regarding the unfortunate accounting class in college- this need not be the end of the world. The best way to address this would be to take an accounting class now and do extremely well.

orsang8 · Answer

Sorry it's taken me so long to respond but I was swamped with work.

Here are my thoughts. Please provide feedback.
I am thinking about phasing out my application process. This year I have narrowed it down to Stanford, Kellogg, LBS, Columbia, and NYU. Although this list is not yet the "final", I'm feeling pretty good about it. I understand that these are all "stretch" schools for me, except, maybe, NYU. So, I'm prepared to wait a year to reapply.

Next year, I will have more time to put into the application process, so I will apply to around 10 schools. It will include some of the near elites, as well as some more elites.

I have a couple of more specific questions as well. Is it appropriate to discuss more than one goal in an MBA app? For example, I have an interest in social entrepreneurship, films, and venture capital. Would I come off as indecisive if I were to mention all of these as my goals in an application? It makes sense in my head to write about how I am interested in the business-side of film-making and how I would eventually like to be a venture capitalist after acquiring so many years of experience. This may not make as much sense to the adcom though. What are your thoughts?

Hjort · Answer

1) Your portfolio sounds reasonable in light of your multi-stage plan.

2) At first glance, your essay sounds somewhat difficult to pull off. Then again, I have seen applicants write essays that describe more than one goal successfully. If you are committed to this set of goals, write a few drafts and see how they develop.

Considering your goals, I am a little surprised to see no LA schools in your portfolio. 

Hjort

orsang8 · Answer

Hjort,

I'm trying to avoid having too many little threads, so asking all my questions under this threat. Please let me know if you prefer that I post a different thread for each new topic.

First, in response to your comment, I am considering applying to UCLA in the final round.

I provided my recommender with Recommendation Guidelines from all of my schools recently, so I have a couple of questions on that front.

1. Columbia, NYU, and Kellogg have a specific format for the recommender in that they ask a series of questions or provide a topic outline. For these schools, is it advisable to write long responses (to include everything the recommender wants to say) to these questions or would it be better to write short, concise responses to their questions and write additional content on a separate document? I'd like to know the best practice.

2. I downloaded the PDF version of the app for all schools except Stanford. I could not find this on the Stanford web site. Do they not provide it? If so, how can I get to it?

Thanks!!

orsang8 · Answer

Here are the answer to my own questions, incase someone needs to use it as reference...


1. Columbia, NYU, and Kellogg have a specific format for the recommender in that they ask a series of questions or provide a topic outline. For these schools, is it advisable to write long responses (to include everything the recommender wants to say) to these questions or would it be better to write short, concise responses to their questions and write additional content on a separate document? I'd like to know the best practice.

I called the admissions staff and they advised that my recommender respond to the questions without worrying too much about the length of their responses. They said to ignore the questions that were not applicable and said to provide additional input on an extra page if the questions did not probe the full potential of a candidate.

2. I downloaded the PDF version of the app for all schools except Stanford. I could not find this on the Stanford web site. Do they not provide it? If so, how can I get to it?

I just went ahead and started a web application, so my question was answered.

Hjort · Answer

I apparently missed your last post but I am glad that you were able to find answers to both questions. It makes perfect sense to contact the schools directly for this type of question. After all, the schools are the best source of information on their own practices and requirements.

Best,

Hjort

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