ProgressionPoint my answers are within the asterisks below
ProgressionPoint wrote:
Hello,
First, let me thank you for your time and help; it is greatly appreciated! I am seeking advice and insight into how my current stats lend themself to top b-schools, and suggestions for ways I can improve myself as an applicant in the coming years. *You are welcome - this is not the most popular thread so that's why no response so far*
I graduated from a non-flagship state school (think UNC-Wilmington) with a liberal arts degree. I took multiple quant courses (i.e engineering physics, calculus, etc.) and received A’s. *So far so good*
My CGPA: 3.45 *I really dont see this as a problem at all. I help people with much lower grades all the time. And yes, they will appreciate the upward trend. You might want to address the 2.1 situation in the optional area if you feel you have a good reason or it would invoke their sympathy haha*
with a strong upward trend for four years (had a 3.7+ my last three years. My low GPA is due to my first year of college—in my first semester I received a 2.1, and in my second I did not show up to class and did not withdraw, so I failed every course.
Work experience:
Out of college I worked my way into a position as a Territory Manager for a consumer goods company, in which I managed sales for the entire east coast. Within five months of employment my territory was the most profitable in the country. *great - good work anecdote for recommendation* I also identified an opportunity to decrease spending and increase profit, and successfully implemented a nationwide strategic territory realignment.*process change is good - positions you well for entrepreneurial shiz* After 10 months I was given the added responsibility of interviewing candidates and training new hires. *I like this; both strategic, results oriented and good interpersonal shiz*
I recently took an Account Management (sales rep) position with one of the largest global pharmaceutical companies. *so you recently switched industries? Not terrible but make sure the rec is meaningful, maybe from last job, and show a way to connect the dots with your post MBA and LT goals*
EC:
Extremely proud father - cute, not sure how much we can incorporate this into essays but great for personal development/reflection/passion of course
Emergency Department Volunteer - this is unique - I have actually not worked with someone who has this in their CV
Teach a spin class at the local gym - also unique and shows another side to you, I like it
GMAT: hoping to score 700+
I have written one practice test without studying for diagnostic purposes: I received a 610. *ya that is bad ha* I have read that with intensive study it is not uncommon to improve scores by around 100 points. *true - how is it going? GRE plan B* I did very well on the verbal section, and terrible on the quant section—around 30th percentile. I think I can boost my score, because I never had any issues learning math, and I feel that I was rusty with a lot of simple mathematic concepts at the time of the test.
*get a tutor so you dont waste any time - one who is vetted and you've checked references.*
Re math - try to increase score to 75th percentile for highly competitive schools
GRE sometimes is easier to tackle math
You will probably need to do MBAMATH.com - this is a good way to show proficiency
You need to get the score much higher but MBAMath will boost you over the hump if it's marginal
- Assuming I do well on the GMAT, how competitive am I?
- Will my GPA hurt me?
1) will schools appreciate the strong upward trend *see above*
2) I am planning on taking some quant courses (micro/macro economics, finance, calc 2) to demonstrate my quant abilities. Will this help?
*This is pretty time consuming and you seem busy as it is. This is OK but given you already have good quant grades from undergrad, I dont think this is the best and highest use of your time tbh. Precious time you could be using to develop your profile or work on your essays. If you plan to apply years from now yes, otherwise no.*
- Will my career help or hurt me as an applicant? 1) I feel that it is understood that gaining entry into pharmaceutical sales is extremely competitive. *I would not assume anything at all - esp because this is not a feeder job/industry; make sure to articulate this on the CV and/or in the application boxes*
The income is also high (relatively similar to that of careers that more commonly lead to MBAs). I am hoping that my sales job won’t be viewed negatively.
*No, they are looking for leadership, teamwork and problem solving skills. If you can demonstrate those things then this wont hold you back.*
- Assuming I receive a high score of 700+ on the GMAT, which tier of b-schools should I be looking at?
*Impossible to answer this without knowing your goals. it's not really "add water and stir" when it comes to school selection. Many factors involved.*
- Do you have any suggestions career or otherwise that you feel could help improve my candidacy?
*I'm attaching my client profile questionnaire for you to review so you can get more familiar with the "what counts" factors involved with MBA admissions*
Thanks!
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