Calling All Military Fall 2020 Applicants!

Question

The 2018-2019 application cycle is complete so it's now time to move on to the military guys/gals who are applying this fall and winter for matriculation in Fall 2020.

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Previous Discussions & Wisdom:

Bakker · Answer

Greetings All!

I'm looking for a bit of advice and I'm hoping you can help me find my way forward.

I'm currently active duty with an ADSC until Summer 2022 at which point I will retire. I will also be 43 years old at that time. I've decided to get an MBA in order to leverage my active duty skills into the business world.

However, I'm struggling to decide whether I should use these upcoming years to get an online MBA from one of the top online schools (IU Kelley, UNC Kenan, etc.) or wait until I retire to try to get into a brick and mortar full-time program. If I go the online route, I can graduate with an MBA very close to my retirement date which allows me to fully use the available career services to transition very quickly after leaving the service.

I guess my question boils down to this: Given my age, is leaving work for two years to study in person at a top tier school worth the lost income that I could make from getting an online MBA from a second tier school?

I appreciate any and all advice!

Here are my current stats:
GRE Verbal: 169
GRE Quant: 154
GRE Writing: 5.0
Undergrad: University of Maryland University College (Political Science)
Undergrad GPA: 3.9
Experience: 20 years (Network Engineer/Information Systems Management)

Hawkdriver12 · Answer

Checking in... academy grad and blackhawk pilot. Did a combat deployment and company command of an assault helicopter company.

Goal is to transition to IB with a focus on healthcare/biotech; have followed and invested successfully in the sector for over a decade.

HBS is easily my first choice. I think my personal story is compelling, but I worry about my gmat and quant, especially in the context of my career goals. My undergrad was humanities but I aced (A,A-) all the quant subjects along the way.

Seems quiet out there... everyone else furiously scribbling down essay ideas?

MBAPrepCoach · Answer

Hi, yes, Ask Admissions Consultants and the school specific threads are more popular. I will say, you do need to bring up your quant to 49 to be considered viable at HBS. Get a tutor, join a study group, mix it up. You might also consider the GRE. MBA Math is helpful as well when it's marginal but I think you might do your best to pick up those 4 extra points.

bb · Answer

If you are looking for some ideas and to check Military Applicant Chances/Options for schools, you can use the Decision Tracker to research which schools you can target with your scores and GPA:

https://gmatclub.com/forum/decision-tra ... &status=10
(here is a list of all Admitted Military Applicants in the last 3 years). You can filter and limit it by GMAT, GPA, Schools, etc.

Attachment:

decision-tracker-filter-military.png [ 112.26 KiB | Viewed 4155 times ]

lz2313 · Answer

Academy grad Army Infantry officer, 3.27 GPA in STEM undergrad, working part-time on a STEM MS at the engineering school of an M7 (expected completion in 2021-22). GRE is 168V/165Q, retaking it for a better score in November, aiming for 169+/168+.

I'm primarily interested in combined MS/MBA programs at M7 schools: Sloan/LGO, Columbia/SEAS, and HBS/SEAS, etc. Goal is to transition to a engineering project manager/product development role, ideally in the defense industry.

GPA is obviously my biggest worry, which is why I'm retaking the GRE again to help offset it. I took the GRE cold last year for the MS program and already did well with no prep, so I am focusing on improving that instead of taking the GMAT, especially since my focus is on MS/MBA programs that require me to apply to both departments. If that is ill-advised please enlighten me as I understand most schools don't have a stated preference for either GRE/GMAT, and the stats don't seem to indicate otherwise.

Also, if I am dinged at M7 I am not opposed to getting an engineering/applied science job for a year (or just transitioning to the MS program full-time and finishing it in a semester or two) and reapplying rather than matriculating at a lower tier school. I will be 27 at matriculation if accepted for fall 2020.

Hawkdriver12 , are you going to the HBS/MIT military visit days next week?

Hawkdriver12 · Answer

lz that's one hell of a cold score, nice work man. I think you're in good shape with the GRE vs the GMAT based on your STEM background, but I'm no expert on this. I will say that I deliberately chose the GMAT because all my buddies/peers from the class ahead of me were talking about the GRE like it was some kind of loophole in the admissions process. There are certainly moments where I wonder if I chose the wrong path...

I won't be attending any of the visit days because I'm stationed OCONUS. Any chance you can get your hands on a TS-SCI before you transition? I imagine that might be very helpful based on the career goals you stated

I won't be attending any of the visit days because I'm stationed OCONUS. Any chance you can get your hands on a TS-SCI before you transition? I imagine that might be very helpful based on the career goals you stated

EBM · Answer

It's awful quiet for this time of year — how's everyone doing? Any R1 interview invites rolling out yet?

mba127 · Answer

Hello, I’m an Academy grad as well and a Contracting Officer in the AF. I applied to CBS In October and hoping for good news soon. If dinged, I also may consider waiting to re-apply next year along with a few other M7 schools. Best of luck everyone.

Posted from my mobile device

Posted from my mobile device

bb · Answer

Found this great inspirational debrief from this summer for all the military folks! https://gmatclub.com/forum/enlisted-mil ... 00514.html Good Luck in R2!

Dondarrion · Answer

Hey guys, I was very active on these threads back in 2016/2017 when I was applying to school. I graduated last year and am 9 months into my investment banking career. Feel free to ask any questions and I will hopefully be helpful!

Narenn · Answer

We have a YouTube live session for Military MBA applicants starting in an hour. Those who are interested can watch this webinar here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6smMrnJoBI

pokemanga · Answer

Hello,

I am looking to apply for R1 2020 but my timeline is kinda tricky so I wanted to ask you guys for your input. I will hit my 4-year active duty service obligation in December of 2021 and want to pursue an MBA afterward. Most people in the Navy can request to leave the military a bit earlier than the 4 year mark by using the accrued vacation days (terminal leave). However, the amount of terminal leave days approved is up to the command to decide. It can range from 30 days to 60 to 90+ days.

My question is, let say I apply for MBA admission in Fall of 2020 with a start date in August of 2021. If I get accepted but cannot get separated from the military early enough to attend in August, can I request deferment by 1 year to August of 2022 ?

The schools I plan to apply to is H/S/W/C so I would appreciate it a lot if anyone have any insights on how each of the schools feel about military-related deferment.

Thank you!

EBM · Answer

That's the sort of situation that will likely vary from school to school. Most programs have no problem granting a deferral if it's some sort of involuntary extension on active duty, but they may be less lenient if you apply not knowing for certain whether you could attend due to your EAS date being in December.

They could choose to work with you, or they could take a hard line and say you shouldn't have applied if you were still technically on the hook to the Navy for almost 4 months beyond the start of the school year. I'd suggest talking to students or adcom reps at your target schools to see what they have to say.

If your plan doesn't look like it would work, would it be possible to request a 6-8 month extension at your current command? That approach would be a better way to go than having a lengthy gap on your resume.

Danee · Answer

Has the veterans forum been discontinued for 2021 due to low number of veterans on here? I am not seeing the 2021 page anywhere.

Posted from my mobile device

EBM · Answer

The forum in general seems to have died down over recent years, but here you go: https://gmatclub.com/forum/calling-all- ... 67764.html

Calling All Military Fall 2020 Applicants!

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