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Criticize My Profile!

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PolarCatastrophe
Intern
Intern
Joined: 02 Jun 2015
Posts: 28
Own Kudos [?]: 30 [0]
Given Kudos: 34
Location: United States
Concentration: Operations, Technology
Schools: HBS '18 Stanford '18 Wharton '18 Yale '18 Duke '18 Kellogg '18 Haas '18 Darden '18 Booth '18 Sloan '18 Tuck '18 Tepper '18 Ross '18 Anderson '18 UFlorida '18 Marshall '18
GMAT Date: 08-22-2015
GPA: 3.92
WE:Science (Other)
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Criticize My Profile! [#permalink] New post   29 Jun 2015, 16:25
Physicist --> Actuary --> Business School?!?

Demographics Background
29 (at matriculation)
Plain Caucasian Domestic Male - Grew up in western Nebraska, family history of farmers :oops:

Work Experience
Actuarial / Insurance - 1.5 Years in Property and Casualty Insurance (Small Carrier)
Actuarial / Insurance - 1 Year in Health Insurance (BCBS of IL,TX)
Risk Analyst / Real Estate - 1 Year (Small Investment company purchasing Tax Liens)
Research Groups / Teaching - Many different research groups during undergraduate/graduate (not counting this as FT, but thought it was worth mentioning)
Not sure how relevant this information will be or if MBA programs will care but: Passed 5 Actuarial Exams in 1 year to enter field.

GMAT
Will take in upcoming month. Although I realize this hasn't been solidified I'd like my profile evaluated on my below assumption
Expected outcome ~750 (Q 49-51, V 39-44)

Schools:
University of Nebraska at Kearney - 3.9/4.0 - BS Physics - 2010 (Small school, worried this unknown may limit my chances)
The College of William & Mary - 3.2/4.0 - MS Physics - 2012 (This was not a terminal MS. I was in a PhD program, passed all qualifying exams, etc and due to other interests decided to jump into the business world)

Other:
Volunteer weekends to do science demonstrations for kids at local science museum
Assisted in hosting planetarium nights for middle school / high school students
Science fair judge - both for junior high and high school levels
Quite a few intramural sports, clubs (focused on science/math) and honor societies, not sure how much these matter either

Certifications:
Close to actuarial designations of ASA and ACAS (not sure this matters. :))

Targets / Apply:
R1 - Stanford - 2015-2016
R1 - Harvard - 2015-2016
R1 - Wharton - 2015-2016
R1 - Booth - 2015-2016

R2 - Kellogg - 2015-2016
R2 - Columbia - 2015-2016
R2 - Tuck - 2015-2016
R2 - Ross - 2015-2016
R2 - Fuqua - 2015-2016
R2 - Anderson - 2015-2016

Goals
Energy / Big Media - Disney! (If this affects my outcome I could be more specific)

Remarks
No need to hold back on the criticism, would rather not waste my time if it is apparent I do not have a chance. :) I feel confident I can write some compelling essays about my background/goals and that my references (although not well known) should be excellent.

Thanks for your time!
User avatar
G
VeritasPrepDozie
Veritas Prep Admissions Consultant
Joined: 12 Aug 2014
Posts: 2761
Own Kudos [?]: 340 [0]
Given Kudos: 1
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Re: Criticize My Profile! [#permalink] New post   06 Jul 2015, 17:40
Expert Reply
Thanks for sharing your profile. One of the biggest assessment areas is the GMAT which you have not taken so take everything I say with a grain of salt. But working off of that assumption you should be a fairly strong candidate at most of the schools listed. Few potential concerns I see...the first is nothing in your background scream media which is technically fine but the AdComm may be confused on the origin of this career interest. So you have to make this aspect clear and if you can connect it to some inherent passion you have for the industry that would be the optimal strategy. The second is you don't have really substantive extra-curricular. The ones listed won't really stand out so make sure you have canvassed your background for some solid material and preferably anecdotes from these experiences that showcase strong interpersonal skills like leadership and teamwork.

Hope this helps!
User avatar
S
AugustAcademy
Senior Manager
Senior Manager
Joined: 26 Jan 2013
Posts: 381
Own Kudos [?]: 54 [0]
Given Kudos: 5
Schools: Stanford '19
GMAT 1: 770 Q51 V44
GPA: 3.99
Send PM
Re: Criticize My Profile! [#permalink] New post   08 Jul 2015, 07:06
PolarCatastrophe (why the name?),

You have a pretty solid profile. Not out of the world impressive - but more like rock solid steady.

I would need to listen to your stories a bit more. I need to see what motivations and interests tie up Physics to Actuarial Science to Disney. I would need to see if there is enough in your background to support the cinderella story. I would also need to make sure that you are an A-lister at work and outside.

I'm assuming all of this can be addressed. If the 750 also materialises you should be a good candidate at the schools you mention. Your R2 list, of course, seems more approachable than your R1 list. Regardless, I would encourage you to give HSWB a shot.

Best,
Karthik

PolarCatastrophe wrote:
Physicist --> Actuary --> Business School?!?

Demographics Background
29 (at matriculation)
Plain Caucasian Domestic Male - Grew up in western Nebraska, family history of farmers :oops:

Work Experience
Actuarial / Insurance - 1.5 Years in Property and Casualty Insurance (Small Carrier)
Actuarial / Insurance - 1 Year in Health Insurance (BCBS of IL,TX)
Risk Analyst / Real Estate - 1 Year (Small Investment company purchasing Tax Liens)
Research Groups / Teaching - Many different research groups during undergraduate/graduate (not counting this as FT, but thought it was worth mentioning)
Not sure how relevant this information will be or if MBA programs will care but: Passed 5 Actuarial Exams in 1 year to enter field.

GMAT
Will take in upcoming month. Although I realize this hasn't been solidified I'd like my profile evaluated on my below assumption
Expected outcome ~750 (Q 49-51, V 39-44)

Schools:
University of Nebraska at Kearney - 3.9/4.0 - BS Physics - 2010 (Small school, worried this unknown may limit my chances)
The College of William & Mary - 3.2/4.0 - MS Physics - 2012 (This was not a terminal MS. I was in a PhD program, passed all qualifying exams, etc and due to other interests decided to jump into the business world)

Other:
Volunteer weekends to do science demonstrations for kids at local science museum
Assisted in hosting planetarium nights for middle school / high school students
Science fair judge - both for junior high and high school levels
Quite a few intramural sports, clubs (focused on science/math) and honor societies, not sure how much these matter either

Certifications:
Close to actuarial designations of ASA and ACAS (not sure this matters. :))

Targets / Apply:
R1 - Stanford - 2015-2016
R1 - Harvard - 2015-2016
R1 - Wharton - 2015-2016
R1 - Booth - 2015-2016

R2 - Kellogg - 2015-2016
R2 - Columbia - 2015-2016
R2 - Tuck - 2015-2016
R2 - Ross - 2015-2016
R2 - Fuqua - 2015-2016
R2 - Anderson - 2015-2016

Goals
Energy / Big Media - Disney! (If this affects my outcome I could be more specific)

Remarks
No need to hold back on the criticism, would rather not waste my time if it is apparent I do not have a chance. :) I feel confident I can write some compelling essays about my background/goals and that my references (although not well known) should be excellent.

Thanks for your time!
User avatar
B
CriticalSquare
MBA Admissions Consultant
Joined: 18 Apr 2013
Posts: 2226
Own Kudos [?]: 494 [0]
Given Kudos: 3
Location: Chicago, IL
Send PM
Re: Criticize My Profile! [#permalink] New post   09 Jul 2015, 07:42
Ok, so assuming a rockstar 750 GMAT (good luck!) you should be set up for the run you're talking about. We have to agree with Dozie here in that your story is confusing - why media / entertainment? If those ARE your goals, we'd suggest keeping them close to the chest and going with other goals for your story that you share publicly. Goals are important for fit, but they also help an adcom assess maturity. Keep that in mind.

To be honest, while your involvement isn't off the charts, it is consistent. You have a clear passion for helping middle and high school students discover science. THAT is the crux of your involvement. So we disagree to a certain extent with what others have said - your involvement is meaningful, it's themed, and it's something close to your heart. That's good stuff!

Now, granted, there are a lot of unknowns - like, for example, how you've performed at these companies, why you've jumped around so much, what your personal impact has been, your relative importance, etc. You could have been a cog in the machine in which case that changes things - but we're assuming that isn't the case :).

Last point - reconsider your school strategy. You're wayyyy too loaded in terms of R1 risk and, by default, are adding risk to R2. You might want to introduce some R2 schools into R1 to balance things out. Just a thought!

Hope that helps!
GMAT Club Bot
gmatclubot
Re: Criticize My Profile! [#permalink]
09 Jul 2015, 07:42

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