Events & Promotions
|
|
GMAT Club Daily Prep
Thank you for using the timer - this advanced tool can estimate your performance and suggest more practice questions. We have subscribed you to Daily Prep Questions via email.
Customized
for You
Track
Your Progress
Practice
Pays
Not interested in getting valuable practice questions and articles delivered to your email? No problem, unsubscribe here.
May 2008:00 AM PDT
-08:30 AM PDT
What’s in it for you- Live Profile Evaluation Chat Session with Jenifer Turtschanow, CEO, ARINGO. Come with your details prepared and ARINGO will share insights! Pre-MBA Role/Industry, YOE, Exam Score, C/GPA, ECs Post-MBA Role/ Industry & School List.
May 2110:00 AM EDT
-10:30 AM EDT
Most candidates submit a resume built for a recruiter. Admissions committees are reading for something else entirely. This session covers what adcoms actually evaluate, where strong candidates lose ground before a single essay is written, and why...
May 2208:30 AM PDT
-09:00 AM PDT
Get the inside scoop on what makes Emory’s Goizueta Business School great and how you can present a strong MBA application. Explore the difference between our One-Year MBA and Two-Year MBA programs, talk to our admissions team, and meet students.
May 2203:00 PM EDT
-04:00 PM EDT
The old MBA recruiting playbook is dead. Here’s how top admits are getting ahead this summer.
May 2308:00 PM PDT
-09:00 PM PDT
Inquire for a free profile evaluation and guarantee statement for possible admits and scholarships!
May 2611:00 AM EDT
-12:30 PM EDT
This week, Columbia Business School announced the 2025-2026 application deadlines and essay questions. Check out Personal MBA Coach's quick tips video to help you navigate the CBS application!
May 2707:30 PM EDT
-08:30 PM EDT
Learn how to choose the right recommenders and strengthen your MBA candidacy in this live AMA with Stratus experts.
May 2910:00 AM PDT
-11:00 AM PDT
Download the MBA Launchpad App, for FREE access to the largest MBA database - Data backed read on your profile - Identify gaps before you apply - Build a balanced school list - Track your deadlines - Mock interviews - Extensive content library
Jun 1006:00 AM PDT
-06:15 PM PDT
Register for the GMAT Club Virtual MBA Spotlight Fair – the world’s premier event for serious MBA candidates. This is your chance to hear directly from Admissions Directors at nearly every Top 30 MBA program..
26 Mar 2021, 04:09
Kudos
Bookmarks
Hey, I hope you guys are doing well. I wanted to ask if someone would help guide me regarding applications to some MBA/MIM programs.
Some background about me:
I’m a dual national of a small island nation in the Middle East and a relatively larger country in South Asia.
I went to University in Canada in 2016 to study Economics. However, because of extreme depression caused by family illnesses and a death to someone I was really close to, I resorted to drinking and smoking marijuana to get away from my reality. I was asked to withdraw from the university in 2018. At this point, I was broken, over-weight, and at rock bottom essentially. That was a wake up call for me and I started going to therapy. I enrolled in another university and started getting my life back together following therapy. In 2019, while completing my BA in Sociology I started working part time at my family’s apparel manufacturing company as a management trainee officer. In January of 2021, I started working there full time in a general management role, working towards becoming an executive director. I’ll be graduating from my university with a GPA of around 3.2 in August of this year and I have a GMAT score of 680.
I was looking to apply to some MBA programs: University of Notre Dame - Mendoza (I’m legacy here), Washington University in St.Louis - Olin and some MIM programs: Duke, IE, ESADE and Babson.
I currently have 3 months of full time work experience in my family’s apparel manufacturing company that hit $500 million in revenues last year. By the time most programs will start next year, I’ll have 18 months - 21 months of full time work experience depending on when the programs begins. I know most people won’t understand why I want to pursue a masters. The reason is that I want to strengthen my business fundamentals to a point where I can go back to my country and make a difference in my family business instantly by getting involved in operations. Our business, although successful, is not as organized and systemic as it should be and there is constant firefighting. I want to organize the company in such a way that it is run professionally, opening up time for my father, my uncle, my brother and i to focus more on giving back to society in the form of world class educational institutes and healthcare facilities. An MBA or MIM degree will also serve as a great backup in the case our family business goes down and we are forced into the job market.
I know this post is long and not structured very well, but I just wanted to ask if people on this forum could help me understand my realistic chances to gain admission to any of these programs that I have listed. Do admission committees dislike applicants from successful family businesses? Do admission committees look down upon withdrawals from undergraduate programs?
Some background about me:
I’m a dual national of a small island nation in the Middle East and a relatively larger country in South Asia.
I went to University in Canada in 2016 to study Economics. However, because of extreme depression caused by family illnesses and a death to someone I was really close to, I resorted to drinking and smoking marijuana to get away from my reality. I was asked to withdraw from the university in 2018. At this point, I was broken, over-weight, and at rock bottom essentially. That was a wake up call for me and I started going to therapy. I enrolled in another university and started getting my life back together following therapy. In 2019, while completing my BA in Sociology I started working part time at my family’s apparel manufacturing company as a management trainee officer. In January of 2021, I started working there full time in a general management role, working towards becoming an executive director. I’ll be graduating from my university with a GPA of around 3.2 in August of this year and I have a GMAT score of 680.
I was looking to apply to some MBA programs: University of Notre Dame - Mendoza (I’m legacy here), Washington University in St.Louis - Olin and some MIM programs: Duke, IE, ESADE and Babson.
I currently have 3 months of full time work experience in my family’s apparel manufacturing company that hit $500 million in revenues last year. By the time most programs will start next year, I’ll have 18 months - 21 months of full time work experience depending on when the programs begins. I know most people won’t understand why I want to pursue a masters. The reason is that I want to strengthen my business fundamentals to a point where I can go back to my country and make a difference in my family business instantly by getting involved in operations. Our business, although successful, is not as organized and systemic as it should be and there is constant firefighting. I want to organize the company in such a way that it is run professionally, opening up time for my father, my uncle, my brother and i to focus more on giving back to society in the form of world class educational institutes and healthcare facilities. An MBA or MIM degree will also serve as a great backup in the case our family business goes down and we are forced into the job market.
I know this post is long and not structured very well, but I just wanted to ask if people on this forum could help me understand my realistic chances to gain admission to any of these programs that I have listed. Do admission committees dislike applicants from successful family businesses? Do admission committees look down upon withdrawals from undergraduate programs?
27 Mar 2021, 13:00
Kudos
Bookmarks
iceman1998:
Thanks for sharing all of this information with the GMAT community. It's quite brave of you. It's probably easiest to respond directly to your questions:
Q: Do admission committees dislike applicants from successful family businesses?
A: No. There are plenty of people who come from family businesses. The onus falls on you to demonstrate your responsibilities and impact. One tricky bit is finding a recommendation from someone who is not related to you or isn't heavily influenced by someone related to you who manages them.
Q: Do admission committees look down upon withdrawals from undergraduate programs?
A: It is not exactly a favorable component, but you are afforded space in the optional essay to justify your withdrawal. The key is about the redemption story. You have to communicate your narrative in a positive way that does not look like you are making excuses or revealing anything too discrediting or damaging. We have worked with many clients who have had major issues but have found artful ways to adequately communicate what is truly necessary for an admissions committee to know in consideration of your application.
The bigger issue for you is the timing of your graduation and your pursuit of the MBA. Even though you will technically be eligible to apply, the schools might think it is best if you wait until you gain a few more years of experience before applying. Why not get some consistency and stability post-graduation? If you wait 24-36 months, you will be in a much better position to gain admission to many of your target programs. You could also even retake the GMAT (even though I am sure you do not want to) to get a 700+ which would help balance out your 3.2 GPA and other academic concerns. If you scored a 680, you clearly are capable enough of doing slightly better!
In general, it sounds like you righted the ship so keep going and I am sure you will find much success with getting into a great program and achieving your goal of elevating your family's business.
Hope that helps,
Admissionado
Thanks for sharing all of this information with the GMAT community. It's quite brave of you. It's probably easiest to respond directly to your questions:
Q: Do admission committees dislike applicants from successful family businesses?
A: No. There are plenty of people who come from family businesses. The onus falls on you to demonstrate your responsibilities and impact. One tricky bit is finding a recommendation from someone who is not related to you or isn't heavily influenced by someone related to you who manages them.
Q: Do admission committees look down upon withdrawals from undergraduate programs?
A: It is not exactly a favorable component, but you are afforded space in the optional essay to justify your withdrawal. The key is about the redemption story. You have to communicate your narrative in a positive way that does not look like you are making excuses or revealing anything too discrediting or damaging. We have worked with many clients who have had major issues but have found artful ways to adequately communicate what is truly necessary for an admissions committee to know in consideration of your application.
The bigger issue for you is the timing of your graduation and your pursuit of the MBA. Even though you will technically be eligible to apply, the schools might think it is best if you wait until you gain a few more years of experience before applying. Why not get some consistency and stability post-graduation? If you wait 24-36 months, you will be in a much better position to gain admission to many of your target programs. You could also even retake the GMAT (even though I am sure you do not want to) to get a 700+ which would help balance out your 3.2 GPA and other academic concerns. If you scored a 680, you clearly are capable enough of doing slightly better!
In general, it sounds like you righted the ship so keep going and I am sure you will find much success with getting into a great program and achieving your goal of elevating your family's business.
Hope that helps,
Admissionado
13 Apr 2021, 02:54
Kudos
Bookmarks
Thank you so much for getting back to me. The reason I want to pursue my Masters in 2022 instead of waiting a couple of more years to gain more work experience is the fact that my father and uncle are in their 50’s now and have shown signs of decline in terms of health and energy. This is why it is imperative for me to get my Masters done as soon as possible so I can make an instant impact in operations with the strong business foundations and knowledge i will gain from grad school.
Here’s a side question: Would it really make a difference to admission committees of grad schools if I complete a 3 year general BA degree or a 3 year BA with a concentration in Sociology degree? I guess what I’m trying to ask is, is one degree more valuable than the other, or are they both pretty much equivalent?
Thank you so much for your time and help
Admissionado
Here’s a side question: Would it really make a difference to admission committees of grad schools if I complete a 3 year general BA degree or a 3 year BA with a concentration in Sociology degree? I guess what I’m trying to ask is, is one degree more valuable than the other, or are they both pretty much equivalent?
Thank you so much for your time and help
Admissionado
