Georgetown University in DC

Question

I am thinking about applying to this school and wanted to know couple of things......

1) How good is this school in terms of learning and reputation?

2) What are my chances of getting an I-Banking job after getting my MBA from this school?

3) Is it worth my money and time to go here?

Here are my stats if anyone is interested...
710 GMAT, 3.51 GPA, 3 years of w/e by the time I start (which will be Fall 2008), Certified Public Accountant, Real Estate Salesperson as a side gig for about a year, started a social golf club...

Can I get into anywhere else with this kind of stat??

seanpatin · Answer

I say aim higher, if you have even a little leadership experience. You have good numbers, although your work doesn't really stand out. But, I think if you can talk about your effect/leadership on a company, you can get into much better schools.

rhyme · Answer

Your "stats" are par for the course at almost any top school, and virtually exactly the average (at least in GMAT/GPA) for Kellogg, Chicago and some other top schools. You won't stand out based on those alone - but if you can write good essays, there's no reason you couldn't end up at a top 10. 

To put it differently - a 700+ GMAT (which you have) and a solid GPA (which you also have) can't get you in, but a low GMAT can keep you out. In other words, your profile fits squarely within the general band of candidates at top schools (your work experience is a little lacking... 3 years is low... you will have to overcome this in your essays - but then again MBA programs are actively seeking out the younger candidates now) -- therefore - given good essays, Georgetown should be a slam dunk (but you need good essays!) and a top 10 should be within the realm of reason as well.

wondee · Answer

WOW!!

Thanks for the encouragement..... So how many more years of work experience do I need to get into those top 10 schools you are talking about? Also, would my CPA designation help out at all?

Oh yeah... and by the way... you guys didn't answer my question on Georgetown... Haha.... 

Would you consider Columbia, NYU, and Wharton in the top ten?? With good essays like you talked about, what would be my chances at these schools?

And did I mention how great this forum is????

rhyme · Answer

There is no magic formula.... I know people going to the Chicago GSB with 3 years work experience (you might try reaching out to yb on this site, I think hes one of the younger ones going there), and I know people who are 30 going.

Good school, quality program as far as I know. DC is a great city. As for IB out of George I'd suggest looking at their placement stats on their website, reaching out to the admissions office and asking them for more info, or looking for a contact in the IB group (there must be one) at the school.

No doubt, people often debate to no end who is in the top 10... the BW list is as follows:

1 University of Chicago -
2 University of Pennsylvania (Wharton)
3 Northwestern University (Kellogg) – 
4 Harvard University
5 University of Michigan (Ross)
6 Stanford University
7 MIT (Sloan)
8 UC Berkeley (Haas)
9 Duke University (Fuqua) 
10 Columbia University
11 Dartmouth (Tuck) 
12 UCLA (Anderson)
13 Cornell University (Johnson)
14 NYU (Stern) 
15 University of Virginia (Darden) 

Whatever which way you dice the list - Wharton, Columbia and Stern are all excellent programs. If your goal is IB, I'd suggest considering GSB as well.

I'll also throw a little water on your party. Your profile, while certainly strong in terms of basics, represents only a tiny tidbit of your application. Don't be fooled into thinking that just writing a good essay will get you in everywhere you want to go - there are many many more elements that matter - the kind of leadership you've had at work, your experience in teams, your background and interests, your gender, race and ethnicity (whether you like it or not, it certainly seems to matter), your extracurricular activities and your leadership (or lack thereof) in them, the degree to which you have clearly defined goals and ambitions, the clarity in which you convey them, the quality of your undergraduate alma mater, the degree to which you've progressed quickly, how strong your recommendations are, how well crafted they are, how well balanced you appear, how you conduct yourself during the interview, etc.

In short, there are a lot of variables. I know people at Harvard who got denied by Cornell. I know people at the GSB who got denied by Kellogg - and people admitted at Kellogg who got denied at the GSB. I know people who got denied everywhere and didn't get in this year, and others who collected waitlists nonstop. (I think one guy had 7 waitlists if memory serves me right). I myself got into the school I thought I wouldn't get into, and got denied by the school I would have easily bet money on. 

In short.... don't let my previous post lull you into a false sense of security.... It takes a combination of hard work, preparation, research, more hard work and a good hearty dose of random good luck to get into any school. 

That said, a 3.5 gpa and 700+ GMAT score certainly doesn't hurt.

wondee · Answer

Again WOW!

Thanks for such detailed response. I kinda had a feeling that this wasnt going to be easy. I will do my best to get my apps in tip top shape for the first round. Also, I will follow your advice and contact people at Georgetown to find out more.

Thanks so much and good luck to you..

I will post from time to time to let you know how my journey is going...

lepium · Answer

Typical...the GSBer quoting the BW ranking...Enjoy the ride, pal, coz next time it'll be some other school up there...heck, they may even get it right one of these days! :lol:

Now, seriously, the "ranking" which most accurately represents common perception of prestige (i.e.: the ranking with which most people would agree) is actually the cluster system. Check the Ultra Elite, Elite, Trans Elite, etc. subforums in this forum. If I recall correctly, Georgetown is considered a Near Elite, meaning it's around 22-28. A close second (in my opinion) is the US News ranking, at least for the top 10 - 15 schools. But the BW rankings seem to have the strongest following, for reasons beyond my comprehension. L.

Xeo78 · Answer

Hey, 

I'm heading to Georgetown this fall and although I'm not interested in finance I can chime in. Georgetown's main strength is its international focus, but with that being said the main "concentration" is finance (roughly 30% of all students). I've met a number of students that got Wall Street gigs out of G'town, but of course if you can get into Wharton or NYU then that would most probably be a better bet.

I personally was very impressed with G'town, but I was also looking for that international focus. Hope that helps.

Xeo78 · Answer

Also, you might want to contact a board member of the finance club at G'town: https://student.msb.edu/mbafinance/board_members.shtml

rhyme · Answer

I just used that one because I happened to have the list pasted in a word document next to me (for an unrelated purpose), so rather than go and find other ones I just pasted it.

wondee · Answer

Thanks. I really appreciate your insight. I did go to that site yesterday and already sent an email out asking questions. Good luck at G'town and who knows, maybe I'll see you there next year!!!

lepium · Answer

Sorry about that, my idea was to make a "ranking obsessed joke" but it seems you answered seriously. Just ignore my comment.

L.

GMATT73 · Answer

Bullseye. If you are looking for an international business career, then this school would be a great choice. Georgetown has a few outstanding certificates in IB and one of the nation's best master's courses in foreign service (dare I say THE best.) 

If you are bi/trilingual and looking to start importing widgets from China or negotiating M&As with European firms, then seriously consider this program. 

Based on your limited stats, I think you might find a better fit at schools that pride themselves in Accounting; Chicago, Penn, BYU, USC...

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