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Nov 2007:30 AM PST
-08:30 AM PST
Learn what truly sets the UC Riverside MBA apart and how it helps in your professional growth
Nov 2010:00 AM EST
-10:30 AM EST
If you’re applying to Columbia, NYU Stern, or Yale SOM, you need more than strong stats. Each school defines “leadership” differently, and your essays must reflect that. Join Sia Admissions founder, Susan Berishaj on November 20th
Nov 2009:00 PM IST
-10:00 PM IST
Join our free expert-led Essay Workshops to discover how to choose impactful stories, highlight your core values, and align your background with each school’s distinct culture, making every word truly count.
Nov 2108:30 AM EST
-09:15 AM EST
Get the inside scoop on what makes Emory’s Goizueta Business School great, learn how you can present a strong MBA application, and connect with an Admissions Director to get your questions answered.
Nov 2112:00 PM EST
-12:30 PM EST
Join Assistant Dean for Admissions Laurel Grodman for a live walkthrough of the 2025–2026 MBA application. Laurel will provide insights into what the Admissions Committee looks for and offer tips on key components of the application.
Nov 2109:30 PM IST
-10:30 PM IST
Learn how to craft powerful, authentic essays by mastering the 3 “WHYs” every top MBA program looks for: Why MBA, Why Now, and Why This School.
Nov 2408:00 PM PST
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Inquire for a free profile evaluation and guarantee statement for possible admits and scholarships!
28 May 2020, 06:23
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I knew that I wanted to go to business school to successfully switch from the sell-side of an investment bank to a buy-side fund. I was fortunate to receive an offer from a Hedge Fund but was contingent on going to a top B-school. The greatest challenge for me on the getgo was scoring well on standardized tests (never was great even in High School - scored sub-2000 on the SAT and attend a public ivy think UCB/UCLA as an international student). About a year before the admissions cycle for Round 1 for the Class of 2022 I bought the Manhattan Prep book for GRE and went through questions, but was only able to score a 314 (most top MBAs the average was between 320-330). The second approach I hired a tutor for one-on-one sessions to improve my English section score, despite that only got it up to 317 (around April 2019). Finally, I decided to shell out more money on prep and after my research landed on Vertias Prep (based on reviews). I also specifically focused on improving my vocab and used Magoosh. Come July 2019, got the score above 321 (though with a low verbal score of 155).
There was a lot of debate on whether people should use an admissions consultant or not. In my case, I decided to do so in order to assist me with getting my story straight and really giving cohesive answers on why MBA and what were my short-term/long-term goals. I had a choppy background where I worked for 3 Major Investment Banks in the span of 3 years (highly unusual - most candidates w/ similar profiles usually had 2 employers over the course of 4 years). Specifically for me, I explained this work-history with talking about my transition to trading from Bank A to Bank B. Bank B the entire desk was let go as revenues for the firm in our division dropped by over 50% and half the team across the country was let go. To address that weakness I got a recommendation from my old supervisor at the second firm just to show the Admissions Team that I was still performing well and that I was not fired due to poor performance. The last red flag I had was my poor grades in economic classes during my undergrad (mostly C's and B's with one D). I chose not to use the optional essay as I was working on the trading floor in a quantitative sales job that demonstrated I could handle math. Also, my sub-score on the GRE quant was 166, which was above average for the schools I was applying for.
Round 1 I chose to apply only to realistic choices outside the M7 (Duke, Cornell, NYU) all East-Coast finance schools and would give me a network there. I was shocked that I got waitlisted without an interview at Cornell and NYU. Interviewed at Duke and was waitlisted after the interview. Realizing that this could be my score, in December I retook the GRE exam and somehow was able to get a 326 (164Q and 162V) and also completed the MBA Math online course (last-ditch effort to improve my quant profile and make up for my undergrad).
Round 2 I split my schools by applying to several M7 schools like Booth, Penn, Kellogg (reaches), and realistic choices such as Darden and Ross. What helped was that I showed schools I understood my weakness and was persistent in trying to improve myself. I received interview invites for all the schools I applied to, was waitlisted at the M7 schools but received a scholarship at both Darden and Ross. The feedback I received from M7 schools was to get my score up by a couple of points. This point I knew I could not improve any further, just focused on improving other parts of my application (i.e. sending a letter of interest to each waitlist school, speaking with current students, and attending several virtual admissions sessions hosted by the respective schools).
I was able to get off the waitlist at NYU Stern in early May and was accepted about 2 weeks later. I decided to take it as my family lives in New York and given the strong finance network that the school and location have. With NYU I would keep in touch with the Admissions Team about every month or so (first was a letter of interest, then got 2 stern alumni to write letters of support, and even attended a campus tour just to register my interest). I think it was the entire combination that helped. I also talked about new leadership roles at work and my community service (recently become a board member at a local non-profit).
There was a lot of debate on whether people should use an admissions consultant or not. In my case, I decided to do so in order to assist me with getting my story straight and really giving cohesive answers on why MBA and what were my short-term/long-term goals. I had a choppy background where I worked for 3 Major Investment Banks in the span of 3 years (highly unusual - most candidates w/ similar profiles usually had 2 employers over the course of 4 years). Specifically for me, I explained this work-history with talking about my transition to trading from Bank A to Bank B. Bank B the entire desk was let go as revenues for the firm in our division dropped by over 50% and half the team across the country was let go. To address that weakness I got a recommendation from my old supervisor at the second firm just to show the Admissions Team that I was still performing well and that I was not fired due to poor performance. The last red flag I had was my poor grades in economic classes during my undergrad (mostly C's and B's with one D). I chose not to use the optional essay as I was working on the trading floor in a quantitative sales job that demonstrated I could handle math. Also, my sub-score on the GRE quant was 166, which was above average for the schools I was applying for.
Round 1 I chose to apply only to realistic choices outside the M7 (Duke, Cornell, NYU) all East-Coast finance schools and would give me a network there. I was shocked that I got waitlisted without an interview at Cornell and NYU. Interviewed at Duke and was waitlisted after the interview. Realizing that this could be my score, in December I retook the GRE exam and somehow was able to get a 326 (164Q and 162V) and also completed the MBA Math online course (last-ditch effort to improve my quant profile and make up for my undergrad).
Round 2 I split my schools by applying to several M7 schools like Booth, Penn, Kellogg (reaches), and realistic choices such as Darden and Ross. What helped was that I showed schools I understood my weakness and was persistent in trying to improve myself. I received interview invites for all the schools I applied to, was waitlisted at the M7 schools but received a scholarship at both Darden and Ross. The feedback I received from M7 schools was to get my score up by a couple of points. This point I knew I could not improve any further, just focused on improving other parts of my application (i.e. sending a letter of interest to each waitlist school, speaking with current students, and attending several virtual admissions sessions hosted by the respective schools).
I was able to get off the waitlist at NYU Stern in early May and was accepted about 2 weeks later. I decided to take it as my family lives in New York and given the strong finance network that the school and location have. With NYU I would keep in touch with the Admissions Team about every month or so (first was a letter of interest, then got 2 stern alumni to write letters of support, and even attended a campus tour just to register my interest). I think it was the entire combination that helped. I also talked about new leadership roles at work and my community service (recently become a board member at a local non-profit).
aaditya005
Current Student
Joined: 21 Jan 2015
Last visit: 22 Jun 2023
Posts: 84
Own Kudos:
Given Kudos: 42
Location: India
Concentration: Strategy, Technology
Schools: Tepper '23 (WL) Darden '23 (D) Johnson'23 (WL) Foster '23 (D) McDonough'23 (A$) Kenan-Flagler'23 (D) Marshall'23 (D)
GMAT 1: 700 Q49 V35 (Online)
GRE 1: Q169 V159
GPA: 3.83
WE:Engineering (Computer Software)
Schools: Tepper '23 (WL) Darden '23 (D) Johnson'23 (WL) Foster '23 (D) McDonough'23 (A$) Kenan-Flagler'23 (D) Marshall'23 (D)
GMAT 1: 700 Q49 V35 (Online)
GRE 1: Q169 V159
Posts: 84
Kudos:
48
27 Jun 2020, 14:12
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Good to know GRE score helps. I took the GRE recently and scored 328. I have 4 years of work experience at Microsoft and a GPA of >3.7. If there is anyway I can know what my chances look like of getting into the M7, I'd be grateful as I do not have the money to apply to them and then wait for their response. Any help on the admissions part or any relevant pointers would help.
Thanks.
Thanks.
30 Jun 2020, 10:35
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I would say the most important part is having a good story that is slightly unique and connecting it well (especially true as you come from a competitive bucket i.e. Indian Engineer). You have a good GRE Total score (just ensure your verbal score was in the 160s as anything less might hurt your candidacy) and work experience is pretty strong. It is important to show leadership at your work and in my case, I had strong extracurriculars in terms of community service and a business that generates 6 to 7 figures a year in revenue.
I think it would be best to get those 30-minute free chat with the consultants as they would be able to better assess your chances and maybe help with any weakness you might have.
I think it would be best to get those 30-minute free chat with the consultants as they would be able to better assess your chances and maybe help with any weakness you might have.
will just study for now. 
