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CanadianJoey
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Joined: 30 Jun 2014
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Concentration: Healthcare, International Business
GMAT 1: 790 Q51 V49
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Guy from unrelated Major looking to apply possibly 30 Jun 2014, 18:00
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So I'm considering a change of scenery as far as jobs go. I'm currently stuck in a R&D job that I don't like and that pays almost nothing.

I've been good at standardized tests so I took the GMAT for yuks.

I got a 790, 7IR, and 5. (If I took it again, I am almost absolutely sure I'll get an 800)

My GPA is a 3.25 in pure chemistry. It's crappy but hopefully the GMAT will convince them that I'm not completely stupid.


Any suggestions for what I should do next if I'm considering an MBA/ change in career path?
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brandon432
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Guy from unrelated Major looking to apply possibly 30 Jun 2014, 18:36
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790 is outstanding! Congrats. There is no scenario where taking it again would help you. If anything, I think adcoms would view it as evidence of poor judgement and inability to prioritize, even if you got an 800.

There's lots of great threads on here about how to create an effective application. With 790/3.25, you have a chance pretty much anywhere (maybe slim at H/S) and if your WE, recs, and essays are good, I'd be surprised if you didn't get into an M7 if you applied to most of them.
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Guy from unrelated Major looking to apply possibly 01 Jul 2014, 00:01
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Congratulations on the amazing score CanadianJoey!
First off, you have to tell us how you got this amazing score - my standardize test taking ability is almost non-existent and my test is in less than 3 weeks! (jitters!!)

Secondly, with such a score/GPA, R&D profile, and well written essays, you should be targeting the Top 5 (if not top 3) schools.

As for a change of career, you have to explore various career options by networking with people in industries and try to find what you like and what you would like to do for the rest of your life (this may variably change while you're in school and later). Whether you want to stick to a specific industry (consumer elec, energy etc) or move to consulting or banking. You might also be interested in entrepreneurship or setting up your own shop in a couple of years.
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CanadianJoey
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Guy from unrelated Major looking to apply possibly 01 Jul 2014, 05:27
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Wow, it's encouraging to see that I have a chance at some of the top programs. I'm gonna have to do some serious thinking.

As far as prep goes, I think my background and hobbies did me a favor because I actually didn't prep. I took 1 practice exam a few days before the actual exam and got a 770, so I didn't bother getting a prep book or reading prep materials.

In college I took a lot of math classes, Calc I, II, III, Diff EQ I, II, Adv Calc I, II, Discrete Math, Combinatorics, Linear Algebra, Number Theory I, II, Applied Adv Calc I, and Introduction to topology.

In my spare time, I like to read, I go through probably 15-25 books a year.

So when I took the test, I didn't feel thrown off by any questions. Well, except one in Quant, the very last question asked about effects of how to deal with addition of new members to a set with combinations, averages, and standard deviations simultaneously. I'm guessing it didn't count because I still got a 51.
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Guy from unrelated Major looking to apply possibly 01 Jul 2014, 08:29
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What are your leadership experiences like? What about any extra-curricular and/or volunteer activities? How much work experience do you have, and during this time, have you had promotions or significant increase in job responsibilities?

For what it's worth, not everyone who goes to bschool is an engineering or business major. There are plenty of people with hard science background like yourself. Also, fairly certain 790 is the highest score you can get, but someone can correct me if I'm wrong...
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CanadianJoey
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Guy from unrelated Major looking to apply possibly 01 Jul 2014, 08:48
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the thing with R&D is that they limit your position depending on your highest level of qualification. I only have a BS because I'm in my early 20's, so I got hired and have been there since.

I volunteer about 15 hours a week. (~500 hrs so far)

For hobbies, I don't really do anything business related. I'm in a band, paint, mostly artsy stuff I'm considering applying at a bank to get some business experience.

Do you think that the GMAT score will help me land an entry level banking job?
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Guy from unrelated Major looking to apply possibly 01 Jul 2014, 11:44
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I am sure that b-schools understand that there is limited growth for people in science/engineering based careers in their early years. During my research phase I spoke with several current students my age (25) and some even older who were in manufacturing/research/on-site jobs and had been on the same position from the beginning of their careers and then went straight to b-schools.

From the basic outline that you've provide on your profile, I don't think getting into a good school will be difficult, provided you've channeled your experiences, goals, extracurricular etc. the right way in your essays and application.

As for banking post MBA! Yeah! Totally!
Banks specifically ask GMAT scores during their evaluations.. It may not be the only criteria to land you that banking job, but it will certainly be one of many.