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12 Jun 2017, 13:39
Kudos
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Hi, I'm evaluating my prospects for an MBA, among other business-related degrees, and want to see what range of schools I should target for a Fall 2018 matriculation.
Caucasian male from the US
740 GMAT (46/46/8, just took it two days ago so I don't know my AWA score yet)
Graduated cum laude in May 2013 with 3.63/4.00 undergrad GPA at top-20-25 public school (3.88 GPA in my major & minor)
B.A. in Chinese & International Trade (one degree, not a double-major) with minor in Psychology
Started out in engineering but did poorly in calculus. However, I later took one accounting class and four econ classes and got A's in all (hoping that will make up for so-so GMAT quant score)
Post-undergrad full-time work experience
1 year as full-time certified TESOL instructor in Taiwan
2 years full-time (plus ~three months part-time before being promoted) as small business administrator in hospitality field
I'm interested in the airline industry (no direct experience, but I have been actively following a very active industry forum for almost ten years) and would like to work in a network planning department or possibly in consulting. At this time I have no plans to apply to any M7 schools, although I am considering schools in Europe such as ESADE and Warwick. Scholarships will likely play a notable role in deciding where I go.
Any other information that would be useful in evaluating my profile? What should I try to pump up, or downplay (like my 46 quant score), on my applications? Should I consider taking the GMAT again to bump my quant score up?
Any and all thoughts are welcome and appreciated.
Caucasian male from the US
740 GMAT (46/46/8, just took it two days ago so I don't know my AWA score yet)
Graduated cum laude in May 2013 with 3.63/4.00 undergrad GPA at top-20-25 public school (3.88 GPA in my major & minor)
B.A. in Chinese & International Trade (one degree, not a double-major) with minor in Psychology
Started out in engineering but did poorly in calculus. However, I later took one accounting class and four econ classes and got A's in all (hoping that will make up for so-so GMAT quant score)
Post-undergrad full-time work experience
1 year as full-time certified TESOL instructor in Taiwan
2 years full-time (plus ~three months part-time before being promoted) as small business administrator in hospitality field
I'm interested in the airline industry (no direct experience, but I have been actively following a very active industry forum for almost ten years) and would like to work in a network planning department or possibly in consulting. At this time I have no plans to apply to any M7 schools, although I am considering schools in Europe such as ESADE and Warwick. Scholarships will likely play a notable role in deciding where I go.
Any other information that would be useful in evaluating my profile? What should I try to pump up, or downplay (like my 46 quant score), on my applications? Should I consider taking the GMAT again to bump my quant score up?
Any and all thoughts are welcome and appreciated.
VantagePointMelody
Joined: 19 Apr 2016
Last visit: 26 Jun 2024
Posts: 203
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Expert reply
16 Jun 2017, 16:16
Kudos
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Hi there,
Thanks for sharing the details of your profile! I don’t think you should be so hard on yourself – that’s a great GMAT score! I understand that the Quant breakdown may not be where you want it but overall that’s a very respectable score. In general, my advice to re-take the test – or not – will depend on what schools you’re targeting. If you’re not aiming for top 10, then it’s probably not worth a re-take unless you think you have some really easy upside in your score. (I actually just wrote an article about advice on re-taking the GMAT, in case you’d like to check it out: When To Retake The GMAT – And When Not To)
Your profile stats in terms of GMAT and GPA are very solid. The challenge for you will be around your work experience – both in terms of quantity and quality. The details will be what matters there – leadership experience, level of responsibility/impact, what you achieved, etc. I’m less concerned about having a “brand name” on your resume, per se, since the quality of your experience will be what matters. And often applicants that come from smaller firms have a lot of opportunity to differentiate themselves with greater scope of their roles, direct impact on the bottom line, etc. vs. an applicant who comes from a large organization where roles are often more silo’ed and structured. So you’ll want to be strategic about how you present your work experience in your resume, your essays, etc.
Your career goals are interesting although they probably need a bit more refining and story-telling. Why are you interested in the airline industry? How do see yourself having an impact? And of course, how will an MBA help you achieve these goals? Those will be important questions to answer in your apps.
In general, aiming for the top 20 programs seems reasonable for you, based on the information you provided. Companies like Delta, American Airlines, United Airlines, etc. hire from a broad range of programs but have some geographical skew (McCombs for Texas-based airlines, Emory for Delta in Atlanta, etc.) – so that could be a great place to start in terms of school selection.
I hope that helps! If you’d like to discuss your candidacy further, you can sign up for a free consultation with me here. Best of luck to you!
Kindly,
Melody
Thanks for sharing the details of your profile! I don’t think you should be so hard on yourself – that’s a great GMAT score! I understand that the Quant breakdown may not be where you want it but overall that’s a very respectable score. In general, my advice to re-take the test – or not – will depend on what schools you’re targeting. If you’re not aiming for top 10, then it’s probably not worth a re-take unless you think you have some really easy upside in your score. (I actually just wrote an article about advice on re-taking the GMAT, in case you’d like to check it out: When To Retake The GMAT – And When Not To)
Your profile stats in terms of GMAT and GPA are very solid. The challenge for you will be around your work experience – both in terms of quantity and quality. The details will be what matters there – leadership experience, level of responsibility/impact, what you achieved, etc. I’m less concerned about having a “brand name” on your resume, per se, since the quality of your experience will be what matters. And often applicants that come from smaller firms have a lot of opportunity to differentiate themselves with greater scope of their roles, direct impact on the bottom line, etc. vs. an applicant who comes from a large organization where roles are often more silo’ed and structured. So you’ll want to be strategic about how you present your work experience in your resume, your essays, etc.
Your career goals are interesting although they probably need a bit more refining and story-telling. Why are you interested in the airline industry? How do see yourself having an impact? And of course, how will an MBA help you achieve these goals? Those will be important questions to answer in your apps.
In general, aiming for the top 20 programs seems reasonable for you, based on the information you provided. Companies like Delta, American Airlines, United Airlines, etc. hire from a broad range of programs but have some geographical skew (McCombs for Texas-based airlines, Emory for Delta in Atlanta, etc.) – so that could be a great place to start in terms of school selection.
I hope that helps! If you’d like to discuss your candidacy further, you can sign up for a free consultation with me here. Best of luck to you!
Kindly,
Melody
