aquaria wrote:
Hi
GyanOne and everyone else!
Looking to apply to Ivey as well (mostly likely R2), and curious to know how my profile would stack up to the fine applications that will undoubtedly coming out of GMATClub - I want to be realistic and temper expectations accordingly.
I heard one of Ivey's strengths is its alumni network and career prospects after graduation - their career center is one of the best in the country. Very interesting considering it's one of the few programs that do not have an internship/work experience component (unlike Sauder/Rotman etc.) I remember asking an admissions advisor about this, and the school is very confident in its case study methodology...although no surprise there as a lot of business cases come out of Ivey and they really are well done.
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27/F/SEA (580 GMAT but will be taking the test again and aiming for a 650)
Undergrad:3.3 GPA (UBC - Sauder, also applying to their MBA program as well).
During my undergrad I did a co-op (work placement) program which had me working for a year while finishing my Marketing/Business Technology Management degree, the most notable placement being a marketing coordinator at a nationally-recognized membership/insurance company (BC's version of AAA) - started as a temporary marketing assistant but was able to demonstrate my value and had my contract continuously renewed as a result. Very active in clubs: was an officer in the uni's marketing club, yearbook editor one year, a frequent contributor to the uni's student newspaper, helped organized a branding conference empowering students to take control of their personal brand (as well as have them learn about branding in general), plus a brief stint in the Commerce Undergraduate Society. I was chosen as a student ambassador for the faculty during my final year and we were flown to Toronto to represent the school while networking with big companies (e.g. Google, Facebook, IBM, Deloitte etc). Also participated in a startup incubator where we were coached/mentored by some Vancouver's leading business figures, ended up worked on the marketing plan for a resume database startup.
Work Experience:After graduation, I continued working at my last placement for the rest of the years (so about 2 years total with the company) and it was there that my interest in project management/creative production really picked up. Within that time period I also had to fill in for a senior marketing manager who had gone on mat leave, and was moved between product lines and job functions (from marketing to more of a product development capacity), based on my aptitude in those job functions. The entire experience convinced me to make the switch to the ad industry where I stayed for the next 2 years and really got the hang of things, on both the traditional and digital side of things. This was all while furthering my account/project management skills and being given increased responsibility (from support coordinator to client services & project coordinator). I stayed at my first agency however only for about 1.5 years before moving back to Manila to take care of my ailing mother. Stayed there for a year before moving back to Vancouver, but within that year had a brief 5 month account manager stint at a multinational agency in Manila where I helped handle large accounts and got some international exposure in the process. I'd say roughly 50 months of WE total.
Why an MBA?Project management is something I've enjoyed in all my roles to date, and I've made an active effort to move towards roles that will allow me to hone my PM skills. At the same time I thoroughly enjoy the storytelling aspect of Marketing - it's something I am truly passionate about. Working towards an MBA will allow me to steer my career towards a path that combines these two disciplines in a meaningful way, in a time when a lot of my contemporaries segue into Finance/IT/Consulting. For all the experience I've gained on the production side of things, I feel that a strong strategic foundation would help me become the kind of well-rounded marketer that would do well in any industry, although the end goal is to transition into a high-level marketing role within the tech/new media space (specifically software/apps, less so in hardware) where I can have a direct impact on the company's brand.
Hi Aquaria
Thanks for posting. You certainly seem to have an interesting profile. Yes, the GMAT part is a bit of a dampener on things at the moment, but you have a good ~6 months to fix that if applying in R2 for the 2020 intake.
- Your work experience would fit the bill very well. You have 50+ months of experience, across Vancouver and Manila, and of course stints across functions, with some exposure to digital too. The brief stint in Manila is not an issue for its length - you should be fine there, and it does give you some international (non-Canadian) work experience, even if it was back home.
- The goals part will need more thinking. Yes, you're good at account management and project management within the industry now, but what kind of roles would you like within marketing, how would those roles be a step up, and why do you really need an MBA to get there? Yes, the strategic insight will be helpful for a marketing role, but it alone would be a weak plank to base a decision for an MBA on. Also, in higher marketing roles, you would have a more brand/product focus than a project/execution one, so balancing out where you see yourself the best fit is important.
- Other than that, your leadership/initiatives all look good from your time at UBC.
- Would love to hear back on your perspectives on the goal as you proceed and think further. Happy to help with any other aspects too.
Hope this helps. Feel free to come back with more queries as needed.
01 Jun 2018, 09:16
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