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05 Aug 2016, 15:27
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Please, I do realize this is long, but if you are going to give advice you should read the whole message.
I believe I have very non-traditional background, and I need some guidance in identifying what schools potentially could be my "reach", "good" and "safe" schools. Also, I need advice on how to best prepare my application in general, and to write my essays specifically.
I will be outspoken and detailed about my situation, so whoever wants to give advice will have maximum information. Certainly, I understand that some of the facts I bring up below shouldn't be mentioned during admissions process.
My GMAT score is 700 with balanced section scores (Q48, V39, AWA 5; taken before IR was rolled out). I am retaking GMAT soon and my target is 750. The reason is: first time I took the GMAT I did so with a month's preparation using Princeton Review while working full-time. Now I'm using Magoosh, MGMAT & OG. I took GMAT in 2012 to get my MS Accounting degree from not a well-known state school. With better materials, more time and higher motivation I am sure 750 or thereabouts is not beyond reach for me.
I am primarily interested in MBA program to advance my career or change careers. The second motive, tied to the first, is to increase my personal brand by attending the best b-school possible that would admit me. I'm an accounting professional looking to switch to (1) investment research, or (2) to financial advisory with Big Four or smaller national firms, (3) to financial analyst role in real estate, or (4) continue my career at a large corporation in some accounting/finance/treasury role.
So, what do I mean by "very non-traditional"?
Education:
Well, I am originally from one of the constituent republics of the late USSR. I studied English for my undergrad while also working as a translator. Hence a low GPA of 2.5 on scale of 4.0, and graduation year is 2004. Without exaggeration I am fluent in 3 unrelated languages besides my poor German. I also obtained an MA in Pol Science degree in 2009 from a second tier private college on the East Coast. My MA-PS GPA is 3.6, and MS-Acc GPA is 3.5. I hope adcoms will accept my argument that my graduate level coursework GPA is more indicative of my academic success rather than the low GPA from an abroad institution. So, if I do MBA --and I feel like I must if I am to resuscitate my career-- it's going to be my third master's degree in the US.
Work experience:
By the time I expect to matriculate in August 2017 my total WE will be over 9 years. 3 years are with companies "back there". In the US, ~3 year with a large non-profit as an accountant and 3.5 years at my current position (i.e. by the time I'm planning to leave to start my MBA).
Currently I work for a small accounting firm, where my duties are primarily to provide accounting and tax services for small business clients. I supervise/ manage 2 people: a staff accountant and an intern. Occasionally, I get to work on finance related projects like preparing pro forma financials, estimating proposed project profitability measures (IRR, NPV, Cap rates) for our real estate clients, etc. Being small, there isn't really career advancement as such.
The job situation in my locality is such that it has been impossible to change jobs due to economic downturn (or "slow recovery"?). It was a bad decision to accept offer from my current employer vs an accounting position from a multinational Global Fortune 500 company. What was I thinking, right?
I am a CPA, and have passed Levels I&II of the CFA Exam. During my MS Accounting studies I took some CFA relevant courses like some econ, fin and business valuation courses. The last one was particularly helpful with CFA Level II.
EC:
I believe I made some misguided decisions in my career. Probably, I shouldn't have done MA-PS, and should have studied up for GMAT and apply for MBA programs back when I was applying for MS Accounting program. Also, when I did my MSAcc I finished the 33 credits in 2 semesters by taking like twice the normal work load. Now, in hindsight, I realize I shouldn't have rushed and should have gotten involved in wider range of student organizations and networked as much as I could. Who knows, maybe I wouldn’t get stuck in my current position.
I attribute these failures to my family background going back to my undergrad. I had no one who could help in terms of career coaching. I was raised by a single mom (I lost my father to illness). In addition, my sister and I are the first to go to college in our family. As already mentioned, I had to work to partially support myself and pay tuition. These were hectic, uncertain times after collapse of the USSR, and my father had been ill for several years and then died. Naturally, no FAFSA either. What careers are good, what people do to get these jobs etc. – all that I had to learn the hard way and well after I got my bachelors.
Another factor is just bad luck. I graduated from MA-PS program in 2009 into bad economy, couldn't land a job at some DC think-tank or some international organization as I hoped. I interned and worked for half a year at a renown think tank (like CSIS, if you are familiar) in Washington DC, but am planning to leave this experience off my resume since it was too short, irrelevant, and done while I was pursuing my MA-PS degree.
To summarize...
My strengths
My weaknesses:
Interesting facts (potential strengths)
Given the context above:
Thank you very much in advance for reading this and your invaluable insights!
-Knight Errant
I believe I have very non-traditional background, and I need some guidance in identifying what schools potentially could be my "reach", "good" and "safe" schools. Also, I need advice on how to best prepare my application in general, and to write my essays specifically.
I will be outspoken and detailed about my situation, so whoever wants to give advice will have maximum information. Certainly, I understand that some of the facts I bring up below shouldn't be mentioned during admissions process.
My GMAT score is 700 with balanced section scores (Q48, V39, AWA 5; taken before IR was rolled out). I am retaking GMAT soon and my target is 750. The reason is: first time I took the GMAT I did so with a month's preparation using Princeton Review while working full-time. Now I'm using Magoosh, MGMAT & OG. I took GMAT in 2012 to get my MS Accounting degree from not a well-known state school. With better materials, more time and higher motivation I am sure 750 or thereabouts is not beyond reach for me.
I am primarily interested in MBA program to advance my career or change careers. The second motive, tied to the first, is to increase my personal brand by attending the best b-school possible that would admit me. I'm an accounting professional looking to switch to (1) investment research, or (2) to financial advisory with Big Four or smaller national firms, (3) to financial analyst role in real estate, or (4) continue my career at a large corporation in some accounting/finance/treasury role.
So, what do I mean by "very non-traditional"?
Education:
Well, I am originally from one of the constituent republics of the late USSR. I studied English for my undergrad while also working as a translator. Hence a low GPA of 2.5 on scale of 4.0, and graduation year is 2004. Without exaggeration I am fluent in 3 unrelated languages besides my poor German. I also obtained an MA in Pol Science degree in 2009 from a second tier private college on the East Coast. My MA-PS GPA is 3.6, and MS-Acc GPA is 3.5. I hope adcoms will accept my argument that my graduate level coursework GPA is more indicative of my academic success rather than the low GPA from an abroad institution. So, if I do MBA --and I feel like I must if I am to resuscitate my career-- it's going to be my third master's degree in the US.
Work experience:
By the time I expect to matriculate in August 2017 my total WE will be over 9 years. 3 years are with companies "back there". In the US, ~3 year with a large non-profit as an accountant and 3.5 years at my current position (i.e. by the time I'm planning to leave to start my MBA).
Currently I work for a small accounting firm, where my duties are primarily to provide accounting and tax services for small business clients. I supervise/ manage 2 people: a staff accountant and an intern. Occasionally, I get to work on finance related projects like preparing pro forma financials, estimating proposed project profitability measures (IRR, NPV, Cap rates) for our real estate clients, etc. Being small, there isn't really career advancement as such.
The job situation in my locality is such that it has been impossible to change jobs due to economic downturn (or "slow recovery"?). It was a bad decision to accept offer from my current employer vs an accounting position from a multinational Global Fortune 500 company. What was I thinking, right?
I am a CPA, and have passed Levels I&II of the CFA Exam. During my MS Accounting studies I took some CFA relevant courses like some econ, fin and business valuation courses. The last one was particularly helpful with CFA Level II.
EC:
- Was in wrestling team in college
- Member at some student organizations
- Currently volunteer with 3 three non-profits
- For one of them I provide accounting and tax service on pro-bono basis (I'm counting on them to get recommendation letters).
I believe I made some misguided decisions in my career. Probably, I shouldn't have done MA-PS, and should have studied up for GMAT and apply for MBA programs back when I was applying for MS Accounting program. Also, when I did my MSAcc I finished the 33 credits in 2 semesters by taking like twice the normal work load. Now, in hindsight, I realize I shouldn't have rushed and should have gotten involved in wider range of student organizations and networked as much as I could. Who knows, maybe I wouldn’t get stuck in my current position.
I attribute these failures to my family background going back to my undergrad. I had no one who could help in terms of career coaching. I was raised by a single mom (I lost my father to illness). In addition, my sister and I are the first to go to college in our family. As already mentioned, I had to work to partially support myself and pay tuition. These were hectic, uncertain times after collapse of the USSR, and my father had been ill for several years and then died. Naturally, no FAFSA either. What careers are good, what people do to get these jobs etc. – all that I had to learn the hard way and well after I got my bachelors.
Another factor is just bad luck. I graduated from MA-PS program in 2009 into bad economy, couldn't land a job at some DC think-tank or some international organization as I hoped. I interned and worked for half a year at a renown think tank (like CSIS, if you are familiar) in Washington DC, but am planning to leave this experience off my resume since it was too short, irrelevant, and done while I was pursuing my MA-PS degree.
To summarize...
My strengths
- Competitive GMAT score of 730-750 (target, assumed done)
- International work experience
- Fluency 2 in foreign languages (in addition to English, that is)
- Licensed CPA + Passed 2 levels of the CFA exam - this should tie well with my post-MBA goals
- A profile that will add diversity to many MBA cohorts in quite more than one ways (IMHO)
My weaknesses:
- "Too experienced" with WE over 9 years, and age
- Low UG GPA (hope to offset with graduate GPA, not stellar, but decent)
- No "brand name" employers on my resume, “boring” accounting jobs
- Previous Masters degrees
Interesting facts (potential strengths)
- High school salutatorian
- First generation in family to attend college
- Interesting (sometimes sad) life story
- History buff (have a published book translation on WWII)
- While not “minority” in a strict sense my demographic is underrepresented
Given the context above:
- 1) Is it realistic to have Booth and Wharton as my "reach" schools?
2) Can Darden & Fuqua be my "good" schools? How about Georgetown and Carnegie Mellon?
3) Similarly, is it reasonable for me to have Boston University and Indiana as "safe" schools?
4) What parts of my background should I accentuate in my application? What should I de-emphasize, or even skip (if not solicited)?
5) Do you think my career aspirations are focused enough? Are they likely to be perceived realistic by adcoms?
6) Would it be appropriate to mention my family background in the essays?
7) On one of the admissions applications that I have started, after being asked about my parents and my spouse, I get a question about kids: how many and what ages.
Is it more of a "logistics" question, or is it going to somehow figure in the admissions decision?Well, I have three kids ages 3 thru 7. I dislike this question, because the answer might imply to adcoms that I'm not very flexible, meaning, it's going to be difficult for me to move to pursue MBA, and later on, for internships and full time job offers. While I don't deny it not going to be easy, I don't think moving or family obligations would interfere with my studies, EC's and recruiting process. Is it advisable to leave the answer to the kids question blank?
7) Any other advice for me?
Thank you very much in advance for reading this and your invaluable insights!
-Knight Errant
07 Aug 2016, 14:17
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I'll be honest you're probably aiming a bit too high with your reach and target schools. You have 3 red flags from my point of view 1. GPA 2. Work Experience and 3. Lack of direction which is linked to 2.
Your undergraduate GPA is set in stone, you did alright in grad school, do well on the GMAT and consider a quant class or two to build an alternative transcript.
To answer your questions
1. Neither seems likely to offer a reasonable chance as a reach school.
2. Darden and Fuqua don't seem like they'd be targets, but rather reach schools. Georgetown and CMU seem closer in line with targets for you, although I might add IU-Kelley or Smeal.
3. BU or BC should be safeties, I might add some schools like Babson to the list.
4. Emphasize finance and consulting aspects of your job, they sound better than just audit, particularly if you're not auditing complex F500s.
5. You need to choose one goal and stick with it. Either real estate or F500 finance seem reasonable, investment management tends to look for prior finance experience e.g. investment banking or other buy side roles.
6. I think that it is germane to mention.
7. Just a logistics issues.
8. Aim lower in your reach, target and safety schools. It's hard to hear, but if you want an auditor in the class, you want big 4. Either that or somebody with a compelling story at a national firm (e.g. GT, RSM, BDO). I see you getting in with a well executed application to schools in the 20-35 range. I'd apply to more targets and fewer reach and safety schools. Perhaps 3 targets and a reach in R1 and then 2 safeties and a target in R2. I also encourage you to consider putting a list together that looks more like this:
Reach: Fuqua, Ross, Johnson, Anderson (if you'll consider the West Coast), Kenan-Flagler
Target: CMU (with strong GMAT), Georgetown, WashU Olin, Notre Dame Mendoza, Penn State Smeal
Safety: Rochester Simon, BU, Maryland, BC
Your undergraduate GPA is set in stone, you did alright in grad school, do well on the GMAT and consider a quant class or two to build an alternative transcript.
To answer your questions
1. Neither seems likely to offer a reasonable chance as a reach school.
2. Darden and Fuqua don't seem like they'd be targets, but rather reach schools. Georgetown and CMU seem closer in line with targets for you, although I might add IU-Kelley or Smeal.
3. BU or BC should be safeties, I might add some schools like Babson to the list.
4. Emphasize finance and consulting aspects of your job, they sound better than just audit, particularly if you're not auditing complex F500s.
5. You need to choose one goal and stick with it. Either real estate or F500 finance seem reasonable, investment management tends to look for prior finance experience e.g. investment banking or other buy side roles.
6. I think that it is germane to mention.
7. Just a logistics issues.
8. Aim lower in your reach, target and safety schools. It's hard to hear, but if you want an auditor in the class, you want big 4. Either that or somebody with a compelling story at a national firm (e.g. GT, RSM, BDO). I see you getting in with a well executed application to schools in the 20-35 range. I'd apply to more targets and fewer reach and safety schools. Perhaps 3 targets and a reach in R1 and then 2 safeties and a target in R2. I also encourage you to consider putting a list together that looks more like this:
Reach: Fuqua, Ross, Johnson, Anderson (if you'll consider the West Coast), Kenan-Flagler
Target: CMU (with strong GMAT), Georgetown, WashU Olin, Notre Dame Mendoza, Penn State Smeal
Safety: Rochester Simon, BU, Maryland, BC
31 Aug 2016, 01:26
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Hi KnightErrant,
Agree with futurectdoc on reach, target, and safety schools. My take on your other questions is:
4. Your primary focus in essays or recommendations should be to first take up those experiences which bring out the answer to the question asked with sufficient reflection and detail (emphasis added). Don’t pick an experience just because it sounds different and may appeal to the adcom. If you’ve number of experiences that fulfill this criteria, then go for the ones which aren’t common.
5. One goal among 2, 3, or 4.
6. You should, provided it is contextual.
7. I don’t think B-schools discriminate applicants because they’ve families. They may, however, have concerns if you’re an older applicant, which has nothing to do with family. You may read more on this here:
Are You 30+? MBA Programs May Have 3 Concerns on Your Application
-
Agree with futurectdoc on reach, target, and safety schools. My take on your other questions is:
4. Your primary focus in essays or recommendations should be to first take up those experiences which bring out the answer to the question asked with sufficient reflection and detail (emphasis added). Don’t pick an experience just because it sounds different and may appeal to the adcom. If you’ve number of experiences that fulfill this criteria, then go for the ones which aren’t common.
5. One goal among 2, 3, or 4.
6. You should, provided it is contextual.
7. I don’t think B-schools discriminate applicants because they’ve families. They may, however, have concerns if you’re an older applicant, which has nothing to do with family. You may read more on this here:
Are You 30+? MBA Programs May Have 3 Concerns on Your Application
-
