99Colleges wrote:
Hi greatmightypoo,
You can’t change your GPA (you can explain it though, as you said), but can offset some of the impact by improving your GMAT score. You, of course, are aware of this.
One positive I see is your industry, which isn’t common among MBA applicants, but you need to make sure your career goals make use of this experience. Differentiate yourself through your professional experience. (For example, ‘email specialist’ is not the best way to put some of your experience. It probably involves optimization, conversion, marketing, and analytics.) How others in the class can benefit your experience? And second, school visits would help you in writing more personalized applications.
If you don’t improve your score and if you don't write the test again, I would say go ahead and still apply, playing to your strengths. But would you be able to turn in so many applications (and do justice to them), given you’re also taking GMAT?
Thanks! I'm planning on doing Brand Management post MBA (hence why Indiana and Wisconsin are so high), which translates to what I do to a good degree. Given that most big Branding CPG's are just getting their feet wet in the digital space, I think my experience would mesh really well in giving insights into that world, especially as they start direct selling.
Yep, a lot of what I do is optimization, A/B Testing, copywriting, metrics/reporting, SQL mining, project management, etc. Wear a lot of hats even in big firms, which is really cool. Email is the most underrated of all the Digital specializations, and the most difficult. Problem is, the trajectory is completely unclear. I've been able to become a lead in 5 years, but at the cost of becoming highly specialized, and thus already peaked for the most part. There's tibits of growth and always an industry-specific challenge when jumping to a new role, but fundamentally what I do will just evolve with tech and standards (ie: the concept of 'Retention', meaning handling the Email + app touchpoints).
School visits were fantastic, both so they remember who I am (like you said) and to know the kind of program I'd enjoy the most (felt Kellogg and Ross were too big. Seemed like undergrad all over again). Problem with school visits is I'm already forgetting who I spoke to, especially the Weekend visits with so many faces. What's the best way to address that in the application?
How I manage both? By not having a life lol. My commute is 1 hr each way, so sometimes I work on essays or GMAT study on my phone. Work 9-5 and study after work for about 3 hours per day (my boss knows and he's very supportive) and weekends about 6 hrs. Writing is a strength of mine so I'm not super worried about my essays. I mess up on tenses but otherwise, I'm a very fast and quick-witted writer. I've been the go-to writer on our blogs in my current and last position for that reason,
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14 Nov 2017, 18:17
