McCombs Profile Evaluation - Tools for B-School Profile Evaluation

Background and nationality - Indian male candidate

Undergrad - B. Com with 57.5% (63.5% in the final year)

Postgrad - Post Graduate Diploma in Forest Management (Majors in Development Management) NOTE: Only the institute's name has Forest in it; I studied nothing related to it!

GMAT - 710 (Q-49 V-38)

Work experience and leadership -
Total of 3.5 years of work experience in lending space. I have worked for two financial institutions during this period, both of which were into impact investment. I assessed companies which had either social or environmental impact, and were from either financial inclusion, food and agri, affordable healthcare, affordable education, or clean energy sector. There were all early-stage companies with little to no access to formal sources of financing before my company lent to them. I individually did credit and operational analysis of the companies. I was assigned a new vertical in the first organization (I was assigned the role over my more senior colleagues) and was assigned as the lead member of one of the sectors in the second company.

The "story" - I was pursuing CA during my graduation, and had successfully cleared the intermediate examination. But something felt amiss and the only reason I was pursuing CA was because everybody around me was doing the same and I knew for a fact that there was good money at the end of the tunnel. But something felt amiss and I quit CA following my level II examination and instead decided to do PG. In PG, my course focused on community development and development management in general. I wanted to combine my PG study to what I did prior to that, and hence I got in the impact investment space.

Community and others -
1. Participated in multiple CSR events during PG
2. Ran numerous campaigns during PG, both for the upliftment of the underprivileged as well as for environmental conservation.
3. Active member of Blue Cross
4. Fitness enthusiast and I do work as a fitness instructor

Recommendations - I am sure I can get pretty strong recommendations

Post MBA goals -
Staying in the impact investment space, first by taking some international exposure with the larger donor organizations and then by eventually setting up my own investment fund.

Additional thoughts - I guess my work-ex is on the lower side, but I can show steady increase in responsibilities during this period. Also, I know that my undergrad score is miserable. Nothing really that I can do about it now, but will asking the AdCom to focus on my better-than-average Quant score in GMAT help?

Thanks for the help!

Hi,
Good self-assessment, and yes the undergrad grades are the biggest concern! Tough to overcome as you can't change that now , and the GMAT helps a little....but could still be an issue when they stack you up against competing applicants. And while I am not concerned about 3.5 years of experience generally, SOMEtimes applicants with 6-7+ years may have just had more chances to show great leadership and impact... so occasionally that can make a difference. The good thing about McCombs is that they do give you decent opportunities to show who you are through the application, for example the video option can be a good opportunity to make a strong impact. Work hard on putting together strong essays, application components and ideally recommendations and you may still have a shot, but will be an uphill battle to a certain degree. Good luck to you!

Hi Everyone,

See below for my info. I met someone from admissions at a Consortium event and I left with a strong impression of the school. I also went to a coffee chat that was hosted in LA. I am working on a school visit. Thanks for your help.

Background and nationality- 1st generation American. My parents are from Haiti.

Undergrad Information- Small State University. Graduated with a 2.7 gpa, Business Management major. Miserable first two years as an accounting major. Couldn’t picture myself crunching numbers all day so I switched to management before junior year because of the opportunity to take classes focused on HR, organizational behavior etc. wanted to focus on some type of career where I could help people in a way that felt meaningful.

Grades started to trend upward junior year and I made the Dean’s List second semester. Senior year- huge family accident and major health issues back home. Couldn’t focus and did horribly 1 semester. Buckled down and got a 3.26 last semester. Also worked every semester of school. Involved in some clubs and served as Treasurer for one.

GMAT: Still studying and my highest practice exam has been a 540- Q27 V37

Hoping to have around a 700 when it’s all said and done. I’ve been working with a tutor and improvement has been steady. Taking another CAT 10/21

Work experience and leadership
I’ve been fortunate to work for two high performing and well known companies in the education sector.

Second largest charter management org in the US->Recruitment Coordinator 1 year 4 months -> promoted to Associate Director of Recruitment 1 year 3 months -> recruited to join a founding Recruitment Team at the largest charter management org in LA been here for a year. I’ve built our university partnership strategy from scratch and I’ve achieved great results. My particular role has added great value to the org. I’ve even had the opportunity to work with C suite level folks advising them on their staffing.

Community and others- Basketball coach for my former summer team for two years. Won a championship my second year. I really enjoy mentoring youth. Part of the Urban League and I also did iMentor in NYC. Founded a career networking event back in NYC to connect inner city youth to successful professionals.

Post MBA goals- Human Capital Consulting. I’m particularly fond of Deloitte’s HC practice and know some people who work there, including a former recruiter I worked with. I want to make a transition to the private sector as I feel like my development as a professional is getting stagnant. It’s important to me to understand how orgs outside of this sector solve Human Capital issues. Long term I want to land in a Performance Management type of role.

Anything else? I’ve always had a chip on my shoulder because my colleagues have always come from well known schools with high GPAs. I’ve been able to surpass many of them at my jobs. I’ve been fortunate to land at good orgs within my sector and I’ve done my best to make the most of the opportunities. Also I’ll have about 4.5 years of experience at matriculation.

Hi,
Thanks for posting, and keep up the hard work on the GMAT prep, never an easy feat as you are experiencing! Thanks for sharing a great level of info and detail. I still have a few questions, namely: WHEN are you considering applying? You mentioned about 2.5 years of experience to date if following correctly and then 4.5 at matriculation, so are you aiming to apply in another year?

It can be quite tough to overcome a 2.7 GPA even with some explanation, to be honest. I would strongly advise, as long as time allows which sounds like hopefully it does, to enroll in a couple of b-school relevant quantitative courses and get A's in them, prior to applying. That plus yes a 700+ GMAT (the higher the better) to all use as examples of your current/more recent academic aptitude.

Your mentoring experiences and passion are great and I would aim to highlight those in your applications for sure.

If you are still a year or so out from applying, also use this time to continue researching in prep for describing your career goals, and connecting with students/alum at McCombs. They do appreciate those connections and simply showing your genuine passion for the program, so glad you've had good experiences with their team and events to date. When it gets closer if you'd like to connect further with one of our consultants, we do offer a free 30 minute consultation at www.mbamission.com/consult, where you'd send over a resume and be able to ask any q's you'd like, in case that helps.

Good luck!

I am an Indian, female, with marketing experience in the manufacturing industry for 4.5 years after which I moved to US. Been here since the last 1.5 years with a non-profit doing digital marketing, and fundraising, this is because of my visa situation. This was a huge shift from the corporate space in India and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I am looking at brand management and sustainability as a post-mba goal . 710 GMAT and 8.2 GPA as per indian standards. Do you feel my employment gap would be a red flag even though I have committed to volunteering during this phase?

Hi heya123, thanks for reaching out! I think as long as you are progressing in learning and it sounds like you have been, you will still present well in MBA admissions. If you want to strengthen your profile, I would also use the extra time to work on GMAT and see if you can't get it up even 20 more points as that would really help separate you from the pack in this crowded space.
You can also take advantage of the time in the US to visit schools here and really know the programs well. McCombs has excellent marketing programs- so I think it makes sense to apply there. You should also look at Fuqua and Wisconsin. I think rather than worrying about how adcom or recruiters will see this gap, that does not help as you can't control what they think- but you can control your knowledge of the programs, your GMAT and your career research- so focus on those things! And also reach out to us for a free consult as we can help you present yourself in the best light- link for this is here: https://stratusadmissionscounseling.com ... b-visitor/

Thank you very much for your response. I visited McCombs and I really liked the vibe of the school and the city. I already applied here in round 1. My employment gap is something I seem to have no control over due to the visa situation. and I explained these in my essays. Hopefully will reach out for Duke in round 2. Would it be too late to apply to Duke in round 2?

Hi there,
I feel applying to Duke R2 is still reasonable for you, and agree with most of Donna's points above about handling your gap in work experience. Try to really showcase and highlight any leadership experiences and initiative show and impact made, even within volunteer experience. As is always important, make a connection between your past, the MBA, and your future goals, and demonstrate in-depth knowledge of the program. Duke allows you a great platform for demonstrating who you are as a candidate through it's 25 things essay and longer involvement essay, plus the option to do a student-initiated interview if that works out for you, so take advantage of those and really brainstorm a lot about your life, professional & personal, and what you'd like to show through those elements. Check out our Duke essay tips at:
https://www.mbamission.com/blog/2017/06 ... 2017-2018/

And feel free to sign up for a free consultation if desired for R2 advice, at www.mbamission.com/consult.

Good luck to you!

Hello! I am thinking about applying to McCombs R2. Below is my profile. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Background and nationality: Caucasian male
Undergrad Information: Graduated with a Finance Degree from Dallas Baptist University (small private college); 3.8 GPA, very involved on campus and started a business oriented student organization.
GMAT: I am taking it in 3 weeks, but based on practice tests I anticipate around 680.
Work experience and leadership: 1 year as Pricing & Contract Analyst at a mid-size software company then moved to a smaller software company as a Financial Analyst for a little under a year then promoted to Senior Financial Analyst (current role). Current work experience is 2.5 years and would be 3 years near the start of the program.
Community and others: An area I need to work on. I was very involved during college, but now I just occasionally attend start-up/entrepreneurial events in the DFW area.
Post MBA goals: Strategy Consulting

Thanks!

Hi there.
Good luck on that GMAT prep, it must be coming up soon, so feel free to chime back in or reach out once you've got your score! Your grades are solid and having some promotion/recognition on the job is good. Your experience is on the lighter side, not to the extent it has to be problematic, but it's definitely incumbent on your to show that you do have a solid quality of experience over the 3 years such that you can contribute and share your experiences in class discussions etc. And yes more community experience would be a plus, though it's unlikely you can impact that much at this point for R2, beyond just brainstorming to ensure you've included all that you do have. So you're overall in a middle ground in terms of your profile, with both strengths and weaknesses, and the GMAT could potentially help you tip in either direction, and of course the way in which you tell your story of what you'll contribute to the class, and why you need the MBA and why McCombs is a good fit, can also make an impact. Finally, confidently describing your post-MBA goals in a knowledgeable way, and reinforcing how the MBA will help you reach them, will be important too. Good luck and let us know how the GMAT goes!!

After getting rejected from every school I applied to during the last year, I thought a US MBA was out of my reach. But Rishabh from GyanOne changed this with his expert application advice and interview feedbacks. After working with Rishabh, I got calls from all the 4 schools that had rejected me last year without even an interview. I got into my dream school (McCombs) with a great scholarship!!!

I got in touch with GyanOne through a friend who had previously worked with them. Right from the first profile evaluation call, Rishabh gave me brutally honest feedback about my candidature. From school shortlisting to conducting numerous mocks, he was a big part of my application journey. Without GyanOne, my MBA dream would not have become a reality. If you want to work with the experts in the admissions consulting world, GyanOne is the place for you.

Thank you to GyanOne and Rishabh for helping me achieve my MBA dream.

Gender: Male
Age: 31
GPA: 3.88/4
Degree: Master of Management in Energy, Finance and Trading (Tulane)
Years of Professional Experience: will be six years in August

Official Score: haven't taken but let me know score needed

Work Profile: Natural gas scheduler for sour years before that was promoted from the role as a mid office analyst which i did for a year and a half. Have successfully trained multiple people in scheduling.

Extra Curricular:none

Goals:
Long term: Energy IB

My two cents.
Unless you achieved some lateral movement, just one promotion in 6 years may seem a little less appealing. I know, our industry (I too come from same industry) is not that fast when it comes to vertical movement. Take some steps to mitigate that. Maybe your training experience come handy here.
You already have masters, which includes management - so be really specific as to why you need an MBA now. You don't want to come across as one of those serial students.
GPA, Age - checks the boxes. Nothing to worry about that.
The biggest worry I'd have is your extracurricular. It's not about what you do, buy why you do it and what you learn from it. Go and get something there. Now saying that just because you'd check the box by going to a soup kitchen for a few weeks will do it, but you got to get some leadership and team experience from that. Seriously, do it.
IB - now that is also a tough nut to crack. Need a lot of network and many a time, prior experience. Again, like MBA, ensure you convey, convincingly, why you want that path.

Hi kswistow,

Thanks for your query.

Considering you have been in one workplace with a single promotion, you will need to highlight the managerial and training experiences you have had beyond this promotion in order to make your essays a lot more appealing. The age, though on the higher side, will not be much of an issue and the GPA looks alright. The paucity of extracurricular activities in your overall profile or the lack of any other talking points is a bit of a concern here and we suggest you spend some time building up your profile (taking up leadership roles in the social sector; enrolling in Toastmasters; or garnering some additional certification). To top it all, focus on your GMAT prep and try getting as high a score as you can That will indeed be very crucial!

All the best!

About Me:

Caucasian Male
30 (8 years of work experience)
GMAT: 710 (Q46, V41)
GPA: 3.07 (from a small private liberal arts school in south - didn't transisition well into college, first year grades suffered, but worked hard to get GPA above 3.0, so there is an upward trend)
Undergrad: Business Administration with concentration in Marketing

Work Experience:

-Business Development and Analyst roles at small Medical Management company
-Then moved to work for a startup as Account Manager - tech SaaS company, very small, so was able to gain great experience as I had to wear many hats - able to accomplish a lot for the company, as well as for clients

Extracurriculars:

Volunteer work at local food/homeless shelter as well as Clean-Up organization for city
Co-Captain of local men's soccer team in a competitive and organized soccer league

Post MBA Goals:
Marketing/Brand Management for CPG company

Hi PhillyKid,

Thanks for sharing your profile details here.

While you have not shared much with regard to your achievements and career progression, the start-up experience looks good and will help to portray strong problem-solving abilities, as well as ability to work with limited resources. The extra-curricular activities too look decent. However, in your essays, these will need to be represented in a way that allows you to focus on the impact that you had with your involvement in such activities.

Having said the above, your work-experience is much higher than the average duration of work-experience of students at Mc Combs and the GPA quite under the average. Hence, we would recommend that you retake your GMAT. A higher score will enable you to offset the limitations in your application and strengthen your chances. Needless to say, you will need to spend a fair bit of time on creating a set of essays that focus on your strengths, as well as showcase a strong sync among your experience, short-term goals, and long-term aspirations

Should you feel the need to discuss this further, feel free to reach out.

All the best!

Hello All,
I would like to have my profile evaluated. I just took the GMAT in June and am ready to apply for business school in Fall 2019. Here is my information:
GMAT: 710 (50Q/34V/6 IR) Have not received my AWA score yet
GPA: ~ 3.37 (over a 3.5 my last year)
Degree: BA Economics, UCLA. Transfer GPA - 3.8
Experience: 2 years as an analyst at a real estate investment company(1 year at current firm). Work in both acquisitions (acquired 3 hotels for $150mm since I started) and asset management (6 of our current hotels, and 135 hotels for a third party). Had previous internship experience in PWM.
Extracurricular: Over 700 hours working as a volunteer at the local hospital, as a tutor, and as a coach for middle school children. No experience in professional leadership/managerial roles. Was a member of Ski and Snowboard team in college. Mentor a student at UCLA. High School Valedictorian.
Background: Indian (born and raised in California). 25 years old. Typical middle class story for a kid in Orange County.
What I want from business school: First, I would like to work in finance, either in real estate acquisitions, PWM, or VC/PE. I would like to gain both the professional and personal skills that business school can provide. Finally, I need a change in my life.
Letters of Rec: Plan on asking my CIO and an Associate at my current company for my two recommendations. I also have my previous employer in case. Do not have a professor at UCLA I can ask since I did not spend a lot of time in office hours.
Other: The one issue which will make things difficult is that I was accused of cheating in college. I received academic probation and I'm sure I will have to discuss what happened. I would like some feedback whether this is a automatic red flag. It was a mistake and I've grown from it, but I am sure it will leave a mark.

Thank You,