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I do know that Wharton prefers to see an 80th percentile or higher in the quant portion of the GMAT. Based on your major, I'm guessing you haven't taken too many quant classes (stats, microecon, calculus, etc). If you have the time, it may not be a bad idea to take some quant classes through extension or at a local community college.
You're right, maybe I could get some math classes in while I'm in Beijing.
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Deployment experience- that's good! Might be some good material for your essays.
Well... I might have to leave out the best material though: "field sanitation", hehehe...
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No, I don't think that would be a good explanation, especially since you are currently unemployed. What hobbies do you have exactly?
Well, most of my hobbies are not group/organization based (i.e. swimming, hiking, Go, chess, etc). The closest thing I could think of as far as "community service/volunteering" goes would be a recent neighborhood cleanup of a huge drainage area which needed some serious work so as to comply with county inspection standards.
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Understood. Keep in mind that a clear idea of what you want to get out of your MBA is very important, especially in this economy. I feel this is especially true for joint degree applicants since you'll need a very convincing reason to justify the additional opportunity cost (more time in school, more time out of the work force, etc).
The joint degree will not be hard to justify for me.
1. Regardless of my MBA concentration, given my language abilities and past experiences, I will inevitably be a valuable asset in the field of international business - I must have proper knowledge of assessing int'l political environments.
2. The extra investment in time (& by extension, money) does not apply to all schools; Wharton & Booth have 2 year joint degree programs. Even if I spend an extra year, in the grand scheme of things, I still haven't fallen too much behind, since I finished my undergrad in 3 years instead of the usual 4.
3. The second IR degree is a logical extension of my undergrad academic pursuit/interest, I want to study it because I truly love it.
4. Its always good to cultivate multiple career options and remain flexible, especially in this market.
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Yeah, I think it may be a red flag...but it's definitely good you have something lined up. Although, it'd be better if you had a job lined up. Maybe you can say you spent this period looking for employment (totally understandable in this economy) and academic pursuits. I really don't think it will be looked upon favorably to have spent 5 months mostly working on the GMAT, visiting schools, and working on application essays. I say this not to be mean or harsh, but because there will be plenty of candidates in highly demanding careers who are doing those things in addition to working 60+ hours a week.
These are just my candid opinions... hope you don't take offense to anything. Just trying to help a fellow vet out...
Please remember, I served in the Army - that is not an institution which takes people's feelings into strong consideration, so you (& anyone else reading this thread) can be as harsh and unforgiving as you want. I need the close scrutiny and skeptical questions now just so I can be prepared to deal with it come essays/interview time. I deeply appreciate the fact that you're helping me out as a fellow vet, and no offense will be taken.
But to answer your question, yes, as a matter of fact I have been searching for jobs, the scholarship was a backup plan, which, unfortunately, I would have to resort to at this point.
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27 Jul 2009, 18:02
