Please evaluate my profile

1) If that's the case, I actually wouldn't focus on your ASA too much in your application. I think it will just confuse things and leave admissions officers wondering why you took what seemed like a brief tour through a different discipline. By all means, include it in your application where they ask, but don't "talk it up" in your essays. Additional designations can hurt your application as much as they can help you.

2) In general, you can never go wrong by taking a college course or two (in calculus, statistics, finance, econ, or accounting) to demonstrate that you're serious about academic. Your CFA and ASA work were undoubtedly challenging (I'm married to an actuary!), but those still aren't the same as attending a course, taking midterms and final exams, etc. I don't mean to scare you, but your GPA may be a BIG hindrance to your chances, so you need to devote as much effort as possible to overcoming this, even if it feels like you've already done a lot.

Good luck!
Scott

Hi Scott,

Thanks for the advice! I really appreciate it. Now I have 3 last questions to get started on my application essays:

1. Is 24 years old with 2 years of work experience not enough, even though I helped to lead this tech company to break into the overseas market?

2. You mentioned "wouldn't focus on your ASA too much in your application", so I shouldn't mention much about my 8-month experience at the commercial bank in Shanghai?

3. I'm very worried about my GPA as well. However, I have to fly back and forth between mainland China and the U.S. for sales/marketing work, the only option is to enroll into online courses. Do you have any online school/program recommendations, especially in Math, Finance and Accounting?

Once again, thank you very much for all your time and advice. I truly appreciate it.

I don't think two years of work experience are "not enough." There's no hard cutoff, and teh quality of your work experience matters more than the quantity. Definitely don't wait another year just to have another year under your belt.

Re: the ASA, buy all means, you SHOULD talk about your work in banking. My point there was that you shouldn't focus much on the fact that you earned the ASA, since you may send the signal of someone who's hopping around and earning different designations/degrees, etc. Focus on the work you did and what you achieved on the job, not the ASA.

Not sure I can give you any specific online school recos, but I'd probably recommend the online arm of a traditional, non-profit university (public or private), rather than a for-profit online school like U. of Phoenix, which doesn't always have the best reputation.

Good luck!
Scott

Thank you very much for all your time and advice!

Hi Scott

I was wondering if I could follow up here. I have a similar background as the following:

Degree: Bachelor of Business Science in Actuarial Science and Finance (both Honours, double major) from University of Cape Town, South Africa

GPA: 65% (UK System)

Other Qualifications: 1 exam away from Associate of Society of Actuaries (ASA), CFA Level 2 Candidate

Work Experience: Actuarial Analyst at Deloitte Actuarial Consulting (1 year), Actuarial Analyst at local Life insurance company (1year)

Yet to write GMAT.

The low GPA relates to the academic system here in South Africa. Yes it is possible to obtain a 70% mark, but only around 2-3 graduates of around 45 actuarial honours level graduates (with 240 undergraduates having started the degree) obtain 75%+.

I am planning to do a postgraduate diploma in engineering and apply for the Mckinsey office here in Johannesburg.

My questions are the following:
- Can a good score (e.g. cum laude, magna cum laude, or summa cum laude) from postgraduate diploma in engineering make up for the low undergraduate GPA and provide an assurance that I can perform well academically?

- Combined with 2 years of work experience from McKinsey and a good score for GMAT (750+), is there a good chance for an admission into an ivy-league MBA?

- Taking into account some international admission 'requirements' from citizens of Africa?

Your valuable input and criticism will be much appreciated.

Hi kidstyx,

To answer your questions:

1. Yes, strong coursework since your undergraduate university grades can help to overcome low grades. The GMAT can help you do that, too. These won't completely "wipe the slate clean" in this regard, but they're the best things you can do to overcome low undergrad grades.

2. Depends on why Ivy League MBA you're talking about! For instance, it's much easier to get into Cornell (Johnson) than HBS. But, I do think you have a good shot at getting into a top-ten MBA program in the U.S. if you have great work experience from McKinsey.

3. The fact that you're from Africa will help some at the margins, but don't assume it will turn a lackluster application into a "must-have" one.

Good luck!
Scott

Thank you very much for your valuable input and advice!