Haas Profile Evaluation - Tools for B-School Profile Evaluation

Hi, to strengthen your profile for Berkeley Haas I'd advise you to re-take your GMAT and target 1 Round application. You should also start (right now) brainstorming your achievements and development (both personal and professional) to present a highly competitive applicaiton package. Focus on your growth as a true leader, who has positively impacted his organization's outcomes and has proved his outstanding teamwork and communication skills.

Hi, you have got a strong profile and total fit for Berkeley class)) Go ahead with your application! Haven't you looked through Yale as an option yet? I believe you are a good fit for this b-school as well.

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mbastrategycom I'd really like to know what made you think he was a good fit at Haas? With such few words, it would be hard for anyone to evaluate fit don't you think? If you have some other insider Haas info, please do share!

Good academic background and GMAT, professional background in healthcare industry and intention to grow in similar sector. The AdComs, of course will evaluate a lot more details, including skills, achievements and reasons for choosing a particular career path. They, by all means, will weigh the relevance and appropriateness of all those criteria to Haas, but initial data is worth of working on it.

Background and nationality: Asian, male, 27 y.o.

Undergrad Information: San Jose State University, Finance, 2.9 GPA (no excuse for the GPA. I was serving for the army full time, but that doesn't excuse the GPA)

GMAT: 650 (diligently working hard to improve this since I have a subpar GPA)

Work experience and leadership: Top aerospace and defense company. Finance (two promotions in four years) part of the FLDP (finance leadership development program). Served for the United States Army for 8 years, 5 years as a squad leader (4 soldiers under my command)

Community and others - leadership roles within my FLDP at work. Started my own outdoor community group in which we educate young professionals about the wilderness and leadership. We volunteer doing river clean ups, trail clean ups, etc. I also run my own charity through my professional photography work in which 90% of proceeds from all sales go toward three charities (Wounded Warrior, Second Harvest Food Bank, and The Sierra Club)

Post MBA goals - short term (general management within my company and move into strategy); long term (building an organization that
focuses on leadership development and education for kids who live in below-poverty households)

Hi! I also have a low gpa and based on what I've been told at most schools you can have a decent shot with a low GPA as long as you can show how you've grown since UG, this is especially true with a high GMAT.

However, it is more difficult to get in with a low GPA at certain schools because there is a state required minimum GPA for grad students. Haas is one of those schools and their minimum is a 3.0. They can waive this requirement but it requires sign off by some higher ups, usually the dean of students so you've really REALLY got to make it worth it for them. To increase the chances that it will be worth it, I would retake your GMAT to show you can handle the work of the program and obviously endure you knock all of the other areas of the application out of the park as well

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hey thank you very much for the honest feedback. I absolutely agree. My GPA and GMAT is definitely my weakest point in my application. I'm working diligently on studying and am planning to re-take the GMAT as many times as necessary to get the score I'm hoping for. A couple of folks have also encouraged me to take some quantitative courses at local community colleges to show that I have definitely grown in maturity and am able to get top grades. What do you think? Thank you again!

No Problem! I actually emailed the admissions folks at Haas to ask them about my specific situation which is a low GPA but high GMAT score. I asked what else I could do to mitigate any concerns about my low gpa and their response was that the high GMAT definitely helps to make them feel comfortable that I can handle the work and other than that it will depend on my individual profile and background compared to the rest of the candidate pool. They said it was not likely to get admitted with my GPA but not impossible. So, I didn't get the feeling that extra classes would help at Haas...but I did have a good GMAT so if your GMAT doesn't get to the level you want it to be I am sure the extra classes wouldn't hurt...also that was just what Haas said so other schools may see the extra classes differently. I would just email them and ask...they are very helpful!

Background and Nationality: British – UK Citizen (Male – 27)

Postgrad/Undergrad Information: University of Birmingham: MSc Stategic Marketing & Consulting (Distinction), University of Birmingham: BSc Mathematics with Business Management (Upper Second Class Honours) - I think this would equate to a 3.5 GPA

GMAT: 600 (I've attempted this twice now and considering the following options: 1) Take the exam again and apply in Round Two 2) Focus on my essays/Extra Curriculars and submit as is for Round One 3) Try the GRE and attempt Round 2

Work Experience: Management Consultant (across 2 top tier Global firms and now with my own company providing services to a large retail bank in the UK). Focused specifically on Agile Transformation, Product Management, Analytics and Project Management. 5+ years work experience in Consulting

Industry: Banking & Financial Services, FMCG, FinTech, Local Government

Extra Curricular & Leadership:
- Actively involved in charity work for the Alzheimer’s Society. Raised over £700 so far via a 5k run and a sponsored walk. Attempting the 10k next year.
- Managed the Analytics blog for my firm and led it to becoming the #1 read blog across the UK practice. Responsibilities ranged from acquiring blog writers weekly to overall social media strategy of sharing blogs once published. Contributed to the blog too with two pieces.
- Ran social media campaign for 120+ resources in my team. Involved overall content sharing strategy via a number of platforms (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Yammer), training of these tools and monitoring to ensure compliance to Group standards.
- Mentor to apprentices joining the company via the apprenticeship programme. Responsibilities included career coaching, deliverables management and overall point of contact on client concerns.
- Student Ambassador for Postgraduate Course
-Keen dancer and gym goer. Involved in an after-work dance society (Street/HipHop) and actively in the gym 4-5 times a week.

Post MBA goals: Short Term: Return to Consulting, working in Digital Transformation & Product Strategy. Long Term: Work towards becoming a Principal Consultant, leading engagements with clients on transforming their business using Agile and overall Product Management

Hey theproductplan not sure if you were soliciting advice specifically on this, so if not please disregard, but I'd consider taking the GRE for Round 2. Generally the advice I've seen on here is to stick to one test since they have different styles and can take a little time to get into the groove of each. So if you have been scoring a lot higher on your GMAT practice tests or you think you know what has been holding you back or how you should study differently for it, you might stick to the GMAT for a third time. But since you've taken it two times and have relatively a good amount of time to study before needing to start Round 2 apps, the GRE sometimes can seem more "straightforward" in how they are asking you to apply content and being similar to other standardized tests. The GMAT, especially quant, it can seem to be mastering content and mastering how to apply it in a new-to-many way with how the GMAT asks questions. Verbal the difference is a bit easier to see with a bit more vocab (GRE) vs. grammar (GMAT). That's just my personal opinion of the tests and using rough generalizations.

Haas does however say it prefers the GMAT. Something to consider, although I know many people who have gotten interviews and several who have been accepted with GRE scores to Haas. I think from a lot of different threads on here the GMAT and GRE are weighed equally by schools that accept both, but maybe some slight preference by most schools for the GMAT based on familiarity and that some schools don't report their GRE scores (probably a bit more preference for schools like Haas that state it). From convos with students/alums and some admission consultants on here I have gotten the feeling a GMAT score 10-20 points less might be just as good as a converted GRE score (this is in general not Haas specific). However if you have a shot at getting the equivalent of a 700+ on the GRE because that test is a better fit I wouldn't worry about Haas' preference or if GMAT gets a slight edge. That's a big enough difference from your current 600 to justify it I think and give you a better shot IMO.

I'm just another prospective applicant so take this all with a grain of salt and also can't help too much on whether you should apply with your current 600. It's pretty far from the average though and since Round 2 still gives you a great shot in terms of your chances I'd think about waiting to apply with a higher score on either test.

Edit/P.S.- If you decide to go the GRE route I would recommend the book "Word Power Made Easy" by Norman Lewis. It's not GRE specific but was almost eerie how many GRE vocab words it covers and it does a great job of teaching root words and patterns to help remember them. There also is a GRE vocab audio book on Audible that can be nice to listen to while working out or commuting. If you've never used Audible you can sign up for a free book and get it for free. Two recommendations I'd give for the GRE.

Background and nationality: Indian

Undergrad Information: Tier 1.5 College. Engineering. Information Technology. GPA: 3.8. Graduated in 2014. In top 10%.

GMAT: 730 (Q50, V39)

Work experience and leadership: a) Two years Developer (with product responsibilities) for Samsung with 4 months of international experience at South Korea and Spain. Received all possible awards including double promotions in two years. b) Chief Product and Technology Officer (current) of a well-known media startup (in India) for 2 years - more than 2 lakhs downloads, 230 part time employees, 2500 interns, highest rating among all news and media apps, highest session duration and I played an impactful part in achieving that c) Product Manager (current) at a tech-marketing startup for 1 year - 50 employees, funded, sees the best click-through rates for notifications. d) Failed startup in gaming domain. The shift from Samsung to startups has been mainly to show that I am much more than an "IT engineer".

Industry: Fintech, Media, Marketing, and Gaming.

Post MBA goals: PM Roles in the top technology firms followed by VP-level executive positions at mid-sized firms.

Extra-curricular: a) Founded summer camp programme for underprivileged kids; teaching them about robotics, maths, physics. b) Increased social engagement and click-through rates for the notifications sent for my startups (5x the market average), c) Recruitment head during college placements, d) Into marathons, cycling, trekking, athletics, and sports (state-level)

Targeting Haas, Kellogg and NYU Stern.

Any insights on profile and on target schools will be appreciated.

Nationality- Indian
Male
Age- 29
GMAT- 710 (V35 Q50) Given in 2014
Undergraduate Information-
GPA:3.7 University on Mumbai, India (B.E - Electronics and Telecommunications) May 2010

Graduate Information-
GPA:4.0 University of Maryland- College Park, USA (Masters in Telecommunications) May 2012

Work Experience:
Senior Systems Test Engineer in the Telecommunications Industry- 5 years
- established a team in India
- lead feature testing and mentored several colleagues
- cross functional role with customer interaction

Leadership:
- Treasurer & Technical Head, IEEE Student Chapter
- Joint Cultural Secretary in undergrad college
- Founding Vice-President and Adviser of a youth non-profit NGO in India

Extra-curricular:
- Theater actor- performed plays in San Diego and LA; also helped in organizing/ staging plays
- Organized and hosted various inter-collegiate events in school
- Volunteered for various student organizations during school

Applied to various schools for 2015 intake but got dinged by all
Haas, Anderson, Sloan, GSB, Sloan, Ross, Darden, Tepper, Duke

Target schools for 2018 intake: Haas, Anderson, Ross

post MBA goals: venture into general management with more focus on strategy/ technology management

Thinking to re-attempt GMAT to improve my score and apply for R2 deadlines

Please evaluate my profile and suggest whether I should retake GMAT. Also feel free to suggest target schools based on my profile.

Hey,

Indian,
GMAT : 710
GPA : 3.0 (Graduate in Commerce)
I am a Chartered Accountant & a CFA Charterholder

Experience
3 Years Internship in a top international audit firm (Audit)
3 Years Experience in a top US Investment bank (Product Controller for Structured Products)
Currently employed with a top US bank (Treasury Risk - Structural Interest Rate Risk Management)

I am planning to apply for 2021 (sorry I see this is a 2020 thread), by the time will have 2 years experience in my current role

Extra Curricular :
NGO Activities
1 Year in a Rotaract Club
Currently part of an NGO that engages in Education for the underprivileged kids (working as a teacher & Center head)

Thanks

Background and nationality: Born in rural Minnesota - Living in Boston. White.
Undergrad Information: Bachelors(3.5 GPA) & Masters in Architecture (3.25 GPA)
GMAT: TBD - Avg around 730 for Haas?
Work experience and leadership: 6 years WE - Licensed Architect in MA
Community and others: Group memberships: American Institute of Architects, Urban Land Institute
Post MBA goals: The specific area of MBA is Real Estate. Found an Industrial Real Estate company focused in the cannabis industry. Possible consultant for cannabis related companies. These are specific reason to apply to Haas - location in economy and Real Estate focus.
Anything else?

Hi @T Adamietz
So I think you should follow up again once you've got the GMAT in the bag but yes, 730+ for Haas please. The architecture/real estate goal is very interesting. Makes perfect sense and I think AdComs will get it. BUT...cannabis! I might suggest leaving that part out? (But then again -- you should be true to yourself. If you didn't include it and got dinged, how would you feel? If you included it and got dinged, how would you feel?) Why I worry about it more than anything is that it could raise some red flags about your other interests. Remember Haas is a small program though! 240 with a low admit rate. Do the math on that. I'd recommend broadening your school choice once you know where your GMAT will fall. Hope that helps!
Krista

So, I was thinking the same thing when I read this profile. I am not a consultant or an expert on admissions but the cannabis thing at first gave me pause...so I thought I was missing something and looked up Haas cannabis real estate and apparently Haas has done some research in this space recently...just curious if that changes anything?