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plb
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Please help me develop my roadmap 29 Mar 2011, 14:47
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Hello, and thank for taking the time out to go over this with me. I have been a long time user of GMATClub (admittedly more of a lurker than poster), and it has helped me tremendously throughout the process. Business school is something that I have wanted to do for some time, but until recently, I have always seen it as the distant future. I apologize for the loquacious nature of this post, but I would like to get the most out of this as I possibly can, and I appreciate the help you can provide.

Business school is still a decent ways out (~2-4 years), but I would like help constructing a road map as to maximize my chances of being admitted to a great school. First, a little bit about myself (Note, I may be candor about seemingly unimportant stuff, but I want to get it all out there):

  • Age: 25 (26 this summer)
  • Nationality: US
  • Ethnicity: Native American (Cherokee)
  • Education:
    • Graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science (minor in Mathematics) from a small liberal arts type college in Oklahoma in the Cherokee Nation territory.
    • Graduating this May from The University of Texas with a Master of Science in Computer science.
  • GPA: Undergraduate: 3.7/4.0; Graduate: 3.9/4.0
  • Work Experience:
    • Student Technical Consultant - 3 years. Worked my way through undergraduate as a Student Technical Consultant at the university; responsibilities included customer service, interfacing with professors, and repairing technical equipment.
    • Information Technology Specialist - 1 year. Worked as an IT specialist supporting the day to day operations of a Native American hospital in Oklahoma.
    • Software Engineer - 1 year. Worked as a software engineer for the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma before leaving to pursue my masters degree. Responsibilities included the management and development of new software systems supporting the Cherokee Nation. This involved interfacing with clients, gathering requirements, and managing the project accordingly.
    • IBM Extreme Blue Intern - summer. Selected as an IBM Extreme Blue Intern. This was a competitive internship with over 10,000 applications for around 50 positions.
    • Not sure if this last one is really applicable, but I've been working for about a year as the VP of Engineering of a small software startup specializing in services for small businesses.
  • Extracurricular and Groups (more recent first):
    • Student ambassador at the university - works out of the office of the president; serve as the student face of the university. Host events for the president and donors. Fairly competitive application process.
    • ACM - served as both Chair and member.
    • Member of Golden Key.
    • AISES - American Indian Science and Engineering Society.
    • Student Government - Served on the executive board as technology chair.
    • National fraternity - Served as committee chair.
    • Rotaract member
    • Kappa Mu Epsilon Mathematical Honor Society
  • Other:
    • Instruments: Self taught piano, guitar, and drums.
    • Huge sports lover
    • Amateur music producer

So, as I mentioned before, business school is still some ways out, but I would like to begin positioning myself to become an attractive candidate at the great schools. Obviously in the future (after graduation), my plans include (not in any particular order):
  • Begin the GMAT journey (from preliminary diagnostic tests, I expect a score in the range of 720-740)
  • Getting more involved in off-campus activities (recently I am getting involved with the Boys & Girls Club)
  • Begin thorough school research
  • Begin work; I already have a full-time position lined up after graduation with one of the big, well-known software/IT companies as a software engineer.

Finally, I see a lot of posts lacking the motivation behind attending business school. I'm entrepreneurial at heart, and I would love to do venture capital or general management. Obviously, I would like to attend the absolute best school I can, so I'm going to shoot for the stars and aim for the big ones. I may not have the business chops that some applicants may have, nor may I be the smartest person in the room, but I promise that there will be no one that will outwork me. So, with this, I welcome any suggestions on how to better improve my attractiveness to admission committees in the future. Below I have included a few preliminary questions.

  • What can you suggest I work on?
  • I obviously need more leadership experience, but how can this be accomplished within a huge multinational corporation?
  • What kind of timeframe would you suggest I work on? I know some schools prefer a younger crop, and I want to minimize the number of negatives in my application.
  • How can I differentiate myself from the other engineering applicants?
  • I get really intimidated seeing people coming from things like IB and an Ivy League applying; I understand that business schools accept a wide array of applicants, but how do I make myself competitive to these types of applicants?
  • Are there any types of EC's that appear more attractive than others? (I really have a passion for teaching technology and math to underprivileged kids)
  • In the future, I would like to take some additional courses in applied mathematics, finance, or economics (I'm one of the rare people that enjoys mathematics). Is this unnecessary? Should I focus my energy on more important things? I don't want to appear as a "career student".
  • Pending a good GMAT score, essays, and recommendations, could my profile be competitive at a top school?

Thank you again for taking the time out to read this. I appreciate any insight you could provide to help me develop my roadmap. With that, I give you the floor..err...page. :wink:
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Please help me develop my roadmap 29 Mar 2011, 19:07
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I'm going to cut to the chase. I think given your background, your grades, and your expected GMAT (720-740), and given the fact that you send in absolutely awesome essays and recs, you should have a good shot at the top b-schools, including H/S/W. Now of course, you might want to disperse the choices out and include other schools, such as Columbia and NYU (depending on where you want to be), but again, I stand behind the fact that you should be able to get in at least one of the top schools. I'll put my response to your questions in between the lines.

plb

[*]What can you suggest I work on? Simply keep going on with your life at your corporate job will do the trick. Ideally, try to initiate projects and lead groups whenever possible.
[*]I obviously need more leadership experience, but how can this be accomplished within a huge multinational corporation? leadership is a vague term. AdComs understands the fact that you may not have the time to shine in a corporate environment simply because most are just out of undergrads. (let's be real, the person who joins Goldman Sachs won't be making the 500-million dollar deal anyway...chances are he/she will be fact-gathering, powerpoint building, etc). But definitely show in other ways of your managerial skills/leadership abilities, such as taking initiatives at different things or build a leadership opportunity outside of work. If your work doesn't have a sustainability program, such as can recycling, you can start that and show your initiatives that way.
[*]What kind of timeframe would you suggest I work on? I know some schools prefer a younger crop, and I want to minimize the number of negatives in my application. This is completely arbitrary. Whenever you feel ready to move on, go for it. I know people who got in top b-schools with only 1 year of work, and of course, I know (a lot more) people who got in with 4 or 5 years. It all depends on your reasoning as to "Why now?" As long as you can convince the AdCom, don't worry about this. But just as a standard, usually 4 is the timeframe. So be prepared to show the AdComs what you can bring to the table if you only have 2 years of work experience.
[*]How can I differentiate myself from the other engineering applicants? hm...that's hard to say. I would again emphasize the fact that taking initiatives in and out of work would be very helpful. Obviously, getting 100% bonus for a year will certainly be an eye-opener.
[*]I get really intimidated seeing people coming from things like IB and an Ivy League applying; I understand that business schools accept a wide array of applicants, but how do I make myself competitive to these types of applicants? For this point, don't worry about it. What's done is done and you have your undergrad (almost) done. What's more important is what you do moving on. You got good grades and that's what matters a lot (at least on paper). The next person applying to Harvard, who went to Cornell undergrad may be a total douchebag and trust me, it'll show during interview. Nothing beats genuine personality that shows maturity and leadership.
[*]Are there any types of EC's that appear more attractive than others? (I really have a passion for teaching technology and math to underprivileged kids) Well, if it's a well known volunteer group (such as red cross, teach for america, or soup kitchen [tons more]), it's easier to benchmark you against other candidates. However, there are also a lot of other opportunities out there and I don't think anyone can tell you what looks better on paper. A lot has to do with the quality of your volunteer and what you choose to elaborate on your application and during interview. If I were you, I'd choose an activity that piques your interest and go with it.
[*]In the future, I would like to take some additional courses in applied mathematics, finance, or economics (I'm one of the rare people that enjoys mathematics). Is this unnecessary? Should I focus my energy on more important things? I don't want to appear as a "career student". It's not necessary. I graduated with a Biology degree and took only college level calculus, one class of statistics, and one class on macroeconomics. That's all! Now, with that said, most schools would require some form of math foundation. Duke straight out will ask you what you got in your math courses, mainly college calculus. So if you haven't taken that, I'd recommend it. Another way for you to show that AdCom that you're capable of doing math is to score well on your GMAT, especially your math portion. That helps to solidify that you can do math. If you want to take any extra classes, make sure that it's really to benefit yourself, otherwise, I just don't think it's worth it.
[*]Pending a good GMAT score, essays, and recommendations, could my profile be competitive at a top school?Certainly. One key thing about your is the mere fact that you're Native American. This fact alone will probably put you at a very good list. Do well on the other sections you mentioned, you'll be solid. Of course, when we're talking about Harvard or any other top schools, there's still a bit of luck mixed into it. But that's something you can't control. Control what you can and I think you'll find yourself at a top school a bit later on in your life.[/list]
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Please help me develop my roadmap 30 Mar 2011, 09:55
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Great, I really appreciate your help bakfed. You've given me a lot to think about. I understand that each school has a little something different to offer, so I look forward to researching the schools to determine which one would be the best fit.

As per my understanding of your replies, my future goals are as follow:
  • Jump at any opportunity to gain leadership experience
  • Although leading a team may not be totally feasible when starting out, leadership can be exemplified by other things, such as showing initiative, taking action on things

Once again, thanks for your help.