brownbear99 wrote:
Just finished a rough cycle but was fortunate enough to get into Ross. Unfortunately though, it was the only school of the five I applied to that let me in and they gave me no money. For a bit of background, I went to a top 50 school (closer to the top of that range), worked in investment banking, and now work in corp dev at a large company ($10B+). Undergrad GPA is 3.6 and GMAT 730. If I choose to go in the Fall I'd have 3 years of WE at Matriculation. My goal is to pivot back to an investment bank but in Equity Research and then move to hedge fund after that. My question is do I pull the trigger and go to Ross or reapply next fall to try and get into a better ranked program that has a bigger finance focus. Would I be able to get into Equity Research at a large bank like Goldman or JPM or Citi via Ross? Would my result be that much different if I applied again next year? Biggest factors that would change are the WE, possibly a better GMAT (though is that needed?), and more volunteer leadership possibly. Ideally I'd like to go to a more finance type school (i.e., Wharton, CBS, Booth) but I'm not sure I should skip on Ross, spend another year at my job all for the possibility of getting into another place. But then again I am early in my career and got no scholarship... Also how might hedge funds view Ross on my resume down the line?
Any thoughts/advice? Would love to hear them
First of all for getting a merit scholarship - it's not the norm or standard.
Your whole application and GMAT needs to be significantly above the average. They have to bribe you to go there.
To answer your question:
1.) Identify title of who you hope will hire you post-MBA (not one person, of course, but title for this rank) 2) Same as 1 but for MBA recruiters at the banks AND headhunters 3) work real-life and Linked In connections to get in touch with these people - write a clear, specific email - and put this question to them.
Also, recommend you do a Linked In search for those with post-MBA job you want and see if Ross comes up. I am a big believer of going to the source - the end consumer of your MBA tuition - and asking them rather than playing guessing games with crystal balls. The answer you need is available if you ask the right people and you should, because, lots of money and much at stake.
Also, given your stats, have someone review your application materials. I suspect they didn't help you. I can probably fit in a brief (free) review of one application to give you some directional feedback and post-R2 deadlines would happy to do a comprehensive (paid) ding analysis.
Keep in mind that the best profile, articulated poorly, will not do you any good. I'll post my ideal application standards below.
Resume: Every single word has a purpose. It uses universal language instead of industry jargon. It contains resume bullets that are one line, focusing on actions and quantifiable achievements. If not a quantifiable achievement, something that speaks to human motivations, such as saving time and improving a process. Anyone from any industry would be able to step into your resume, and comprehend the value of what you have done. There is space to breathe on the page. It has white space, and the reader feels good when they look at it. It looks inviting. It has simple elegance.
Essays: The essays use anecdotes and examples that are written in chronological order. The reader can mentally see the story unfold. The story is told in brief sentences in a way that is accessible to a broad audience. Each essay shows a different side of you, yet all of them feel authentic, sincere, and accessible. They demonstrate self-awareness, personal growth, leadership and results-orientation. You reach the reader on both an analytical and emotional level.
Letters of recommendation: The recommender can “see” you – see the uniqueness of you – and articulate that eloquently. The letter is comprised chiefly of clear, specific anecdotes that point to your talents in the area of problem-solving, teamwork, leadership, communication and innovation. The reader is emotionally moved by the content and, ideally, wants to champion you to the adcom in quite the same way as the writer.
Online application: Twitter on steroids. Elevator pitch. Distills valuable information about you clearly and succinctly. Everything illustrates qualities that business schools value – strategic thinking, results orientation, etc. Employment section gives the reader a clear, succinct understanding of the experience you’ve gained, employing simple, universal language. The activities and awards point to the overall brand that you set forth in other aspects of the application.
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15 Dec 2016, 14:40
