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Thinking about PE/VC? Most consultants are. Few actually make it. Learn how to position your profile, build the right skills, and break into Private Equity & Venture Capital.
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Get the inside scoop on what makes Emory’s Goizueta Business School great, learn how you can present a strong MBA application, and connect with an Admissions Director to get your questions answered.- May 01
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Get the inside scoop on what makes Emory’s Goizueta Business School great and how you can present a strong MBA application. Explore the difference between our One-Year MBA and Two-Year MBA programs, talk to our admissions team, and meet students. 
Apr 3010:00 AM EDT
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Applying to business school from a finance background? Personal MBA Coach is here to help with this quick tips video on how to set yourself apart during the MBA application process!
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Sia Admissions Founder Susan Berishaj will walk through why reach/target/safety produces the wrong list for many specific profiles, how admissions committees at different programs read the same background differently, and more...
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Starting at $975 and offering up to $545 of savings, our new Amplify Hourly Packages offer structure and support in certain high-value areas (story development, resume, essays, interviewing) to help get your applications across the finish line.
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Inquire for a free profile evaluation and guarantee statement for possible admits and scholarships!
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In this live 60-minute masterclass, How to Get Ahead of MBA Recruiting Now, we’ll walk through the four biggest mistakes incoming MBAs make and how to avoid them so you’re not scrambling to catch up once recruiting begins.
11 Jun 2014, 16:46
Kudos
Bookmarks
First time posting, sorry if wrong section...
Hello and thank you for taking the time to read.
I need help strengthening my profile before I start the application process.
I am a 25 year old male
Scheduled to take my GMAT in Sept
(Currently scoring in 670-700 range on my practice exams)
Graduate of 2010, attended a US top 75 private university where I earned a dismal 2.39 overall GPA.
Double majored in Economics and Public Policy
I was also a walk-on (non-scholarship) member of the football team, while working part-time during the spring semesters.
There are other factors that contributed to my low GPA which I intend to address in my essays.
Work Experience: 4 years
I currently work in the operations (Back Office) department of an Investment Banking Firm where apart from my job description, I have learned how to contribute to all departments of operations.
Prior to this I worked as a data research analyst for a credit bureau where I was promoted to work on client specific, time sensitive projects.
Outside of work, I volunteer with the Big Brother, Big Sister organization which is a one on one commitment to mentor a child.
I also referee middle and high school basketball during the school year and coach a winter church league basketball team.
I know it's a stretch but I'm looking for entrance into a top 50 MBA program.
So my question is what steps can I take now so I present a better profile for admissions? (Alternative transcript? More extracurriculars, etc..)
What is a bare minimum GMAT score I need to aim for to balance my low GPA?
Any assistance is sincerely appreciated, thank you!
Hello and thank you for taking the time to read.
I need help strengthening my profile before I start the application process.
I am a 25 year old male
Scheduled to take my GMAT in Sept
(Currently scoring in 670-700 range on my practice exams)
Graduate of 2010, attended a US top 75 private university where I earned a dismal 2.39 overall GPA.
Double majored in Economics and Public Policy
I was also a walk-on (non-scholarship) member of the football team, while working part-time during the spring semesters.
There are other factors that contributed to my low GPA which I intend to address in my essays.
Work Experience: 4 years
I currently work in the operations (Back Office) department of an Investment Banking Firm where apart from my job description, I have learned how to contribute to all departments of operations.
Prior to this I worked as a data research analyst for a credit bureau where I was promoted to work on client specific, time sensitive projects.
Outside of work, I volunteer with the Big Brother, Big Sister organization which is a one on one commitment to mentor a child.
I also referee middle and high school basketball during the school year and coach a winter church league basketball team.
I know it's a stretch but I'm looking for entrance into a top 50 MBA program.
So my question is what steps can I take now so I present a better profile for admissions? (Alternative transcript? More extracurriculars, etc..)
What is a bare minimum GMAT score I need to aim for to balance my low GPA?
Any assistance is sincerely appreciated, thank you!
12 Jun 2014, 11:58
Kudos
Bookmarks
ccrock
Honestly I think you can and should shoot higher than a top 50. Part of it is contingent on the GMAT as well -- if you can, aim for a 700+.
With a 700 GMAT, you should be competitive for some of the top 16 schools, and definitely the top 30 schools.
What I say may be controversial, but the thing with the MBA programs these days is that they're becoming incredibly expensive across the board - in fact, in terms of tuition, there isn't a big difference between local private schools and the top 8 programs. Furthermore, the degree itself is becoming commoditized because let's face it - while the material you learn in b-school can be valuable and useful, the substance of what you learn isn't all that different from the top schools compared to say local (or even online) programs -- accounting is accounting for example (the difference in the educational experience is the quality of professors and your peers, but if you're talking about the technical/analytical foundations of what you learn - it's more or less the same). With that said, the "MBA" itself as a credential is really not the same as "an MBA from a top school." Getting a degree from a top program is not a commodity, and therefore makes it less difficult to justify the cost of the program.
You have solid work experience where you'll find many peers of a comparable caliber at the top 16 and top 30 schools, and while your GPA isn't great, if you can score well on the GMAT, you should shoot for 2-3 top 16 schools as stretches (Ross, Duke, Darden, Yale, Cornell, NYU, UCLA) and 2-3 top 30 schools (Georgetown, Emory, UNC, Maryland, USC, Texas, Tepper, Indiana, Purdue). To do this, here's what I suggest:
1. Crush the GMAT. Do whatever it takes to score a 700 or greater. A high 600s will be on the margins (but where you'll still be competitive for the top 30 schools).
2. Build an alternate transcript to balance out your GPA. Tons of online extension programs (UCLA offers it for example, so you don't have to enroll in classes where you physically have to attend class; just make sure it's an accredited institution). Take 2-3 classes in calculus, statistics, algebra, microeconomics, macroeconomics, accounting, finance, etc. Freshman-level equivalent courses are fine (you don't get brownie points for taking advanced classes) - just take a few and make sure you do well on them.
3. Apply Round 2. There's no difference between Rounds 1 and 2, but hopefully you'll be able to build an alternate transcript between now and January 2015 (most R2 deadlines are around then), while giving you some wiggle room to retake the GMAT if need be.
Good luck
