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SteveFranken
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Profile Evaluation 29 Apr 2012, 05:25
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Hi there, I was hoping you guys could have a quick glance at my profile to see whether I'm not being too unrealistic in my ambitions to apply to a top US MBA program (Harvard, Stanford, Columbia) this fall.

Background: 26-year old male, Swedish

Undergraduate: International Business from Warwick Business School (UK), graduated top of class with First Class Honours, majoring in Finance. This includes a 1-year exchange at ESSEC Business School in Paris, where I took all my classes in French. Graduated in 2008.

Languages Spoken: Swedish, German, English, French (all fluently), good knowledge of Spanish

Working for a Bulge Bracket US-investment bank in Fixed Income Sales since 2009

GMAT: Work-in-progress, targetting a score of around 700 in June, though it is hard to balance my job requirements with enough study time.

I'm looking to go into entrepreneurship or general management post-graduation. How important do you think is a good GMAT score for my profile - i.e., say that I won't be able to reach the 700 mark when I take the exam mid-June, would this have a significant impact if I ended up at around 680ish?

Many thanks!

Steve.
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whitie8lax
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Concentration: Strategy, Finance
Schools: Duke '15 (I) Darden '15 (S)
GMAT 1: 700 Q49 V36
WE:General Management (Retail Banking)
Schools: Duke '15 (I) Darden '15 (S)
GMAT 1: 700 Q49 V36
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Profile Evaluation 29 Apr 2012, 20:21
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For the schools you listed <700 will significantly hurt your chances.
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OasisGC
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Profile Evaluation 29 Apr 2012, 20:35
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SteveFranken
Hi there, I was hoping you guys could have a quick glance at my profile to see whether I'm not being too unrealistic in my ambitions to apply to a top US MBA program (Harvard, Stanford, Columbia) this fall.

Background: 26-year old male, Swedish

Undergraduate: International Business from Warwick Business School (UK), graduated top of class with First Class Honours, majoring in Finance. This includes a 1-year exchange at ESSEC Business School in Paris, where I took all my classes in French. Graduated in 2008.

Languages Spoken: Swedish, German, English, French (all fluently), good knowledge of Spanish

Working for a Bulge Bracket US-investment bank in Fixed Income Sales since 2009

GMAT: Work-in-progress, targetting a score of around 700 in June, though it is hard to balance my job requirements with enough study time.

I'm looking to go into entrepreneurship or general management post-graduation. How important do you think is a good GMAT score for my profile - i.e., say that I won't be able to reach the 700 mark when I take the exam mid-June, would this have a significant impact if I ended up at around 680ish?

Many thanks!

Steve.
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Hello Steve,

Admission to any b-school is actually a process and each component of the process has its due weight.

GMAT -- Less than 700 will make it big stretch for the top 5 US schools, and less than 700 will make it a stretch for you at the rest of the 5-10 schools as well, so 700 is actually a safe score for the schools you desire.

Your undergrads - Your undergrads in business admin with major in finance across regions will help you differentiate yourself, so you have an advantage here.

Your ECs - No idea about your ECs, so i can not comment on it, in your case ECs could be more important if you do not have formal leadership experience at work.

Even if you might be looking at entrepreneurship or general management, the rules will be the same.

Good luck
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SteveFranken
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Profile Evaluation 05 May 2012, 00:55
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Hi,

Thanks for that. Whilst I hope to get over 700 in my first go, I'll definitely look to retaking the GMAT if I don't manage to achieve that score in a month on the first attempt.

In terms of extracurrculars, I was heavily involved in ECs during my uni times, but not really since - for example, I was on the exec committee of two societies. In both cases, I was also responsible for managing a team.

How hard do you think is it for people who come from some of the more traditional MBA industries (consulting, investment banking) to get in nowadays? Surely, there must be many candidates with a similar background applying to courses, especially with the current state of the job market.

Also, how much do these schools look at international experience? I've lived in 4 European countries for a significant amount of time (Sweden, Germany, UK, France) - hence the language skills - and this has helped me to differentate myself a lot here in Europe. I am unsure, however, how much importance is placed on this in the US, and in the application process?

Regards
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OasisGC
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Profile Evaluation 09 May 2012, 20:51
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SteveFranken
Hi,

Thanks for that. Whilst I hope to get over 700 in my first go, I'll definitely look to retaking the GMAT if I don't manage to achieve that score in a month on the first attempt.

In terms of extracurrculars, I was heavily involved in ECs during my uni times, but not really since - for example, I was on the exec committee of two societies. In both cases, I was also responsible for managing a team.

How hard do you think is it for people who come from some of the more traditional MBA industries (consulting, investment banking) to get in nowadays? Surely, there must be many candidates with a similar background applying to courses, especially with the current state of the job market.

Also, how much do these schools look at international experience? I've lived in 4 European countries for a significant amount of time (Sweden, Germany, UK, France) - hence the language skills - and this has helped me to differentate myself a lot here in Europe. I am unsure, however, how much importance is placed on this in the US, and in the application process?

Regards
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Hello,

Do not be apprehensive about the flow of students from the traditional MBA industries (if they are high, there are high no of takers also :) ). From the view point of b-school class composition, you obviously have to face this competition, but there is nothing much to worry about - you have to anyhow justify that you are FIT for the school. and the best solution is to apply in round one, so you have decent chances to get in.

About international experience

This is a key differentiator, your work ex across regions will surely give you an edge over others those who do not have one, b-schools know that international work ex helps the candidate explore job markets across world and at the same time experience across regions help the candidate become a leader with global outlook

hope this helps