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06 Sep 2017, 22:30
Kudos
Bookmarks
Hello,
Can you please look at my profile and tell me what my chances are? I'm still early in the process and doing my diligence so pardon some of the beginner questions.
Planning to apply in 2019
- Career in FP&A (Financial Planning & Analysis)
- Male, Vietnamese, 28 yo
- Undergraduate from Top 50 Public University
- 3.6 GPA; Cum Laude
- Passed Level 1 of CFA
- GMAT: 710
Work Experience:
1) Finance Rotation Program at F500 rotated through 7 different groups within Finance (2 years) and promoted to Analyst Role (1 year).
2) Moved to a F500 in silicon Valley with as a Senior FP&A Analyst (6 Months)
3) Moved to Financial Services Startup as a Senior FP&A Analyst (1 Year)
4) Currently at an up and coming Cyber Security startup (unicorn in the space) -- Came in as Senior FP&A Analyst and promoted after a year to Manager -- will have 2 years here when it comes time for applications
Big concern area for me here with my short stints in 2) and 3). At 2) The role turned out to be much different from what I anticipated. It was monotonous, I was unchallenged, and did not see this changing even if I stuck around. I left on good terms with all of my peers who understood and my manager said he would not hesitate to hire me back. At 3) I actually had a great relationship with my manager and the majority of my peers. I left because the politics were getting to be too much for me to the point where I felt it was hindering my progression. Ultimately I felt it was not a good cultural fit. Same situation where I left on great terms with everyone. In retrospect, I wish I had stuck around longer but what's done is done. Is there a certain way I should address this in my application?
Letters of Rec: Will have glowing letters of rec from my current and prior manager who hold Director titles (Not sure how much this matters). I also have connections with several CFO alums of big companies who would be happy to put in a solid word for me -- though not sure if this is relevant or how to even go about leveraging that
Extracurricular:
Was President of Finance Club in Undergrad focused on coordinating career events, workshops, inviting speakers, focused on helping students learn and achieve careers in finance. But have little to no volunteer experience since leaving undergrad.. No excuses here other than work was very demanding. I am an avid Cyclist and was thinking about entering a few competitions between now and time of application to show some life outside work. I've also been inspired by some recent travel I've done to begin youth mentoring and am looking for opportunities to do that. Thoughts?
Post MBA Objective: I've spent my career in FP&A as I have loved building processes, performing analytics, and being able to partner with different functions around the business. It's been a great all-around learning experience and I've had a lot of fun supporting the business. I want to dive deeper into the operational side and learn what actually takes to run the the business firsthand. 10 years from now I want to end up in a GM or President of a Division. Between then and Post MBA, I want to go into Consulting to broaden my perspective and develop the necessary skill set.
Business Schools -- Long list but still feeling out what is a reach/match, etc
Wharton
Booth
Haas
Tuck
Michigan
Duke
NYU
UCLA
Cornell
Thanks for all the help.
Can you please look at my profile and tell me what my chances are? I'm still early in the process and doing my diligence so pardon some of the beginner questions.
Planning to apply in 2019
- Career in FP&A (Financial Planning & Analysis)
- Male, Vietnamese, 28 yo
- Undergraduate from Top 50 Public University
- 3.6 GPA; Cum Laude
- Passed Level 1 of CFA
- GMAT: 710
Work Experience:
1) Finance Rotation Program at F500 rotated through 7 different groups within Finance (2 years) and promoted to Analyst Role (1 year).
2) Moved to a F500 in silicon Valley with as a Senior FP&A Analyst (6 Months)
3) Moved to Financial Services Startup as a Senior FP&A Analyst (1 Year)
4) Currently at an up and coming Cyber Security startup (unicorn in the space) -- Came in as Senior FP&A Analyst and promoted after a year to Manager -- will have 2 years here when it comes time for applications
Big concern area for me here with my short stints in 2) and 3). At 2) The role turned out to be much different from what I anticipated. It was monotonous, I was unchallenged, and did not see this changing even if I stuck around. I left on good terms with all of my peers who understood and my manager said he would not hesitate to hire me back. At 3) I actually had a great relationship with my manager and the majority of my peers. I left because the politics were getting to be too much for me to the point where I felt it was hindering my progression. Ultimately I felt it was not a good cultural fit. Same situation where I left on great terms with everyone. In retrospect, I wish I had stuck around longer but what's done is done. Is there a certain way I should address this in my application?
Letters of Rec: Will have glowing letters of rec from my current and prior manager who hold Director titles (Not sure how much this matters). I also have connections with several CFO alums of big companies who would be happy to put in a solid word for me -- though not sure if this is relevant or how to even go about leveraging that
Extracurricular:
Was President of Finance Club in Undergrad focused on coordinating career events, workshops, inviting speakers, focused on helping students learn and achieve careers in finance. But have little to no volunteer experience since leaving undergrad.. No excuses here other than work was very demanding. I am an avid Cyclist and was thinking about entering a few competitions between now and time of application to show some life outside work. I've also been inspired by some recent travel I've done to begin youth mentoring and am looking for opportunities to do that. Thoughts?
Post MBA Objective: I've spent my career in FP&A as I have loved building processes, performing analytics, and being able to partner with different functions around the business. It's been a great all-around learning experience and I've had a lot of fun supporting the business. I want to dive deeper into the operational side and learn what actually takes to run the the business firsthand. 10 years from now I want to end up in a GM or President of a Division. Between then and Post MBA, I want to go into Consulting to broaden my perspective and develop the necessary skill set.
Business Schools -- Long list but still feeling out what is a reach/match, etc
Wharton
Booth
Haas
Tuck
Michigan
Duke
NYU
UCLA
Cornell
Thanks for all the help.
07 Sep 2017, 19:15
Kudos
Bookmarks
Hi there, and thanks for writing! To answer your questions:
Is there a certain way I should address [short job stints] in my application? Yes, you can address these in your Optional Essay. It will help that you will have been at your current job for 2 years (w/a promotion) by the time you apply.
Letters of Rec: Will have glowing letters of rec from my current and prior manager who hold Director titles (Not sure how much this matters). No, their titles don't matter - what matters is if they know you super well and can provide specific, detailed examples of your work together and how you exceeded their expectations
I also have connections with several CFO alums of big companies who would be happy to put in a solid word for me -- though not sure if this is relevant or how to even go about leveraging that - IF they happen to be alumni of the school, it might not hurt for them to put in an informal word via email/phone call (if they happen to have connections w/someone from admissions, even better) but I would not count on this.
Extracurricular - I think the cycling competitons are a great idea, especially since it's just escalating the involvement you have now (you already bike). Youth mentoring is also a great idea, especially if it's something you're genuinely interested in and feel you can make an impact
Regarding your overall chances at the schools, a few things could help increase them: 1. getting a higher score on the GMAT (730+ ideally), given that you're applying from a competitive demographic 2. becoming more engaged in extracurriculars, as you're considering 3. Research the programs (including talking to students/alumni) so that in your applications you can make a strong case for why each program's a strong fit for you.
Hope that helps!
Is there a certain way I should address [short job stints] in my application? Yes, you can address these in your Optional Essay. It will help that you will have been at your current job for 2 years (w/a promotion) by the time you apply.
Letters of Rec: Will have glowing letters of rec from my current and prior manager who hold Director titles (Not sure how much this matters). No, their titles don't matter - what matters is if they know you super well and can provide specific, detailed examples of your work together and how you exceeded their expectations
I also have connections with several CFO alums of big companies who would be happy to put in a solid word for me -- though not sure if this is relevant or how to even go about leveraging that - IF they happen to be alumni of the school, it might not hurt for them to put in an informal word via email/phone call (if they happen to have connections w/someone from admissions, even better) but I would not count on this.
Extracurricular - I think the cycling competitons are a great idea, especially since it's just escalating the involvement you have now (you already bike). Youth mentoring is also a great idea, especially if it's something you're genuinely interested in and feel you can make an impact
Regarding your overall chances at the schools, a few things could help increase them: 1. getting a higher score on the GMAT (730+ ideally), given that you're applying from a competitive demographic 2. becoming more engaged in extracurriculars, as you're considering 3. Research the programs (including talking to students/alumni) so that in your applications you can make a strong case for why each program's a strong fit for you.
Hope that helps!
MrDude
Hello,
Can you please look at my profile and tell me what my chances are? I'm still early in the process and doing my diligence so pardon some of the beginner questions.
Planning to apply in 2019
- Career in FP&A (Financial Planning & Analysis)
- Male, Vietnamese, 28 yo
- Undergraduate from Top 50 Public University
- 3.6 GPA; Cum Laude
- Passed Level 1 of CFA
- GMAT: 710
Work Experience:
1) Finance Rotation Program at F500 rotated through 7 different groups within Finance (2 years) and promoted to Analyst Role (1 year).
2) Moved to a F500 in silicon Valley with as a Senior FP&A Analyst (6 Months)
3) Moved to Financial Services Startup as a Senior FP&A Analyst (1 Year)
4) Currently at an up and coming Cyber Security startup (unicorn in the space) -- Came in as Senior FP&A Analyst and promoted after a year to Manager -- will have 2 years here when it comes time for applications
Big concern area for me here with my short stints in 2) and 3). At 2) The role turned out to be much different from what I anticipated. It was monotonous, I was unchallenged, and did not see this changing even if I stuck around. I left on good terms with all of my peers who understood and my manager said he would not hesitate to hire me back. At 3) I actually had a great relationship with my manager and the majority of my peers. I left because the politics were getting to be too much for me to the point where I felt it was hindering my progression. Ultimately I felt it was not a good cultural fit. Same situation where I left on great terms with everyone. In retrospect, I wish I had stuck around longer but what's done is done. Is there a certain way I should address this in my application?
Letters of Rec: Will have glowing letters of rec from my current and prior manager who hold Director titles (Not sure how much this matters). I also have connections with several CFO alums of big companies who would be happy to put in a solid word for me -- though not sure if this is relevant or how to even go about leveraging that
Extracurricular:
Was President of Finance Club in Undergrad focused on coordinating career events, workshops, inviting speakers, focused on helping students learn and achieve careers in finance. But have little to no volunteer experience since leaving undergrad.. No excuses here other than work was very demanding. I am an avid Cyclist and was thinking about entering a few competitions between now and time of application to show some life outside work. I've also been inspired by some recent travel I've done to begin youth mentoring and am looking for opportunities to do that. Thoughts?
Post MBA Objective: I've spent my career in FP&A as I have loved building processes, performing analytics, and being able to partner with different functions around the business. It's been a great all-around learning experience and I've had a lot of fun supporting the business. I want to dive deeper into the operational side and learn what actually takes to run the the business firsthand. 10 years from now I want to end up in a GM or President of a Division. Between then and Post MBA, I want to go into Consulting to broaden my perspective and develop the necessary skill set.
Business Schools -- Long list but still feeling out what is a reach/match, etc
Wharton
Booth
Haas
Tuck
Michigan
Duke
NYU
UCLA
Cornell
Thanks for all the help.
Can you please look at my profile and tell me what my chances are? I'm still early in the process and doing my diligence so pardon some of the beginner questions.
Planning to apply in 2019
- Career in FP&A (Financial Planning & Analysis)
- Male, Vietnamese, 28 yo
- Undergraduate from Top 50 Public University
- 3.6 GPA; Cum Laude
- Passed Level 1 of CFA
- GMAT: 710
Work Experience:
1) Finance Rotation Program at F500 rotated through 7 different groups within Finance (2 years) and promoted to Analyst Role (1 year).
2) Moved to a F500 in silicon Valley with as a Senior FP&A Analyst (6 Months)
3) Moved to Financial Services Startup as a Senior FP&A Analyst (1 Year)
4) Currently at an up and coming Cyber Security startup (unicorn in the space) -- Came in as Senior FP&A Analyst and promoted after a year to Manager -- will have 2 years here when it comes time for applications
Big concern area for me here with my short stints in 2) and 3). At 2) The role turned out to be much different from what I anticipated. It was monotonous, I was unchallenged, and did not see this changing even if I stuck around. I left on good terms with all of my peers who understood and my manager said he would not hesitate to hire me back. At 3) I actually had a great relationship with my manager and the majority of my peers. I left because the politics were getting to be too much for me to the point where I felt it was hindering my progression. Ultimately I felt it was not a good cultural fit. Same situation where I left on great terms with everyone. In retrospect, I wish I had stuck around longer but what's done is done. Is there a certain way I should address this in my application?
Letters of Rec: Will have glowing letters of rec from my current and prior manager who hold Director titles (Not sure how much this matters). I also have connections with several CFO alums of big companies who would be happy to put in a solid word for me -- though not sure if this is relevant or how to even go about leveraging that
Extracurricular:
Was President of Finance Club in Undergrad focused on coordinating career events, workshops, inviting speakers, focused on helping students learn and achieve careers in finance. But have little to no volunteer experience since leaving undergrad.. No excuses here other than work was very demanding. I am an avid Cyclist and was thinking about entering a few competitions between now and time of application to show some life outside work. I've also been inspired by some recent travel I've done to begin youth mentoring and am looking for opportunities to do that. Thoughts?
Post MBA Objective: I've spent my career in FP&A as I have loved building processes, performing analytics, and being able to partner with different functions around the business. It's been a great all-around learning experience and I've had a lot of fun supporting the business. I want to dive deeper into the operational side and learn what actually takes to run the the business firsthand. 10 years from now I want to end up in a GM or President of a Division. Between then and Post MBA, I want to go into Consulting to broaden my perspective and develop the necessary skill set.
Business Schools -- Long list but still feeling out what is a reach/match, etc
Wharton
Booth
Haas
Tuck
Michigan
Duke
NYU
UCLA
Cornell
Thanks for all the help.
07 Sep 2017, 19:26
Kudos
Bookmarks
Thanks a lot, Nisha. The feedback is much appreciated. I plan to make the most of the year between now and when I apply.
What would you say my chances are at some of the current schools listed if GMAT does not improve from 710? In your opinion, what looks most realistic? Is top 5-15 a reach?
What would you say my chances are at some of the current schools listed if GMAT does not improve from 710? In your opinion, what looks most realistic? Is top 5-15 a reach?
