Hi there! Thanks for sharing your profile.
I'm really impressed by your work experience and the different perspectives you've gained on healthcare and how closely that ties to your post-MBA goals. You should have a great story there. I'm also very impressed by your community involvement and leadership, way to go. The Forte program is very highly regarded.
You've got a strong GPA so that will help with the GMAT. And the GMAT really is the only "weakness" I see in your profile. But given all your strengths I don't think top schools are out of reach for you. Kellogg may be the most realistic of the three for you - they tend to have a wider range of GMAT scores there, but I would give all three a shot. You're an underrepresented minority and first generation college grad which will be hugely attractive to these schools. If you can get another 20 points on the GMAT I think that could help a lot. If not, then still give it a shot in Round 1 and just make sure you've got a backup plan (e.g., wait and reapply next year with a higher GMAT, apply to other schools in R2). If you're looking for a safer option, check out Duke which is very well known for healthcare too.
Oh, and since you're in Chicago now -- make sure you engage a lot with Booth and Kellogg -- visit classes (even multiple times), attend any open houses / info sessions / networking events, find students to meet with, etc. Take advantage of all opportunities to get to know each school! That could definitely give you an advantage.
Good luck and keep us posted if we can help with anything else!
Kate
dallasgonechi wrote:
Thank you in advance for taking the time to review my profile!
Demographics:
26 years old (27 at matriculation)
African American female
First generation college graduate
Education:
BS in Finance from Louisiana State University (LSU)
GPA: 3.4
GMAT: 660 (planning to retake in July/August 2016)
Work Experience:
1. 3.5 years at a global tax services firm consulting leading healthcare corporations and medical device manufacturers (think Grant Thorton/McGladrey)
- One promotion from consultant to senior consultant
- Extensive knowledge of medical equipment, devices, consumables and drugs (top vendors and product usage) as well as healthcare and manufacturing tax laws and regulations in multiple states and jurisdictions
2. Currently an analyst at a healthcare consulting firm (think Advisory Board/ZS Associates/Huron), will be 9 months in seat when submitting applications (1 year and 9 months at matriculation)
- Work on the product team interpreting and validating contracts between insurance payers and providers and subsequently building financial models to capture reimbursement terms using hospitals patient accounting data
Community Involvement (current):
- Active member of a women’s non-profit foundation, serving as project manager of events. Responsible for the entire planning, promotional, and sponsor relationship management process for monthly fundraisers that support the foundation’s charitable projects in the Chicagoland area
- Active member of the Junior League of Chicago, also serve on the health initiative committee as well as participating in ad hoc volunteer projects throughout the Chicago community
- Admitted member of the 2016 Forte Foundation MBALaunch program
Community Involvement (past):
- Girl’s Inc. (an organization dedicated to bettering the lives of underprivileged minority girls in the community) mentor and frequent Habitat for Humanity volunteer in Dallas
Goals:
- Transfer my knowledge of the healthcare industry from consulting to corporate finance and strategy for a leading healthcare company (think Medtronic, Abbott, McKesson) with a long term goal as SVP of Corporate Strategy and Development
Schools of Interest:
Kellogg, Booth and Wharton (Healthcare Management program)’s full time programs in the first round.
I understand my school choices are a little high given my stats but how realistic are my chances? I recently moved to Chicago from Dallas and am really hoping to stay in the city unless by a miracle I get into Wharton.
My current company is also frequently represented in Wharton's HCM program with about 5/80 admitted students each year. Even though Wharton isn't my top choice, because of the school and the HCM program's representation, I hope that my company is as highly respected at Kellogg and Booth.
My 660 GMAT score is from Dec 2014 and I have taken an extended break from studying as the test really overwhelmed and consumed me. I hope to score at least 20 points higher the next time I test, but in the event I don’t, how much will this score hurt my chances?