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02 Jun 2019, 19:02
Kudos
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Would love to get thoughts on how realistic my school targets are and any other advice that would make me a better candidate. Thanks!
Work experience:
I work in campaign management at a boutique digital marketing agency that probably 0 adcoms have heard of. I've been at the same company since I started as an intern 4 years ago and have been promoted 3 different times. My role is client-facing but still very technical and heavy on the data side of digital marketing. I'm proficient in pretty much all the common digital marketing platforms and have worked on different verticals. Most of my clients are/have been Fortune 500/1000 brands with $1M-5M budgets at my company.
Extra curriculars:
Participant in the MBA Launch program through the Forte Foundation
I've been involved in the young professionals group of a nonprofit since its start and now serve as one of the chairs of it. Personally have raised over $30,000 soliciting corporate sponsorships and in-kind silent auction donations for our annual fundraiser.
Do pro-bono marketing consulting for local non-profits through the American Marketing Association's local chapter
Recognized as a 30 under 30 alumni by my sorority's international headquarters
Undergrad school/major:
Emory B.A. in Sociology and Global Health (minor). 3.63 GPA and graduated summa cum laude. Focused on the highly quantitative/statistics focused side of my major/minor and earned highest honors writing a thesis using statistical models created from a secondary research government data set to explore population health outcomes. Will adcoms like this or just see sociology as an easy/undesirable major?
Demographics:
White US female, 25 years old
GMAT:
700 (46Q, 40V) might take the GMAT a 3rd time or the GRE because what is there to lose, but I have studied extensively (300-400 hours over the past year) with strong improvement and hit a plateau with practice tests so I don't think my score will be able to change dramatically
Goal of MBA:
Pivot to consulting at a firm with a strong marketing and sales practice.
Long term goal is to be head of marketing at a start-up in the early go-to-market stages with aggressive growth goals (like Uber in 2010)
Recommendations:
My supervisor for all 4 years at my company
The development officer with whom I have worked very closely at the non-profit I am involved with
Target schools (definitely will cut this list down between now and R1/R2, please weigh in on any school suggestions as I am currently working on researching schools):
R1 (these are schools I definitely plan to apply to): Columbia (maybe ED), Stern, Tuck (not sure if this matters to adcoms but I'm a legacy at Tuck)
Would possibly apply to HBS, Stanford, and Wharton but is it even worth it with a low GMAT?
R2 (these are more up in the air): Johnson, Booth, Kellogg, Owen, McDonough, Fuqua
Also, is my current GMAT score okay for schools, but too low to meet the threshold of some of the consulting firms?
Work experience:
I work in campaign management at a boutique digital marketing agency that probably 0 adcoms have heard of. I've been at the same company since I started as an intern 4 years ago and have been promoted 3 different times. My role is client-facing but still very technical and heavy on the data side of digital marketing. I'm proficient in pretty much all the common digital marketing platforms and have worked on different verticals. Most of my clients are/have been Fortune 500/1000 brands with $1M-5M budgets at my company.
Extra curriculars:
Participant in the MBA Launch program through the Forte Foundation
I've been involved in the young professionals group of a nonprofit since its start and now serve as one of the chairs of it. Personally have raised over $30,000 soliciting corporate sponsorships and in-kind silent auction donations for our annual fundraiser.
Do pro-bono marketing consulting for local non-profits through the American Marketing Association's local chapter
Recognized as a 30 under 30 alumni by my sorority's international headquarters
Undergrad school/major:
Emory B.A. in Sociology and Global Health (minor). 3.63 GPA and graduated summa cum laude. Focused on the highly quantitative/statistics focused side of my major/minor and earned highest honors writing a thesis using statistical models created from a secondary research government data set to explore population health outcomes. Will adcoms like this or just see sociology as an easy/undesirable major?
Demographics:
White US female, 25 years old
GMAT:
700 (46Q, 40V) might take the GMAT a 3rd time or the GRE because what is there to lose, but I have studied extensively (300-400 hours over the past year) with strong improvement and hit a plateau with practice tests so I don't think my score will be able to change dramatically
Goal of MBA:
Pivot to consulting at a firm with a strong marketing and sales practice.
Long term goal is to be head of marketing at a start-up in the early go-to-market stages with aggressive growth goals (like Uber in 2010)
Recommendations:
My supervisor for all 4 years at my company
The development officer with whom I have worked very closely at the non-profit I am involved with
Target schools (definitely will cut this list down between now and R1/R2, please weigh in on any school suggestions as I am currently working on researching schools):
R1 (these are schools I definitely plan to apply to): Columbia (maybe ED), Stern, Tuck (not sure if this matters to adcoms but I'm a legacy at Tuck)
Would possibly apply to HBS, Stanford, and Wharton but is it even worth it with a low GMAT?
R2 (these are more up in the air): Johnson, Booth, Kellogg, Owen, McDonough, Fuqua
Also, is my current GMAT score okay for schools, but too low to meet the threshold of some of the consulting firms?
04 Jun 2019, 10:11
Kudos
Bookmarks
Hi, and thanks for writing! You have a well-rounded profile, with progressive work experience, great community involvement, and solid academics, which will serve you well in the application process. Schools don't consider GPAs and majors in a vacuum but rather, review transcripts closely for evidence of challenging (and quantitative) coursework, so it's great that you focused on the statistics side of your discipline.
I think that CBS, HBS, Stanford, and Wharton are reaches (as they are for nearly everyone), but by no means out of range for you. If you're very interested in CBS, applying ED and early in the cycle will help. If you think there's a chance of boosting the GMAT a bit, I'd go for it so that you feel that you didn't leave anything on the table (a 720+ would be ideal for the most competitive programs). I think that your GMAT won't be too much of an issue for the other programs, especially since quant and verbal have a decent balance (and being a legacy at Tuck may help slightly) but of course a higher score would only help. Regarding the GRE, you can consider it if you feel that it's a better fit for you based on the way the questions are designed.
Hope that helps a bit!
I think that CBS, HBS, Stanford, and Wharton are reaches (as they are for nearly everyone), but by no means out of range for you. If you're very interested in CBS, applying ED and early in the cycle will help. If you think there's a chance of boosting the GMAT a bit, I'd go for it so that you feel that you didn't leave anything on the table (a 720+ would be ideal for the most competitive programs). I think that your GMAT won't be too much of an issue for the other programs, especially since quant and verbal have a decent balance (and being a legacy at Tuck may help slightly) but of course a higher score would only help. Regarding the GRE, you can consider it if you feel that it's a better fit for you based on the way the questions are designed.
Hope that helps a bit!
schechtershock
04 Jun 2019, 14:00
Kudos
Bookmarks
Great summary of your profile! You definitely sound like a compelling candidate who would have a strong case to make to top MBA programs.
Regarding GPA - I wouldn't have concerns about a sociology degree. That's a legitimate area of study, and a 3.63 GPA in that field is not going to be seen as an issue (based on my years working in MBA admissions). Your work "on the data side of digital marketing" actually sounds pretty compelling to me. That'll be a unique, value-add background to any school if you can showcase it well! And being client-facing is definitely a good thing as well, if you can speak to how it's helped you with your leadership and collaborative skill.
A 700 GMAT wouldn't eliminate you from contention to your target programs by any means. You'll get a strong look. But if you think you'd score even 20-30 points higher with a retake, it's worth the effort. Most candidates I've worked with do better their second time around, and there's no harm in trying again (you can always cancel your score if you don't do better).
Your extracurriculars could potentially be a differentiator for you, too. They sound pretty interesting!
Ryan Barba
Ryan Barba Consulting
Regarding GPA - I wouldn't have concerns about a sociology degree. That's a legitimate area of study, and a 3.63 GPA in that field is not going to be seen as an issue (based on my years working in MBA admissions). Your work "on the data side of digital marketing" actually sounds pretty compelling to me. That'll be a unique, value-add background to any school if you can showcase it well!
And being client-facing is definitely a good thing as well, if you can speak to how it's helped you with your leadership and collaborative skill. A 700 GMAT wouldn't eliminate you from contention to your target programs by any means. You'll get a strong look. But if you think you'd score even 20-30 points higher with a retake, it's worth the effort. Most candidates I've worked with do better their second time around, and there's no harm in trying again (you can always cancel your score if you don't do better).
Your extracurriculars could potentially be a differentiator for you, too. They sound pretty interesting!
Ryan Barba
Ryan Barba Consulting
