Hi, I would really appreciate an evaluation of my profile for the top 15 business schools.

-I graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign with an accounting degree and a GPA of 3.98/4.00. (During my junior and senior years, I also worked around 30 hrs/week as a head research assistant to support myself financially)
-After graduating, I worked at Accenture as a technology analyst for one year and currently, work at KPMG in their management consulting divison and will have worked here around 2 years when applying.
-Obtained CPA on first try
-GMAT Score of 730 (50Q, 40V)
-Volunteer experience includes acting as student representative for an organization that helps promote and develop international trade between the US and Korea. My role is to help recruit and organize students for a trade school that educates upcoming professionals about the importance and development of international trade.
-During my college years, I traveled to South Korea to train to become a singer/actor under a large Korean entertainment company (didn't work out in the long run, but was a good experience of teamwork). Went every summer/winter break with a 16month stint during my junior year in school.


Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!

Congratulations on getting a good GMAT score. Your GPA is great and you got your CPA in first attempt which are other evidences of your academic potential. Your extra curricular/ community service experience is strong, too . You have some international exposure which is good.

However,the only area that makes you less competitive for top schools is your work experience. Two years' work experience is a bit on the lower side for top B-schools in the US where the average work experience is 4-5 years. I would wait for another year or two , gather some quality work experience, that is, accept leadership roles, take initiatives for important projects and then apply with a stronger profile.

I hope it helped.
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Hi,

KUDOS on your GMAT!! Your academic records are awesome as well. The only weak point I believe is your work experience. However, if you are able to showcase leadership skills & achievements at work place in application essays and professionalism, ability to work with others and maturity during the final interviews, then you would stand a chance in top b-schools. You may also try your chances in b-schools by clicking http://www.apphelp.co.in/b-school-selector.php

Let me know in case of further queries. You may PM your details for discussion in length on selection of b-schools.

Regards
Erina

Hi jml12357,

You have a good profile with a decent GMAT Score and GPA. You are in perfect stage of your career, around 4-5 years of work experience is what most of the b schools are looking for. As per your profile I would suggest you to target Stanford, Duke, Kellogg and ISB. You can also gauge your chances of getting admitted in a top business school by trying the tool http://tinyurl.com/acrp3n7. You can also start get in touch with the alumnus of the b schools you are targeting to know more about the business school and its requirement.

Feel free to post any other query that you might have.

Cheers!
Neha Singh
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Hello everyone,

Thank you for your guidance and responses. Could you describe more in-depth what type of experiences I should seek in my work experience? What do you think my percentages are around for top schools after around 3-4 years of experience?

Thanks again!

Are you Asian by any chance (just asking since you mentioned US-Korea related extracurriculars)? That can matter somewhat.

In any case, to be blunt, I think Big-4 can be a good place to start a career, but don't stay too long, or you'll be pigeonholed as a Big-4 guy (and the negative connotations that come with that). Stay for 2-3 years total with the idea of transitioning to something else. It doesn't have to be a 180-degree change, but even if it's working in treasury/operations/finance at a F500, that would help, not just for b-school admissions but for your career. I'm sure I'll get in trouble from some Big-4 folks for saying this, but unless you're in a developing country, you would be wise to not stay on too long there.
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Yes, I am Korean. What are some of the negative connotations that come with Big 4 consulting?

Nothing fatal, it just has a reputation for being a bit too pedestrian, too average. And staying a bit too long can cause folks (employers, adcoms, etc.) to make possibly unfair judgments about you - that you're risk averse, boring, conformist, not ambitious, etc. In plain English, whether you're on the consulting or audit side, it's seen as the ultimate Joe Average Corporate Job, especially in the US where the hiring process is not as selective as other consulting firms. I'm sure you've seen this with your superiors who have been there for some time, and they tend to fall into one of two groups: those who have no desire to branch out (they have stayed long enough to be comfortable - could be good people, but not particularly hard charging or ambitious; some of these folks may even feel trapped having stayed there too long and have a tough time mentally getting over the hump to make that jump and possibly start over elsewhere), or those who are lifestyle-driven because of family or outside work interests that they are more passionate about (i.e. the job is purely a paycheck and nothing more). In other words, they're not known for retaining the best and brightest since the culture and nature of work doesn't cater to that (and there's nothing wrong with that; ironically enough because of that, the work culture is for the most part healthier and less ulcer inducing compared to more pressure cooker firms; folks at the Big 4 tend to treat each other better, more respectful of work-life balance, etc.). Again, it's a fine place to build a foundation for your career, but ideally you want to leave after 2-3 years to avoid that stigma if you are a career-first, ambitious person who is willing to work in a more selective but competitive (or even adversarial), stressful environment.

Plenty of folks started their careers in Big 4, with many moving onto other amazing careers (and yes quite a number have also gone to the top b-schools as well).
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