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21 Aug 2019, 09:15
Kudos
Bookmarks
Hi,
I'd be very grateful if you could take a look at my profile and help me understand my chances at the various schools I'm considering.
29F, New Zealand.
GMAT: 720
GPA: 3.8 (Commerce - Accounting), 3.1 (Law), 3.9 (Transfer year at USA State University)
University:
- Received award for top 1% of Accounting students. Received academic merit scholarships from Govt/Trusts (paid 100% of Tuition fees). Worked 30 hours a week the whole time. Volunteered for a variety of causes - largely to do with international students/new migrants. Tutored Maori/Pacific Island students.
Work Experience:
- Present (3 months+): Procurement manager in Ireland for one of the world's largest Food/Bev companies.
- 2 years: Procurement specialist in Australia for NZ's largest company (~$500m spend).
- 2.5 years in Finance/Accounting Rotational Leadership Program at NZ's largest company (Dairy - Food/Bev) - worked in head office and manufacturing sites across NZ, Australia and Chile.
Other:
- I've been volunteering fairly consistently since I was a teenager but I move constantly. So I pick up volunteer roles when I get to a place, and volunteer with other orgs when I move cities the next year. Not sure how adcoms will view this?
- I took a year off in 2011 to backpack around South America/Asia and a year off in 2018 to backpack around Africa/Europe. Ireland is the 6th country I've lived in and 67th country I've visited.
My main concerns are:
- my age (30 when I apply) - does the 5 years of work experience mitigate this or make it worse? If I applied next year instead would it severely reduce my chances?
- my GPA - not sure how much the Law GPA will hurt me. I also got a C+ in a Corporate Finance paper in University (will places like MIT be concerned about this, if other math papers went okay?)
Scholarships are really important to me.
Goals: GM in FMCG company or Consulting - FMCG with a move back to FMCG GM at a later date.
Considering: HBS, Tuck, Stanford, MIT (& MITLGO), Wharton, Duke, Yale.
Thank you for your time!
Bobsfred
I'd be very grateful if you could take a look at my profile and help me understand my chances at the various schools I'm considering.
29F, New Zealand.
GMAT: 720
GPA: 3.8 (Commerce - Accounting), 3.1 (Law), 3.9 (Transfer year at USA State University)
University:
- Received award for top 1% of Accounting students. Received academic merit scholarships from Govt/Trusts (paid 100% of Tuition fees). Worked 30 hours a week the whole time. Volunteered for a variety of causes - largely to do with international students/new migrants. Tutored Maori/Pacific Island students.
Work Experience:
- Present (3 months+): Procurement manager in Ireland for one of the world's largest Food/Bev companies.
- 2 years: Procurement specialist in Australia for NZ's largest company (~$500m spend).
- 2.5 years in Finance/Accounting Rotational Leadership Program at NZ's largest company (Dairy - Food/Bev) - worked in head office and manufacturing sites across NZ, Australia and Chile.
Other:
- I've been volunteering fairly consistently since I was a teenager but I move constantly. So I pick up volunteer roles when I get to a place, and volunteer with other orgs when I move cities the next year. Not sure how adcoms will view this?
- I took a year off in 2011 to backpack around South America/Asia and a year off in 2018 to backpack around Africa/Europe. Ireland is the 6th country I've lived in and 67th country I've visited.
My main concerns are:
- my age (30 when I apply) - does the 5 years of work experience mitigate this or make it worse? If I applied next year instead would it severely reduce my chances?
- my GPA - not sure how much the Law GPA will hurt me. I also got a C+ in a Corporate Finance paper in University (will places like MIT be concerned about this, if other math papers went okay?)
Scholarships are really important to me.
Goals: GM in FMCG company or Consulting - FMCG with a move back to FMCG GM at a later date.
Considering: HBS, Tuck, Stanford, MIT (& MITLGO), Wharton, Duke, Yale.
Thank you for your time!
Bobsfred
21 Aug 2019, 21:41
Kudos
Bookmarks
Hello and thanks for your post.
The application process is truly holistic, and committees will look at your stats (GPA and GMAT), work experience, and extracurriculars.
Your GPA is strong, so that is a good start. Your Law GPA is a bit below average but the rest of your grades should show that you have done well quantitatively. Your GMAT is great and will also confirm this.
It is hard to gauge your work experience without knowing your accomplishments and impact you have made there. It looks like you have some well-rounded experience though. You’ll have to make sure you demonstrate you have made an impact and demonstrated leadership throughout your roles. Ideally this will be supported by strong recommendation letters as well. It will also be important to explain why you want your MBA, and to also illustrate the skills you already have which are transferable. Be sure your story makes sense, and is realistic and specific. I would not be too concerned with your age. Having 5 years of full time experience is perfect, and you can always explain in the Optional Essay why you happen to be a bit older. You could wait to apply – it won’t severely hurt your chances – but without knowing your story, now seems like a good time.
Regarding extracurriculars, make sure to really emphasize your leadership roles you have taken on. It’s good that you have at least been consistent with volunteering.
If you create a strong application, you do have a chance at some of these schools, but they are extremely competitive, and each school simply does not have the room to admit all the world's qualified applicants. For that reason, I agree to apply to all of these schools. In general, I would suggest apply to several schools, including reach, target and safety. Hopefully they will see that you have a compelling story and are someone who will add value to the classroom and community.
If you would like to discuss your story or anything else in greater detail, please sign up for a free consultation.
Good luck!
The application process is truly holistic, and committees will look at your stats (GPA and GMAT), work experience, and extracurriculars.
Your GPA is strong, so that is a good start. Your Law GPA is a bit below average but the rest of your grades should show that you have done well quantitatively. Your GMAT is great and will also confirm this.
It is hard to gauge your work experience without knowing your accomplishments and impact you have made there. It looks like you have some well-rounded experience though. You’ll have to make sure you demonstrate you have made an impact and demonstrated leadership throughout your roles. Ideally this will be supported by strong recommendation letters as well. It will also be important to explain why you want your MBA, and to also illustrate the skills you already have which are transferable. Be sure your story makes sense, and is realistic and specific. I would not be too concerned with your age. Having 5 years of full time experience is perfect, and you can always explain in the Optional Essay why you happen to be a bit older. You could wait to apply – it won’t severely hurt your chances – but without knowing your story, now seems like a good time.
Regarding extracurriculars, make sure to really emphasize your leadership roles you have taken on. It’s good that you have at least been consistent with volunteering.
If you create a strong application, you do have a chance at some of these schools, but they are extremely competitive, and each school simply does not have the room to admit all the world's qualified applicants. For that reason, I agree to apply to all of these schools. In general, I would suggest apply to several schools, including reach, target and safety. Hopefully they will see that you have a compelling story and are someone who will add value to the classroom and community.
If you would like to discuss your story or anything else in greater detail, please sign up for a free consultation.
Good luck!
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