VeritasPrepCJane wrote:
There are some suggestions I would make:
1- See if you can take the GMAT again and score higher. Your score is solid, but with a 3.1gpa (even though from Berkeley) I would want to prove that I am really smart by a great GMAT score.
2- WE: how long have you been working. At age 24, 2 or 3 years? A few more years WE would bode well for your candidacy.
3- Extacurriculars: IM is not something that you want to highlight unless you had some sort of leadership position- ie. organized the league, etc. As for the STEM, very cool, but can you up the ante and contribute at a leadership level, i.e. putting on events for them, leading workshops that are your idea?
4- Nothing you show above screams superstar. You need to show leadership, innovation, initiative. You need to dig in on this and either find it from what you have done, or create it between now and when you apply. Top b-schools look for leaders. And, also they look for people that will uniquely contribute to the class, and who will be great ambassadors for the brand post-MBA- how do prove you can do both?
I would say put a little more thought into what makes you compelling, and communicate it for yourself before you begin any application.
Best of luck!
Thank you Jane! These are all great advice!
I currently have 2 full years of WE at age 24, is 3 years at matriculation too low?
I believe that I do have significant achievements at work in the last two years. I was promoted from analyst -> senior analyst in 6 month (first among my cohort of Fall 2011 graduates), and I have leadership experiences in mentoring new analysts throughout this past year. I also have contributed greatly in fostering relationship with one of our clients, which is why I am asking a customer to write a letter of rec.
I also have 1.5 years of internship experience in consulting during college. Do internships count as WE on MBA applications?