Events & Promotions
|
|
GMAT Club Daily Prep
Thank you for using the timer - this advanced tool can estimate your performance and suggest more practice questions. We have subscribed you to Daily Prep Questions via email.
Customized
for You
Track
Your Progress
Practice
Pays
Not interested in getting valuable practice questions and articles delivered to your email? No problem, unsubscribe here.
Apr 2908:00 PM EDT
-09:00 PM EDT
Join us for a live Ask Me Anything (AMA) session with Juno’s Co-Founder, where we’ll break down everything you need to know about financing your MBA in today’s rapidly changing landscape.
Apr 3010:00 AM EDT
-11:00 AM EDT
Applying to business school from a finance background? Personal MBA Coach is here to help with this quick tips video on how to set yourself apart during the MBA application process!
Apr 3010:00 AM EDT
-10:30 AM EDT
Sia Admissions Founder Susan Berishaj will walk through why reach/target/safety produces the wrong list for many specific profiles, how admissions committees at different programs read the same background differently, and more...
Apr 3012:00 PM EDT
-01:00 PM EDT
Starting at $975 and offering up to $545 of savings, our new Amplify Hourly Packages offer structure and support in certain high-value areas (story development, resume, essays, interviewing) to help get your applications across the finish line.
Apr 3009:00 PM IST
-10:00 PM IST
Thinking about PE/VC? Most consultants are. Few actually make it. Learn how to position your profile, build the right skills, and break into Private Equity & Venture Capital.
May 0108:30 AM EDT
-09:15 AM EDT
Get the inside scoop on what makes Emory’s Goizueta Business School great, learn how you can present a strong MBA application, and connect with an Admissions Director to get your questions answered.
May 0108:00 PM PDT
-09:00 PM PDT
Inquire for a free profile evaluation and guarantee statement for possible admits and scholarships!
UNCBOUND
Current Student
Joined: 15 Apr 2013
Last visit: 24 Oct 2019
Posts: 34
Own Kudos:
Given Kudos: 13
Location: United States (TX)
Concentration: Finance, Healthcare
Schools: Duke '20 (WL) Kenan-Flagler '20 (M)
GMAT 1: 710 Q47 V41
GPA: 3.35
Products:
15 Jun 2016, 11:33
Kudos
Bookmarks
Hello!
Thanks in advance for your response, it is greatly appreciated.
Profile:
- Age: 25 (27 @ matriculation)
- Male
- U.S. Resident
- GMAT 710 (Q47, V42)
- Undergraduate Institution: Ouachita Baptist University (liberal arts school in Arkansas)
- Undergraduate Degree: Biblical Studies, 3.35 GPA. Graduated in 3.5 years.
- Business coursework outside of major: Microeconomics (B), Accounting I (A), Accounting II (A), College Algebra (B), Personal Finance(A)
- Extracurricular in college: president of fraternity which grew from 12 members to over 80 while I was a member. Various community service leadership opportunities.
- W/E:
o 2 years at one of the top 5 Health Insurance companies in the U.S. I was a Disability Analyst. Various leadership opportunities.
o (Current) 2 years at a Insurance Brokerage and Consulting Firm as a Consultant (boutique firm likely never head of by admissions committee). Work with company executives to customize benefit program that will make them an employer of choice. Consult regarding Affordable Care Act compliance, as well as be the liaison between various other vendors. Various leadership opportunities, etc. Company size- around 20 employees.
o Both positions held in a major metroplex. Would likely have great recommendations from management.
- Community Involvement: Served as Associate Pastor for organization my wife and I started called Grassroots Christianity. Organization is focused on changing people’s perception of Church structure and function. Various community service events held.
- Target Schools (I will likely declare a Healthcare concentration if available):
o UT McCombs (in-state tuition. #1 choice)
o UNC
o Vanderbilt
- Stretch Schools
o Duke- Fuqua
o Cornell- Johnson
o Virginia Darden
- Less Competitive Target Schools
o SMU
o Rice
o A&M
- Timeline: I will apply in the fall of 2017 in order to matriculate in the fall of 2018 (class of 2020)
- Career Aspirations: Healthcare Consulting (not on the insurance brokerage side), but to be honest it is a bit undecided. I’m not completely aware of the paths available to me given my background.
Concerns:
- Undergraduate Degree: Will having a religious degree be the diversity that schools are NOT looking for? I know diversity is a big focus of MBA programs. The degree was from a Liberal Arts institution, thus I studied in multiple areas which allowed me to truly foster a passion for learning.
- Work Experience: I’ve definitely shown progression in both positions (both in salary and promotions), but Insurance is often seen as an industry anyone can walk in to. Not sure how my experience will be viewed by ADCOM at the programs I mentioned.
Questions:
- Given my somewhat low quant score (Q47), would you recommend I take a few business/math course prior to my application? I’m thinking maybe Calc. for Business, Stats. for Business, and/or some other finance course.
- My current company is somewhat small and the advancement opps are limited because of that. I’m considering looking for another company to work for during the two years leading up to matriculation.
o If I’m right at 2 years before switching companies, would that look negatively to ADCOM(job hopping)?
o I have a relatively large network, and my first thought is I would try to work for one of the big 4 consulting firms in an analyst type role. I think this would be a good opportunity for me personally, but would me taking a role like this hurt my “diversity factor”, since so many MBA applicants come from that background?
- Are there other schools that you feel like my profile fits? My family (wife and 1 year old daughter) is flexible on location. Outside of the obvious stats(GMAT, GPA), do you feel like I would be a competitive applicant at the schools I listed?
Thank you for your time.
Thanks in advance for your response, it is greatly appreciated.
Profile:
- Age: 25 (27 @ matriculation)
- Male
- U.S. Resident
- GMAT 710 (Q47, V42)
- Undergraduate Institution: Ouachita Baptist University (liberal arts school in Arkansas)
- Undergraduate Degree: Biblical Studies, 3.35 GPA. Graduated in 3.5 years.
- Business coursework outside of major: Microeconomics (B), Accounting I (A), Accounting II (A), College Algebra (B), Personal Finance(A)
- Extracurricular in college: president of fraternity which grew from 12 members to over 80 while I was a member. Various community service leadership opportunities.
- W/E:
o 2 years at one of the top 5 Health Insurance companies in the U.S. I was a Disability Analyst. Various leadership opportunities.
o (Current) 2 years at a Insurance Brokerage and Consulting Firm as a Consultant (boutique firm likely never head of by admissions committee). Work with company executives to customize benefit program that will make them an employer of choice. Consult regarding Affordable Care Act compliance, as well as be the liaison between various other vendors. Various leadership opportunities, etc. Company size- around 20 employees.
o Both positions held in a major metroplex. Would likely have great recommendations from management.
- Community Involvement: Served as Associate Pastor for organization my wife and I started called Grassroots Christianity. Organization is focused on changing people’s perception of Church structure and function. Various community service events held.
- Target Schools (I will likely declare a Healthcare concentration if available):
o UT McCombs (in-state tuition. #1 choice)
o UNC
o Vanderbilt
- Stretch Schools
o Duke- Fuqua
o Cornell- Johnson
o Virginia Darden
- Less Competitive Target Schools
o SMU
o Rice
o A&M
- Timeline: I will apply in the fall of 2017 in order to matriculate in the fall of 2018 (class of 2020)
- Career Aspirations: Healthcare Consulting (not on the insurance brokerage side), but to be honest it is a bit undecided. I’m not completely aware of the paths available to me given my background.
Concerns:
- Undergraduate Degree: Will having a religious degree be the diversity that schools are NOT looking for? I know diversity is a big focus of MBA programs. The degree was from a Liberal Arts institution, thus I studied in multiple areas which allowed me to truly foster a passion for learning.
- Work Experience: I’ve definitely shown progression in both positions (both in salary and promotions), but Insurance is often seen as an industry anyone can walk in to. Not sure how my experience will be viewed by ADCOM at the programs I mentioned.
Questions:
- Given my somewhat low quant score (Q47), would you recommend I take a few business/math course prior to my application? I’m thinking maybe Calc. for Business, Stats. for Business, and/or some other finance course.
- My current company is somewhat small and the advancement opps are limited because of that. I’m considering looking for another company to work for during the two years leading up to matriculation.
o If I’m right at 2 years before switching companies, would that look negatively to ADCOM(job hopping)?
o I have a relatively large network, and my first thought is I would try to work for one of the big 4 consulting firms in an analyst type role. I think this would be a good opportunity for me personally, but would me taking a role like this hurt my “diversity factor”, since so many MBA applicants come from that background?
- Are there other schools that you feel like my profile fits? My family (wife and 1 year old daughter) is flexible on location. Outside of the obvious stats(GMAT, GPA), do you feel like I would be a competitive applicant at the schools I listed?
Thank you for your time.
VantagePointMelody
Expert
Expert reply
17 Jun 2016, 19:08
Kudos
Bookmarks
Hi there,
Thanks for sharing the details of your profile! I definitely think you’re an interesting candidate for the programs you listed with solid career focus and progression so far and good leadership experience, particularly outside of work in your community involvement. How you tell the story of your work experience in terms of your achievements, level of responsibility, teamwork, etc. is a longer conversation but getting that narrative right will be important in dispelling any preconceived notions about the insurance industry. (I’m not saying that those views exist, but if they do, it’s nothing that can’t be overcome.)
In terms of your undergraduate major, it’s really not about what your major was but about how well you performed academically overall. A 3.4 GPA isn’t bad – it isn’t great either but certainly won’t raise any red flags. I’m more concerned about your lower quant score on the GMAT. If you wanted to help offset that and since you have time before you apply, I would certainly recommend that you take a quant-focused course or two before applying to solidify that aspect of your candidacy. Statistics and Calculus would be great subjects if you haven’t taken them already. All top MBA programs will require Calculus in order to matriculate so you might as well get it out of the way now. And make sure you get an A! Berkeley Extension or UNC are great options for high-quality online courses.
In terms of next steps in your career before applying, I wouldn’t focus on or make decisions based on how the admissions committee may view them. It’s your business school application and you get to tell them the story of why you made the decisions you made and why they made perfect sense for you. So you get to shape their perceptions of your path. With that said, I would make job decisions based on how they’ll get you closer to your long-term goals. So be strategic about it and think about how the analyst role at a big 4 consulting firm will help you achieve your goals. Will it provide you more leadership opportunities? Will it provide you broader exposure to the healthcare industry outside of insurance? If you can’t think of a valid rationale beyond getting a broadly-recognized name on your resume, then it may not be the best decision. So the short answer to your question is “it depends”.
In terms of your school list, I would add Wharton. Its Healthcare Management program is arguably the best healthcare-focused MBA program out there. It may be a bit of a stretch (although not out of range) but certainly worth applying to given your prior work experience and healthcare industry post-MBA goals.
You’re doing the right thing by starting early and asking the right questions – so bravo! If you’d like to discuss this further, I’m happy to chat. You can email me at [email protected] or you can sign up for our free 30-minute consultation at www.vantagepointadmissions.com.
Best of luck to you!
-Melody
Thanks for sharing the details of your profile! I definitely think you’re an interesting candidate for the programs you listed with solid career focus and progression so far and good leadership experience, particularly outside of work in your community involvement. How you tell the story of your work experience in terms of your achievements, level of responsibility, teamwork, etc. is a longer conversation but getting that narrative right will be important in dispelling any preconceived notions about the insurance industry. (I’m not saying that those views exist, but if they do, it’s nothing that can’t be overcome.)
In terms of your undergraduate major, it’s really not about what your major was but about how well you performed academically overall. A 3.4 GPA isn’t bad – it isn’t great either but certainly won’t raise any red flags. I’m more concerned about your lower quant score on the GMAT. If you wanted to help offset that and since you have time before you apply, I would certainly recommend that you take a quant-focused course or two before applying to solidify that aspect of your candidacy. Statistics and Calculus would be great subjects if you haven’t taken them already. All top MBA programs will require Calculus in order to matriculate so you might as well get it out of the way now. And make sure you get an A! Berkeley Extension or UNC are great options for high-quality online courses.
In terms of next steps in your career before applying, I wouldn’t focus on or make decisions based on how the admissions committee may view them. It’s your business school application and you get to tell them the story of why you made the decisions you made and why they made perfect sense for you. So you get to shape their perceptions of your path. With that said, I would make job decisions based on how they’ll get you closer to your long-term goals. So be strategic about it and think about how the analyst role at a big 4 consulting firm will help you achieve your goals. Will it provide you more leadership opportunities? Will it provide you broader exposure to the healthcare industry outside of insurance? If you can’t think of a valid rationale beyond getting a broadly-recognized name on your resume, then it may not be the best decision. So the short answer to your question is “it depends”.
In terms of your school list, I would add Wharton. Its Healthcare Management program is arguably the best healthcare-focused MBA program out there. It may be a bit of a stretch (although not out of range) but certainly worth applying to given your prior work experience and healthcare industry post-MBA goals.
You’re doing the right thing by starting early and asking the right questions – so bravo! If you’d like to discuss this further, I’m happy to chat. You can email me at [email protected] or you can sign up for our free 30-minute consultation at www.vantagepointadmissions.com.
Best of luck to you!
-Melody
UNCBOUND
Current Student
Joined: 15 Apr 2013
Last visit: 24 Oct 2019
Posts: 34
Own Kudos:
Given Kudos: 13
Location: United States (TX)
Concentration: Finance, Healthcare
Schools: Duke '20 (WL) Kenan-Flagler '20 (M)
GMAT 1: 710 Q47 V41
GPA: 3.35
Products:
20 Jun 2016, 07:04
Kudos
Bookmarks
Thanks for your response VantagePointMelody ! Your response is very helpful. You mentioned that the top programs require calculus to matriculate. I thought that requirement went away for most schools last year? I definitely plan on taking a few math courses but want to make sure if I take "Calculus for Business", instead of the classic "Calculus", it won't negatively impact me. Thanks.
