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02 May 2022, 17:33
Kudos
Bookmarks
Hi! I am looking to get my applications together over the summer and hopefully start B-School in Fall 2023. I really appreciate you evaluating my profile!
· Demographics (nationality, gender):
Venezuelan/Italian dual citizen. Hispanic. Male. Trilingual in Spanish, English and Italian.
· Education (undergraduate institution, GPA, major - high school/entrance exams not needed):
University of Michigan, Industrial Engineering, 3.36 GPA.
· GMAT or GRE or EA score (include section breakdown):
At test center: 690 (Q45, V40) - Late March 2022
At home test: 670 (Q48, V34) - Late November 2021
(More details below)
· Work experience (briefly highlight amount of work experience, industries, roles, promotions, special accomplishments, international exposure):
4YOE as a Technology Consulting Senior Associate for a Big 4 Firm. Work revolves around Project and Product Management for medium and large scale technology strategy projects and implementations. Occasionally work remotely with international teams (mainly India and China). Industries vary, have covered Consumer Markets, Financial Services and Technology clients.
· Extracurricular activities (briefly highlight notable undergraduate and post-undergraduate ones):
This is one of my weak spots. Outside of work, I very recently co-founded a non-profit with my brothers in Venezuela to help school children gain access to better technology and book materials in very rural areas of the country. This is still a WIP, so not much impact to be shown yet.
Other than that, I participated in a few clubs and organizations both in college and at work, but never held major leadership positions.
· Post-MBA goals:
Leverage experience to work in Product Management, either for a big tech innovative product company or startup level product teams.
· Target schools:
Harvard, Wharton, Sloan, Columbia, Haas, Ross, Fuqua, Anderson
(this is where I need help, I need a general sense of how far or close I am at getting into some of these schools)
· Other information relevant to your profile:
For further background, I came to the US (University of Michigan undergrad) in 2014 as an International student. After obtaining my degree, I started my professional career at a Big 4 Firm in Technology Consulting where I was promoted from Associate to Senior Associate after two years. I am planning on going to B-school on my 5th YOE mark to expand my network, upskill my business acumen and focus on Product/Business Management to lead Product teams or product focused start ups.
· Any specific questions you would like answered by our team:
I have three general questions:
1. As my profile stands, I still find it difficult to grasp how much of an overreach it is for me to get into some of these programs. To me it's clear that HBS is an overreach, but I truly have no idea what program would be a "safety application" given my profile. I appreciate the honest feedback.
2. I am struggling to find inspiration to retake the GMAT. I am not happy with the 690, but realistically, I am not sure I will be able to take the time I took to study for those two attempts again. I know I can get 10-30 more points if I truly tried, but I do think that it's going to impact others aspects of my application which I think I need to start putting some time on. Based on my profile, is this something that would really swing the balance in case I scored say 20 more points?
3. If not covered answering Q1 and Q2, any suggested areas of focus?
Thank you!
· Demographics (nationality, gender):
Venezuelan/Italian dual citizen. Hispanic. Male. Trilingual in Spanish, English and Italian.
· Education (undergraduate institution, GPA, major - high school/entrance exams not needed):
University of Michigan, Industrial Engineering, 3.36 GPA.
· GMAT or GRE or EA score (include section breakdown):
At test center: 690 (Q45, V40) - Late March 2022
At home test: 670 (Q48, V34) - Late November 2021
(More details below)
· Work experience (briefly highlight amount of work experience, industries, roles, promotions, special accomplishments, international exposure):
4YOE as a Technology Consulting Senior Associate for a Big 4 Firm. Work revolves around Project and Product Management for medium and large scale technology strategy projects and implementations. Occasionally work remotely with international teams (mainly India and China). Industries vary, have covered Consumer Markets, Financial Services and Technology clients.
· Extracurricular activities (briefly highlight notable undergraduate and post-undergraduate ones):
This is one of my weak spots. Outside of work, I very recently co-founded a non-profit with my brothers in Venezuela to help school children gain access to better technology and book materials in very rural areas of the country. This is still a WIP, so not much impact to be shown yet.
Other than that, I participated in a few clubs and organizations both in college and at work, but never held major leadership positions.
· Post-MBA goals:
Leverage experience to work in Product Management, either for a big tech innovative product company or startup level product teams.
· Target schools:
Harvard, Wharton, Sloan, Columbia, Haas, Ross, Fuqua, Anderson
(this is where I need help, I need a general sense of how far or close I am at getting into some of these schools)
· Other information relevant to your profile:
For further background, I came to the US (University of Michigan undergrad) in 2014 as an International student. After obtaining my degree, I started my professional career at a Big 4 Firm in Technology Consulting where I was promoted from Associate to Senior Associate after two years. I am planning on going to B-school on my 5th YOE mark to expand my network, upskill my business acumen and focus on Product/Business Management to lead Product teams or product focused start ups.
· Any specific questions you would like answered by our team:
I have three general questions:
1. As my profile stands, I still find it difficult to grasp how much of an overreach it is for me to get into some of these programs. To me it's clear that HBS is an overreach, but I truly have no idea what program would be a "safety application" given my profile. I appreciate the honest feedback.
2. I am struggling to find inspiration to retake the GMAT. I am not happy with the 690, but realistically, I am not sure I will be able to take the time I took to study for those two attempts again. I know I can get 10-30 more points if I truly tried, but I do think that it's going to impact others aspects of my application which I think I need to start putting some time on. Based on my profile, is this something that would really swing the balance in case I scored say 20 more points?
3. If not covered answering Q1 and Q2, any suggested areas of focus?
Thank you!
02 May 2022, 19:53
Kudos
Bookmarks
You have a good profile. However your GMAT score is low compared to scores needed for your target colleges.
Still you have hope. You can see interview of an Indian gal on GMATClub Youtube who got into LBS inspite of low GMAT score of 670 or something. You can take inspiration from her and start focussing on your application and other extracurricular activities. These have higher weightage than GMAT score. Also, hire a consultant to work with you on your application. They have the proper experience needed to guide you to make a good application. Apart from this, you will need awesome recommendations from people you know. It doesnt need to come from very top level officer. Just someone who has supervised you and is ready to write great recommendation will do. Also, do not leave it entirely upto him to write whatever he wants. Ask him what you want to include in your recommendation. Ask him to include things that might help you improve you chances to get into specific B school. Different B schools may need different recommendations.
Also, it would be better if you take GMAT once more and see if you can score higher.
Best of luck
Still you have hope. You can see interview of an Indian gal on GMATClub Youtube who got into LBS inspite of low GMAT score of 670 or something. You can take inspiration from her and start focussing on your application and other extracurricular activities. These have higher weightage than GMAT score. Also, hire a consultant to work with you on your application. They have the proper experience needed to guide you to make a good application. Apart from this, you will need awesome recommendations from people you know. It doesnt need to come from very top level officer. Just someone who has supervised you and is ready to write great recommendation will do. Also, do not leave it entirely upto him to write whatever he wants. Ask him what you want to include in your recommendation. Ask him to include things that might help you improve you chances to get into specific B school. Different B schools may need different recommendations.
Also, it would be better if you take GMAT once more and see if you can score higher.
Best of luck
03 May 2022, 23:36
Kudos
Bookmarks
Hello and thanks for your post. Always nice to hear from someone who, like me, attended University of Michigan!
The application process is truly holistic, and committees will look at your stats (GPA and GMAT), work experience, and extracurriculars.
Your GPA is decent, so that is a good start. It is slightly below the average of the target schools to listed, but it is close, and the fact that it was in Industrial Engineering should not take too much away from your GPA. Your GMAT of 690 is good too, though I would have liked to see it a bit higher, especially to make up for a slightly below GPA. So to answer your second question here – I do think 20 points can make a difference. I would encourage you to retake the exam, but only if you feel strongly that you could go up by 20 or more points. It is still only May, so you have the time for 1-2 more GMAT tests, before going full speed on your applications. You have nothing to lose since schools will only look at your highest score. And even a slight increase can boost your profile. If you don’t end up taking the GMAT again - or not scoring well - you may still want to illustrate to the schools that you have the academic ability to succeed in the classroom. You could showcase your quant ability in your resume, your recommenders could do the same in their recommendations, or you could even take a supplemental course such as stats or calculus. You may have the time for that as well - but you will certainly be busy!
It is hard to gauge your work experience without knowing your accomplishments and impact you have made there. It is nice to see that you have already been promoted. It’s important to show you have made an impact and demonstrated leadership at work. 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. Product management is a good goal – but you’ll need to be more specific than what you have mentioned here.
Regarding extracurriculars, make sure to really emphasize your leadership roles you have taken on. Over the next few months, ideally you can make some progress on your non-profit and show its impact.
If you continue to strengthen your profile, 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 suggest applying to several schools, including reach, target and safety. If you put together a really strong application, that executes all aspects very well, I do think you have a chance, especially at Haas, Ross, Fuqua and Anderson. Doing slightly better on your GMAT can help, and it will make a school like HBS more realistic too. Keep in mind that while the GMAT is important, you essays/resume/recommendation letters are even more important. But given it is only May, I feel you have time to give the GMAT another try, and then still apply to 5 or so schools in Round 1. 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 decent, so that is a good start. It is slightly below the average of the target schools to listed, but it is close, and the fact that it was in Industrial Engineering should not take too much away from your GPA. Your GMAT of 690 is good too, though I would have liked to see it a bit higher, especially to make up for a slightly below GPA. So to answer your second question here – I do think 20 points can make a difference. I would encourage you to retake the exam, but only if you feel strongly that you could go up by 20 or more points. It is still only May, so you have the time for 1-2 more GMAT tests, before going full speed on your applications. You have nothing to lose since schools will only look at your highest score. And even a slight increase can boost your profile. If you don’t end up taking the GMAT again - or not scoring well - you may still want to illustrate to the schools that you have the academic ability to succeed in the classroom. You could showcase your quant ability in your resume, your recommenders could do the same in their recommendations, or you could even take a supplemental course such as stats or calculus. You may have the time for that as well - but you will certainly be busy!
It is hard to gauge your work experience without knowing your accomplishments and impact you have made there. It is nice to see that you have already been promoted. It’s important to show you have made an impact and demonstrated leadership at work. 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. Product management is a good goal – but you’ll need to be more specific than what you have mentioned here.
Regarding extracurriculars, make sure to really emphasize your leadership roles you have taken on. Over the next few months, ideally you can make some progress on your non-profit and show its impact.
If you continue to strengthen your profile, 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 suggest applying to several schools, including reach, target and safety. If you put together a really strong application, that executes all aspects very well, I do think you have a chance, especially at Haas, Ross, Fuqua and Anderson. Doing slightly better on your GMAT can help, and it will make a school like HBS more realistic too. Keep in mind that while the GMAT is important, you essays/resume/recommendation letters are even more important. But given it is only May, I feel you have time to give the GMAT another try, and then still apply to 5 or so schools in Round 1. 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!
