Profile Review

Question

Personal Information: 
White/Male
Age: 22
GMAT: 700 (Q49, V38)

Undergraduate: 
Bachelors in Chemical Engineering from Clemson University, GPA 3.1

Work Experience: 
-1 year with Fraenkische USA as an Application Engineer. I head up new product evalutations for the corrugated plastic tubing company Fraenkische Industrial Pipes' USA division in Anderson, SC. I also run the logistics and efficiency studies of our newly implimented assembly process for fuel tank lines for use in BMW's engines. I am also leading a project to decomission one of our older corregation lines while desing replacement parts for all customers who currently receive parts from this machine. Finally, I am in charge of all of the environmental impacts from our plant as well as handling supplier quality issues.
-1 summer internship (don't know if this counts or I should include it, but will tell you all I have to offer) with Controls Southeast, Inc in Pineville, NC. I worked as a junior project manager for the steam solutions company, abbreviated CSI, assisting the PMAs with bill of material analyses, energy consumption studies for clients, and research into insulation solutions.

Extra Curricular/Honors: 
- Calhoun Honors College at Clemson University
- Receipient of two scholarships at Clemson (Women's Trustees Board Scholarship and another I do not recall the name of, but it was an out-of-state waiver since I am originally from Atlanta, GA)
- 4 year member in Alpha Lambda Delta honors fraternity
- 3 year member of Clemson TigerBand (marching band - Mellophone)
- 2 year member of Clemson Pep Band
- 3 year member of Clemson Symphony Orchestra (French Horn)
- Team leader for senior design project dealing with the design and implimentation of a fat rendering plant turning low grade tallow (animal fats) into a profitable good (Polyolesters, a form of high temperature industrial lubricants). As team leader, I conducted all of the project planning, supervision, and management while still pulling (more than, to be honest) my equal share in the project.

Target Schools: 
University of Connecticut School of Business

Post MBA: 
I want to work in upper-management at a manfucaturing company either as a plant manager or as a regional manager. I enjoy thinking of logistics and feasibility of things and would love to see that maximized in my future career.

bryantmichaels · Answer

Thanks for your post. What i like most about it is that it's unique. Unique is good, because unique applications get remembered, which is a big step towards admission. The fact that you are coming in with below average time on the job may be a sticking point, but it sounds like you have a lot of responsibility and if you truly are "heading up" part of the operation, then I assume you have been promoted from where you started, always a good sign. The key will be whether or not you can, in a mature way, relate your work experience to the adcom in a way that communicates value to your classmates and to potential recruiters. i like that your post MBA vision seems to stem logically from what you are currently doing. Those who figure out early where they want to go can make a more belivable case for admission with shorter amount of WE. You simply got your act together early, exhibited leadership and rapidly put yourself in the situation of needing the MBA before perhaps other applicants did. if you can convince them you're ready, you will offer something to your classmates, and you have a good shot at achieveing a well articulated goal after b-school, you definitely have a good shot at a top 10 school--yes, I said top 10. I think you are aiming too low with your school choice and encourage you to go to as good a school as you can get into. Even though Clemson is not in the top 10 and your GPA was not Magna cum Laude, the fact that you were Chem E major and have a 700 GMAT should still get you farther than Connecticut School of Business. Not saying it's a bad school--in fact, you would likely learn all you need to from there or any other accredited school. I am just saying that your b-school stays with you forever, and is typically a terminal degree (translation= you will likely never go to school again once you get the MBA). So the better known the school and the better its reputation, the more likely you will have a world-reaching network and world-class opportunities.

pitpit · Answer

Thank you for your reply! I am happy to hear some confidence in my B-school profile as I am becoming more and more worried by my "limited" WE. I, do, however think that because I am a part of a small front office team (about 10 employees front office, ~50 total in Anderson) that I am given the opportunity to take on several different challenges in my current position. I often find myself describing my job role as more of a "fill in the blanks engineer" than an Application Engineer per se. Wherever there was clearly something lacking, I have been there to pick it up. I've been given the ability to be creative when starting our assembly on site with layouts and additional tooling; I've gotten to work with our financing department in identifying trends in wrong payments from customers; I've been able to work as our IT person, graphic design/civil engineer in preparing and designing a company sign for our front lawn, and I've been able to identify required work times/personnel to maximize our output in our assembly team. Clearly, I think I am ready to take on B-school and think I have a lot to add as with both my full time position as well as my internship, I have been allowed to see the big picture of both companies (i.e. having my hand in a lot of different pots) and therefore I believe I have more insight than an engineer who has simply sat in front of a computer screen cranking out CAD drawings all day.

Again, I really appreciate your insight. In moving forward with my application(s) to B-schools, I know you said I should stress my maturity and leadership, but do you have any other advice in preparing my essays and personal statement? Thank you!

Again, I really appreciate your insight. In moving forward with my application(s) to B-schools, I know you said I should stress my maturity and leadership, but do you have any other advice in preparing my essays and personal statement? Thank you!

bryantmichaels · Answer

One trick of the trade is to identify and inoculate any obvious hurdles. For example, since we agree that your WE may be interpreted as light, you can simply identify the obvious and then go about eradicating the objection by emphasizing the extended responsibility you have had leading teams and projects, beyond what would normally be expected of the typical engineer in the typical large company. Get them believing that you are unique and you are on the road to differentiation, which is a key to acceptance. Let us know if we can be of service in honing your story and crafting your applications to maximize your chances.

Profile Review

Prep Toolkit

Top 5 GMAT Debrief Videos

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards