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Troy39
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Profile Review 09 Mar 2019, 16:28
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Hello:

I plan to apply to business school in the fall of 2019. I've taken the GMAT and plan to re-take in a month, though based on my work schedule, I would be surprised if my next attempt is more than ~20 points higher.

GMAT: 710 (Q44 / V42 / IR8)
GPA: 3.7 (decent regional university, not nationally well-known)
Major: Accounting
Age / Gender / Nationality: 29 / Male / American

Work Experience (at matriculation):
- 2 years - Big 4 accounting (currently a CPA)
- 3 years - investment banking; promoted to Associate in 2 years (regional bank)
- 2.5 years - pre-MBA private equity associate; lower middle market fund (<$1 billion)

EC: pretty involved in a number of different organizations in college and post-college, though no meaningful leadership positions due to time constraints from work; currently involved in a group that mentors inter-city high school kids to help them get into college (1.5 hours every weekend during school year - have done this for ~2 years)

Think I can spin a pretty decent story in essays / application coming from an average accounting job out of undergrad and now working for a well-respected private equity firm. The VPs and MPs at my firm have MBAs from schools like Northwestern / Booth / Columbia

My goal would be to return to middle-market PE upon graduation.

Target schools: Wharton, Northwestern, Booth, Columbia, NYU

Thanks for reviewing my profile. Open to any suggestions on schools to target and ways to improve my profile over the next 6 or so months before applying. Planning on hiring a consultant in a few months to help with applications / process.
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TheIvyLeagueEdge
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GMAT 1: 740 Q47 V44
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Profile Review 10 Mar 2019, 00:01
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Generally speaking PE roles are not easily available for Immigrants within the US.

Can chat in detail, and answer your questions over a calL and free profile review.

PM your details or call

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Profile Review 10 Mar 2019, 14:56
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Troy39
Hello:

I plan to apply to business school in the fall of 2019. I've taken the GMAT and plan to re-take in a month, though based on my work schedule, I would be surprised if my next attempt is more than ~20 points higher.

GMAT: 710 (Q44 / V42 / IR8)
GPA: 3.7 (decent regional university, not nationally well-known)
Major: Accounting
Age / Gender / Nationality: 29 / Male / American

Work Experience (at matriculation):
- 2 years - Big 4 accounting (currently a CPA)
- 3 years - investment banking; promoted to Associate in 2 years (regional bank)
- 2.5 years - pre-MBA private equity associate; lower middle market fund (<$1 billion)

EC: pretty involved in a number of different organizations in college and post-college, though no meaningful leadership positions due to time constraints from work; currently involved in a group that mentors inter-city high school kids to help them get into college (1.5 hours every weekend during school year - have done this for ~2 years)

Think I can spin a pretty decent story in essays / application coming from an average accounting job out of undergrad and now working for a well-respected private equity firm. The VPs and MPs at my firm have MBAs from schools like Northwestern / Booth / Columbia

My goal would be to return to middle-market PE upon graduation.

Target schools: Wharton, Northwestern, Booth, Columbia, NYU

Thanks for reviewing my profile. Open to any suggestions on schools to target and ways to improve my profile over the next 6 or so months before applying. Planning on hiring a consultant in a few months to help with applications / process.

Hi Troy,

Thanks for posting! You've got a solid work history and great progression in your career. I could see you doing very well at a number of schools.

That being said, to be more competitive at the schools you have listed, I'd like to see a GMAT closer to 730-740. In your case, it can be achieved by getting the quant to 47/48. 44Q is a touch on the low side despite a solid overall score. Do you have to take it in a month or can you give yourself a longer runway?

At this point, your goals (apart from the GMAT) would be to identify and speak with your recommenders and to do a bit of research on which schools send people in private equity and what percentage go into it. You could look at Yale as a potential add as well as Duke (if you wouldn't mind doing PE in the southeast).

Shoot me an e-mail at scott@personalmbacoach.com if you want to chat more about your candidacy. It seems like you've got a fairly good grasp on the process thus far and let's see if I can help going forward.

Regards,
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Profile Review 10 Mar 2019, 21:49
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A few more reflections on your profile and plan Troy39:
  1. The career arc is definitely the star of your candidature. The transitions, as you have noted, will make for a solid story. It will be good to know the type of PE brands we are talking about though. Also, any career progression within the PE space?
  2. The GPA is good though the brand isn't there. That means working a bit overtime on the GMAT to bring that additional sheen on the academic front. A 740+ score may give you that additional push which currently might be a bit amiss due to lack of some brands.
  3. The ECs sound adequate. Instead of time, think about how you'll articulate and bring out the impact of your work and also, how that weaves into the overall story. 6 month is a short period, but if you've been associated with them for a while, see if you can overreach on this aspect by doing a few events/projects where you do take up leadership roles. While the transitions you've had our great, a possible flipside to that could be lack of professional leadership experience (?) which many of your colleagues from accounting and/or ib workplaces may have. Think about how you'll convince the adcom about your leadership potential.

Hope this helps some.

Cheers,
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Troy39
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Profile Review 23 Jun 2019, 06:44
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I appreciate the feedback received on my profile. I've followed the advice received here and retook the GMAT. I improved my total score to 730. However, my split was even more lopsided - Quant 43 and Verbal 47.

I've taken the GMAT 4 times already, and my highest Quant score was 45 (though I canceled that score because my total score was 710). I do not have the time to retake again.

Would the low Quant score be a deal breaker in my case? I received a 3.9 GPA on my accounting and business classes in undergrad, passed the CPA exam, and worked in investment banking and private equity -- so my thought is there should be enough there to suggest my quant score isn't an issue, but I would love to hear your thoughts.

Thanks!
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MG4MBACrystalBall
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Profile Review 23 Jun 2019, 07:57
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Troy39, while schools do look at the breakup, the overall score takes precedence. Plus, given your good standing in other areas as you mentioned, it would definitely not be a deal breaker. Moreover, you've done it multiple times, time to move forward with rest of the applications - full steam ahead.

Cheers,
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Profile Review 05 Jul 2019, 02:13
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Hi Troy39, congrats on increasing your score. Yes, it does help that you are a CPA. In your applications, use the optional essay to make your case on the quant side of things: Call out the A grades in quant subjects (math, stats, etc), the rigor required for the CPA, and the numeracy required by your work. I will say, I would also invest the 12-15 hours in doing MBA Math if I were you. The website is janky but admissions factors this in. If completing this now would really cut into your apps, make a note that you will be completing the program soon (give them a date that is 2 weeks after your last application deadline.)

Troy39
I appreciate the feedback received on my profile. I've followed the advice received here and retook the GMAT. I improved my total score to 730. However, my split was even more lopsided - Quant 43 and Verbal 47.

I've taken the GMAT 4 times already, and my highest Quant score was 45 (though I canceled that score because my total score was 710). I do not have the time to retake again.

Would the low Quant score be a deal breaker in my case? I received a 3.9 GPA on my accounting and business classes in undergrad, passed the CPA exam, and worked in investment banking and private equity -- so my thought is there should be enough there to suggest my quant score isn't an issue, but I would love to hear your thoughts.

Thanks!
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Profile Review 13 Jul 2019, 16:28
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Congrats on the 730, that’s a tough score and puts you in play for your schools. It’s unfortunate that so many finance applicants will be even higher.

Take your shots, you only need to hit one. I think someone on your list will go for this, reason being they probably look at the work history and think you actually will get hired by a PE firm.

I’d add one safety school.

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