Hi, and thanks for writing! I love the determination that you showed in building your finance career. I also admire your consistent involvement in the community.
Regarding academics -definitely address your GPA in the Optional Essay, in a way that shows ownership and responsibility while explaining the extenuating circumstances that shaped your path. In order to help offset this GPA and to be more competitive for the schools that you're targeting, retake the GMAT for minimum of 720, targeting a 46+ quant. I think that CBS will be quite the reach, but it'll help if you apply Early Decision. Johnson is the most accessible, but you'll still want to make sure that you improve the GMAT for it.
Regarding your career goals: equity research could make sense given your background, so look into that as well as investment management. As for consulting firms, they are sometimes known to ask for GMAT scores - and in any case, you'll really want to explain the motivations behind this (or any other) goal and the transferrable skills you bring to it. Tech strategy roles generally require prior management consulting experience.
I hope that helps a bit!
sf3 wrote:
Hello,
Thank you in advance for taking the time to review my profile!
I plan on applying to a full-time business school program this fall, and I would like know if I have a competitive enough profile for the programs I am interested. Specifically, I have some issues with my undergraduate GPA, and I am unsure of my GPA paired with my GMAT score automatically disqualify me from consideration.
In terms of my background information:
- Demographics - white male
- Education - liberal arts school (non-target) with B.A. in Economics. Due to some issues during my time at school, I had to take many classes at alternative institutions, from Baruch College to Columbia. My GPA was sub 3.0, however, due to the fact that I took courses at other institutions, the grade points for those classes did not translate back to my main school. For example, even thought I got a B- in my 300 level Econ course at Columbia, the course work only transitioned to my primary institution as pass/fail and did not supersede my previous course mark at my main school.
- Other coursework or post-undergraduate education - As stated above, I took many classes outside of my primary academic institution in which I did very well. Unfortunately the grades did not transfer back which resulted in a low undergraduate GPA. Additionally, I have passed CFA Level 1 and plan on taking CFA Level 2 either Fall 2020 or Spring 2021.
- GMAT or GRE (include section breakdown) - 660, Q39, V41
· Work experience (highlight amount of work experience, industries, roles, promotions, special accomplishments, international exposure): I have a very interested professional career which has taken me from a retail sales position at Lord and Taylor (fine jewelry) to a Defined Contribution Investment Only Client Associate at large asset manager in NYC. I worked at Lord and Taylor part time when I first graduated college because it took me a few months to land my first job. Rather than just applying and interviewing endlessly, the time came for me to make some money while continuing to pursue a career in finance. In order to make myself more competitive, I took the Series 63, which is one of the licensing exams for the financial industry. Most folks who take this exam are sponsored by the firm that they work for, so this was an opportunity to show a future employer that I was a capable candidate. I passed with a score in the mid 80s. Fortunately, within a couple of months of working at Lord and Taylor, I was able to take a job with Fidelity Investment at their office in New Hampshire. This was a tough transition for me as all of my family and friends reside in NY, NJ, CT. The first task was to pass the Series 7 (another licensing exam), and I scored a 90. After the licensing phase, I initially worked as a Financial Representative before being promoted to a High Net Worth/International Trading team. The movement from role A to role B occurred within 6-9 months. After spending about 18 months in New Hampshire, proving that I could succeed in a competitive environment while living on my own, I decided it was time to transition back to NY. I interviewed for a Financial Representative job with Fidelity Investments at one of their NYC locations. This position was quite different from the New Hampshire role because I would now be dealing with clients in a face to face capacity. Within 12-18 months of working as Financial Representative, I was promoted to Relationship Manager (RM). I served as an RM for about 9-12 months before deciding to get closer to the investment management part of the financial industry as oppose to the financial advisory side of the business. Today I work as a Defined Contribution Investment Only Client Associate at a well-known asset manger in NYC where I am responsible for client engagement across the Northeast and Southeast parts of the country. I was recently considered for a promotion but had to decline an interview because of the personal circumstances of my wife (required to work in NJ for the next 3 years). The interview was for a job in Boston and the hiring manager was looking for someone who could relocate.
· Extracurricular activities (highlight notable undergraduate and post-undergraduate ones) - Undergraduate: Rugby, Dining Committee (responsible for decisions about food halls on campus), Soup Kitchen Volunteer, El Centro Volunteer, Intramural Soccer and Basketball. Post-Undergraduate: 3 half ironman finishes (Bronze All World Athlete (top 10%) in my age group for 2016 and 2017), Intramural Basketball, Softball, Captain for Celebration with Service in 2019 and 2020 (cancelled) at the Guidance Center for Westchester, Elementary School Class Ambassador, High School Reunion Coordinator, "Going Green" Initiative Leader at Fidelity Flatiron (leader for brainstorming ideas to reduce waste and provided re-usable cups to the team), Member of Planning Team at Fidelity Investments in New Hampshire (weekly meeting to discuss what is/ is not working), "Jurrien Timmer Market Update" Organizer (organized event for 100+ people at Fidelity Flatiron and recruited Jurrien Timmer, Director of Global Macro at Fidelity to speak), "Weekly Call Series" Creator at my current company (ran point on creating and designing a training program with peers and manager to further the financial knowledge of myself and my teammates - series is currently live), Boys and Girls Club of Nashua Volunteer (volunteered to help with Lego robotics competition)
· Post-MBA goals: I currently work in a sales role and would like to pivot my career to something more strategy based. Consulting appeals to me, but that may be a long shot given my low quant score and the travel component of the role- would love your feedback. Otherwise, I could see myself staying in finance but working in a more analytical role (equity research) or pivoting to the tech sector in some sort of corporate strategy role. I understand that knowing post-MBA goals is critical, however, I am still evaluating what career may best suit me.
· Target schools - Stern, CBS, Cornell Johnson
· Other information relevant to your profile - As mentioned, I believe my GPA is a major concern, but I feel as though my relevant coursework at other institutions shows that I am capable of performing at a high level even thought that data doesn't carry over to my official transcript.
· Any specific questions you would like answered by our team - Do I have the profile to get me into one of my top choices? Depending the answer, what aspects of my profile need to be improved?
Thanks,
SF
_________________
Nisha Trivedi
mbaMission Senior Admissions Consultant
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