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May 2110:00 AM EDT
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Most candidates submit a resume built for a recruiter. Admissions committees are reading for something else entirely. This session covers what adcoms actually evaluate, where strong candidates lose ground before a single essay is written, and why...
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Alpha90
Joined: 14 Dec 2013
Last visit: 11 Jan 2016
Posts: 6
Own Kudos:
Location: United States
Schools: Goizueta '17 Yale '17 Duke '17 McDonough '16
WE:Project Management (Computer Software)
16 Dec 2013, 09:15
Kudos
Bookmarks
Hello all,
Like many b-school underdogs, my undergraduate record is less than stellar. The weakest point first: I received a BA in Philosophy from a large, undistinguished state university with a cumulative GPA of 2.7. I floundered around a bit in undergrad, unable to commit to a major. As a result, I received many low grades in introductory courses throughout the early years of college in a variety of fields. While my trajectory was positive in my latter years of undergrad, it was not miraculously so.
The strong points: while I have not yet taken the GMAT, my practice tests are all in the middle 700's, so I expect to score about 720. The reason for my low undergrad grades is this: when the American recession hit in 2008, I was just beginning college. My parents were particularly hard-hit by it, and I was forced to get several jobs (full-time and part-time simultaneously) to support them and myself. Throughout college, I worked 50+ hours/week, pulling graveyard shifts at a hospital and daytime work at an e-learning software company. I was promoted quickly from QA analyst to project manager to production manager, and I now have 10 direct reports. I'm presently 23 years old, 1 year out of college, with 4 years of work experience. I hold the PMP certification from PMI. Finally, I was partially responsible for the acquisition of and am presently personally managing implementation of multimillion dollar pilot project to supply the entire math education curriculum of an African nation (and will be subsequently publishing a whitepaper on this subject).
I realize that my major and GPA are very weak and I lack a history of community service. I'm almost not sure about the positive impact that being a star performer at a relatively small (<50 employees) company will have.
I hope, however, that my story, GMAT, and work history will make me competitive at a few good schools. I'm aiming at some American universities such as Emory, Georgia Tech, Columbia, and NYU (as I hear Columbia and NYU are less interested in GPA than they are in GMAT), but also some international such as IESE as I have family in Spain and would like the exposure to international business. My primary career interests are in strategy and MC.
I'm currently weighing applying for 2014 admission or waiting another year for a strengthened application. So, my questions are these:
1) Would I be a candidate for top 50 schools?
2) Should I develop an alternative transcript to display my academic ability?
3) Should I try applying this year or would waiting another year increase my odds of acceptance at a good school?
Like many b-school underdogs, my undergraduate record is less than stellar. The weakest point first: I received a BA in Philosophy from a large, undistinguished state university with a cumulative GPA of 2.7. I floundered around a bit in undergrad, unable to commit to a major. As a result, I received many low grades in introductory courses throughout the early years of college in a variety of fields. While my trajectory was positive in my latter years of undergrad, it was not miraculously so.
The strong points: while I have not yet taken the GMAT, my practice tests are all in the middle 700's, so I expect to score about 720. The reason for my low undergrad grades is this: when the American recession hit in 2008, I was just beginning college. My parents were particularly hard-hit by it, and I was forced to get several jobs (full-time and part-time simultaneously) to support them and myself. Throughout college, I worked 50+ hours/week, pulling graveyard shifts at a hospital and daytime work at an e-learning software company. I was promoted quickly from QA analyst to project manager to production manager, and I now have 10 direct reports. I'm presently 23 years old, 1 year out of college, with 4 years of work experience. I hold the PMP certification from PMI. Finally, I was partially responsible for the acquisition of and am presently personally managing implementation of multimillion dollar pilot project to supply the entire math education curriculum of an African nation (and will be subsequently publishing a whitepaper on this subject).
I realize that my major and GPA are very weak and I lack a history of community service. I'm almost not sure about the positive impact that being a star performer at a relatively small (<50 employees) company will have.
I hope, however, that my story, GMAT, and work history will make me competitive at a few good schools. I'm aiming at some American universities such as Emory, Georgia Tech, Columbia, and NYU (as I hear Columbia and NYU are less interested in GPA than they are in GMAT), but also some international such as IESE as I have family in Spain and would like the exposure to international business. My primary career interests are in strategy and MC.
I'm currently weighing applying for 2014 admission or waiting another year for a strengthened application. So, my questions are these:
1) Would I be a candidate for top 50 schools?
2) Should I develop an alternative transcript to display my academic ability?
3) Should I try applying this year or would waiting another year increase my odds of acceptance at a good school?
17 Dec 2013, 08:39
Kudos
Bookmarks
Alpha90
Hey dude,
First of all, I totally agree that you have a fantastic story, even if your grades are a bit crappy… But you can totally make up for it with story. Maybe not for Wharton, but maybe yes for almost any other school.
The only thing that doesn't exactly fit is that from the perspective of MBA programs you don't have four years of experience but only one. They don't count anything before or during college. I mean, you CAN of course use your experience for stories and so on, but still they pretty much all explicitly indicate that you count your work experience from after graduation.
So the first question is whether you want to wait one full year more before you apply (in 2015). You will still have chances to apply in 2014, but less than you would if you were to wait a bit.
Finally, in order to make your story fly, and convince that you are really capable of fantastic academic performance despite your grades, the GMAT is (as you can guess) CRITICAL. Get that 720 and you have done half the work!
So good luck on your test! And let me know if you have anything else.
Alpha90
Joined: 14 Dec 2013
Last visit: 11 Jan 2016
Posts: 6
Own Kudos:
Location: United States
Schools: Goizueta '17 Yale '17 Duke '17 McDonough '16
WE:Project Management (Computer Software)
17 Dec 2013, 14:22
Kudos
Bookmarks
JonAdmissionado
Thanks so much for taking the time to review and comment! You can imagine what a relief it is for someone whose GPA is so bad to hear that they have a chance at a good program.
Thanks for sharing that bit about experience with me, I hadn't known that. That certainly puts a new spin on things! Based on that, it seems like my best bet is simply to wait until 2015. There's really no rush, and I want to get this right (and, as you mentioned, really nail the GMAT!). Thanks again for taking the time, I really appreciate it.
