Events & Promotions
|
|
GMAT Club Daily Prep
Thank you for using the timer - this advanced tool can estimate your performance and suggest more practice questions. We have subscribed you to Daily Prep Questions via email.
Customized
for You
Track
Your Progress
Practice
Pays
Not interested in getting valuable practice questions and articles delivered to your email? No problem, unsubscribe here.
Nov 2007:30 AM PST
-08:30 AM PST
Learn what truly sets the UC Riverside MBA apart and how it helps in your professional growth
Nov 2010:00 AM EST
-10:30 AM EST
If you’re applying to Columbia, NYU Stern, or Yale SOM, you need more than strong stats. Each school defines “leadership” differently, and your essays must reflect that. Join Sia Admissions founder, Susan Berishaj on November 20th
Nov 2009:00 PM IST
-10:00 PM IST
Join our free expert-led Essay Workshops to discover how to choose impactful stories, highlight your core values, and align your background with each school’s distinct culture, making every word truly count.
Nov 2108:30 AM EST
-09:15 AM EST
Get the inside scoop on what makes Emory’s Goizueta Business School great, learn how you can present a strong MBA application, and connect with an Admissions Director to get your questions answered.
Nov 2109:30 PM IST
-10:30 PM IST
Learn how to craft powerful, authentic essays by mastering the 3 “WHYs” every top MBA program looks for: Why MBA, Why Now, and Why This School.
Nov 2408:00 PM PST
-09:00 PM PST
Inquire for a free profile evaluation and guarantee statement for possible admits and scholarships!
09 Jan 2017, 18:34
Kudos
Bookmarks
I don't see many applicants like myself on these forums (or featured on schools' student profiles pages for that matter) so it's hard to know how within reach a decent MBA program is for me. A few quick facts:
Age (now and at matriculation): 27
Male, Caucasian, American
Applying in Round 3 (March/Feb rounds)
GMAT: Took full length computer adaptive practice test which estimated score between 720-770. ~85% quant and 95-100% verbal. Studying now for test in late Jan '17
Undergrad: Small liberal arts school in american southwest on the lower half of the top 100. Political Science. 3.63 GPA
The story of my professional life is a bit unconventional. I graduated in 2012 to a troubled economy and a very limited personal/professional network to tap into (Unlike my peers at undergrad, I come from really modest background). Having taken a couple classes on Chinese politics/society and having followed the rise of China closely in the news, I took a gamble and moved to an off-the-beaten-path city in China for a year of teaching English. My plan (I regarded it as more of a dream at that time) was to use this as a launching pad for an international sales career.
From here, I joined a media company based in Hong Kong. We produced country-branded business reports which were featured in the the most reputable local paper in the region. (Quite a big brand in Asia but, unfortunately, not well known at all in the states). My job was to spend 15 weeks in each country meeting directly with CEOs and marketing directors from firms of all sizes (blue chip to SME) and from all industries, selling them on buying article space in our country branded section. I consulted with each MD or CEO on how best to leverage the exposure to the very high level business audience of the newspaper. For instance, if we met with, say, a large international law firm in the UK, we would position the exposure as a way to invite partnerships with other complementary law firms in Asia as well as to attract corporate clients. This was a very dynamic role that involved deeply consultative sales as well as media production skills (as I also managed the production of each report through to publication). After about a year, I was promoted to the position of Project Manager and managed teams of 2-3 people in each country. During this time I lived in 6 different countries in Asia, Europe, and North America, spending 15 weeks in each.
After a little over two years, I hit a wall with this firm in terms of professional development (there was no higher position to be promoted to) and, frankly, traveling 100% of the time is tiring. From there, I pursued a more traditional media sales career and things went off the rails a bit. I worked for a very reputable british media brand (think Financial Times) in southeast asia. I managed a small sales territory for a small division of their overall business. It was not what I expected. The work was very mundane and repetitive and, worse, I wasn't learning anything. Despite the very valuable brand name, I left after only 6 months upon finding a more exciting position with a much less impressive international american media brand (the leading travel publication in the world) based in Thailand. In this, my current position, I manage advertising sales for a territory of 5 southeast Asian countries. Though I like this job, I can see the writing on the wall for this company. The great digital disruption has arrived in southeast Asia and I do not know if we are equipped to weather the storm.
Working for three media brands, each dealing with a rapidly and dramatically changing industry landscape in different ways, is what led me to pursue an MBA. I think I have a talent for corporate strategy and want the hard knowledge to back it up. My post-MBA goal is to find a strategy job in a large corporate or go directly into consulting. I'm intent on matriculating in 2017, which means applying in round 3
Here are the schools that I have in mind:
Johnson, Tepper, Foster, McCombs, Said (oxford), Judge (Cambridge), LBS (big reach?)
Would appreciate honest feedback. Do i have a decent shot this late in the game?
Thanks!
Age (now and at matriculation): 27
Male, Caucasian, American
Applying in Round 3 (March/Feb rounds)
GMAT: Took full length computer adaptive practice test which estimated score between 720-770. ~85% quant and 95-100% verbal. Studying now for test in late Jan '17
Undergrad: Small liberal arts school in american southwest on the lower half of the top 100. Political Science. 3.63 GPA
The story of my professional life is a bit unconventional. I graduated in 2012 to a troubled economy and a very limited personal/professional network to tap into (Unlike my peers at undergrad, I come from really modest background). Having taken a couple classes on Chinese politics/society and having followed the rise of China closely in the news, I took a gamble and moved to an off-the-beaten-path city in China for a year of teaching English. My plan (I regarded it as more of a dream at that time) was to use this as a launching pad for an international sales career.
From here, I joined a media company based in Hong Kong. We produced country-branded business reports which were featured in the the most reputable local paper in the region. (Quite a big brand in Asia but, unfortunately, not well known at all in the states). My job was to spend 15 weeks in each country meeting directly with CEOs and marketing directors from firms of all sizes (blue chip to SME) and from all industries, selling them on buying article space in our country branded section. I consulted with each MD or CEO on how best to leverage the exposure to the very high level business audience of the newspaper. For instance, if we met with, say, a large international law firm in the UK, we would position the exposure as a way to invite partnerships with other complementary law firms in Asia as well as to attract corporate clients. This was a very dynamic role that involved deeply consultative sales as well as media production skills (as I also managed the production of each report through to publication). After about a year, I was promoted to the position of Project Manager and managed teams of 2-3 people in each country. During this time I lived in 6 different countries in Asia, Europe, and North America, spending 15 weeks in each.
After a little over two years, I hit a wall with this firm in terms of professional development (there was no higher position to be promoted to) and, frankly, traveling 100% of the time is tiring. From there, I pursued a more traditional media sales career and things went off the rails a bit. I worked for a very reputable british media brand (think Financial Times) in southeast asia. I managed a small sales territory for a small division of their overall business. It was not what I expected. The work was very mundane and repetitive and, worse, I wasn't learning anything. Despite the very valuable brand name, I left after only 6 months upon finding a more exciting position with a much less impressive international american media brand (the leading travel publication in the world) based in Thailand. In this, my current position, I manage advertising sales for a territory of 5 southeast Asian countries. Though I like this job, I can see the writing on the wall for this company. The great digital disruption has arrived in southeast Asia and I do not know if we are equipped to weather the storm.
Working for three media brands, each dealing with a rapidly and dramatically changing industry landscape in different ways, is what led me to pursue an MBA. I think I have a talent for corporate strategy and want the hard knowledge to back it up. My post-MBA goal is to find a strategy job in a large corporate or go directly into consulting. I'm intent on matriculating in 2017, which means applying in round 3
Here are the schools that I have in mind:
Johnson, Tepper, Foster, McCombs, Said (oxford), Judge (Cambridge), LBS (big reach?)
Would appreciate honest feedback. Do i have a decent shot this late in the game?
Thanks!
11 Jan 2017, 03:19
Kudos
Bookmarks
Hello DVD0
Thanks for posting. Very interesting career path and really cool international experience. I think your challenge in telling this story is to tell it positively and purposefully. I know you may feel like the roles you took on didn't always match what you wanted, but in applying to b-schools, focus on what you DID get from each role.
I also recommend that you follow up once you have a real GMAT score in the bag. That will really help this discussion.
What I really like about your school selection is that you've already done what I would have suggested: put together a portfolio of schools...a couple of reach, a couple of target, a couple of safety. If we assume 720 and we've got that very nice 3.63 GPA, I think you have LBS/Oxford/Said in your reach bucket (mainly because of your unconventional work experience), Johnson/McCombs as targets, and maybe Foster and Tepper as safeties. Nice work.
My only big red flag is R3. R3 is really tough! And if you are not successful, you don't have that much time to show growth between R3 and R1. My suggestion is to hit the ground running instead in May/June when the new apps are posted and apply R1.
If I were you -- and I'm not obviously but let me live vicariously here -- I'd keep going with my current job til around May 15/June 1, then find myself a nice little apartment in Chiang Mai for the summer and focus on apps. Cost of living is cheap and the food is great too!
One school you might want to look at is Anderson. I've seen people like you with ~720 scores be successful there before.
All the best for your apps and stay in touch!
Krista
Thanks for posting. Very interesting career path and really cool international experience. I think your challenge in telling this story is to tell it positively and purposefully. I know you may feel like the roles you took on didn't always match what you wanted, but in applying to b-schools, focus on what you DID get from each role.
I also recommend that you follow up once you have a real GMAT score in the bag. That will really help this discussion.
What I really like about your school selection is that you've already done what I would have suggested: put together a portfolio of schools...a couple of reach, a couple of target, a couple of safety. If we assume 720 and we've got that very nice 3.63 GPA, I think you have LBS/Oxford/Said in your reach bucket (mainly because of your unconventional work experience), Johnson/McCombs as targets, and maybe Foster and Tepper as safeties. Nice work.
My only big red flag is R3. R3 is really tough! And if you are not successful, you don't have that much time to show growth between R3 and R1. My suggestion is to hit the ground running instead in May/June when the new apps are posted and apply R1.
If I were you -- and I'm not obviously but let me live vicariously here -- I'd keep going with my current job til around May 15/June 1, then find myself a nice little apartment in Chiang Mai for the summer and focus on apps. Cost of living is cheap and the food is great too!
One school you might want to look at is Anderson. I've seen people like you with ~720 scores be successful there before.
All the best for your apps and stay in touch!
Krista
01 Feb 2017, 02:32
Kudos
Bookmarks
Hi Krista,
Thanks so much for the thoughtful feedback. The point about framing my experience 'positively and purposefully' was particularly enlightening! Regarding R3, my current situation is such that, even with the increased difficulty and diminished chances, it makes the most sense for me to apply now. If my circumstances change, I will definitely pursue a R1 or R2 in the next cycle.
Update: I've taken the real GMAT. Total: 750 Q: 47, V: 46, IR: 8 (AWA pending)
I've also amended my list of schools a bit:
Kellogg, LBS, Judge, Said, Tepper, Johnson
Now that we have a fuller picture, would you say that any of the above are so much of a reach as to be a waste of time? Are there any good schools that I might be missing? (particularly those friendly to later applicants!) It's worth noting that I've decided to focus squarely on consulting as post MBA career.
Again, thanks so much!
Thanks so much for the thoughtful feedback. The point about framing my experience 'positively and purposefully' was particularly enlightening! Regarding R3, my current situation is such that, even with the increased difficulty and diminished chances, it makes the most sense for me to apply now. If my circumstances change, I will definitely pursue a R1 or R2 in the next cycle.
Update: I've taken the real GMAT. Total: 750 Q: 47, V: 46, IR: 8 (AWA pending)
I've also amended my list of schools a bit:
Kellogg, LBS, Judge, Said, Tepper, Johnson
Now that we have a fuller picture, would you say that any of the above are so much of a reach as to be a waste of time? Are there any good schools that I might be missing? (particularly those friendly to later applicants!) It's worth noting that I've decided to focus squarely on consulting as post MBA career.
Again, thanks so much!
