wluu19
Thanks in advance for any insight/advice!
Basics: 27, Asian male
Undergrad: 3.2 GPA, BS Finance and Econ, state public school (rank top 100, known of engineering but not a top school)
GMAT: 750
Extracurricular: Co-President of an Asian Culture club (social & cultural events, student advocacy), VP of Student Government, University Frat Council officer, greek representative for university committees (work with school admin), really involved in university affairs/student life during undergrad
Work experience: All finance work - 3 years at a private economic research firm managing grant applications, currently a financial manager for a non-profit research center (managing research budget, financial compliance, grant applications, performing analyses on center financials)
Dream Schools: HBS, Wharton, Yale, Tuck, Booth
Possibly realistic: Darden, Ross, Kenan-Flager
I think my GPA is my biggest weakness but hope that it can be offset by my GMAT. I was a bit too focused on being top dog in college, hence my involvement (and having a bunch of fraternity/leadership awards) and just didn't put the time into my classes. My post-college employer is decently known in the economic community but otherwise not a strong name. The research center I currently work with is affiliated with a few top academic institutions (including ivy league) but not sure how much that will help. I've enjoyed helping my bosses at work past my normal duties, especially in improving efficiency in managing budgets and general financial processes. I'm hoping to move into consulting with an MBA.
I have a few friends from college with much weaker stats and work experience that ended up at schools ranked between 15-25, so curious if I have a better shot at other schools.
Thanks for your post. I am really curious what non-profit research center you work for, so perhaps send me an email and we can chat further.
scott@personalmbacoach.com From what I see here, the realistic schools should be realistic with your profile. I would want to dive into the career transition and explore the story but I do think the realistic schools are good targets. Some of the dream schools could also be in the running but applying across a spectrum make sense for you. I also recommend looking at NYU and Duke. Good luck and I look forward to chatting.
Best,
Scott