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Planet, you are right there is definitely a bias on this website but that is somewhat to be expected. The people who are motivated enough to spend time on a website like GMATClub are going to be the same type of people who are motivated to constantly do their best and shoot for the top. Certainly there are exceptions but most on this forum are expecting GMAT scores well above 700 and are looking for every bit of info that can help them get into the elite schools.

You mentioned age but if you do the research you will find the average age here is far more representative of schools than yours. The average work experience at most full time programs is 5 years so at 15 you will actually be the outlier. Not that that is bad, just making sure you are aware. Everybody has their own priorities but I think most would argue that you won't hurt your future by going to the best school you can attend. If you know exactly where you want to live and what you want to do then the regionality and specific focus of lower ranked schools could be more important. But if you are switching careers our a little unsure then going to a top program will open more doors with your network.

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mappleby
Everybody has their own priorities but I think most would argue that you won't hurt your future by going to the best school you can attend.


I agree with this, but I think what planet is saying is that some of the younger people on this thread have a "top-ten" or bust mentality. If you apply to H/S/W, consider schools in the 11-20 range such as Duke/Ross/Darden etc. if you add Kellogg, Booth, Sloan, and CBS to your H/S/W apps, don't be shocked if you get dinged everywhere. Those schools all have acceptance rates 20% and lower. some of the smartest and accomplished people in the planet are your competition. If a school outside the top ten doesn't do it for you, then fine. But if the goal is to attend Bschool his fall, it's smart to hedge your bets and cast a net among the top 20 - especially when you consider that the same companies recruit at all these schools.
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Quote:
But if the goal is to attend Bschool his fall, it's smart to hedge your bets and cast a net among the top 20 - especially when you consider that the same companies recruit at all these schools.

Some interesting discussion wrt the job offers at M7 & top 10 vs top 11-25 schools
how-true-is-this-145644.html
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Quote:
But if the goal is to attend Bschool his fall, it's smart to hedge your bets and cast a net among the top 20 - especially when you consider that the same companies recruit at all these schools.

Some interesting discussion wrt the job offers at M7 & top 10 vs top 11-25 schools
how-true-is-this-145644.html

Difference is that thread discusses the differences between the tiers of schools (i.e. Booth vs. Darden). I'm comparing a top 15 or top 20 vs. not going to B-school at all (for people who only applied to top 8 schools and got dinged at them all).
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Dbalks
Sometimes its just more of a crapshoot than anything else.

I second this. There are limited seats at the top schools and you are competing against some of the smartest/ambitious people in the world.

I would also cast a wider net when selecting schools. I know it's a lot of work, but the reason I say this is because different Adcoms look for different things and it's just too tough to predict who will take whom. There are people that get accepted by HBS but dinged at Kellogg. Accepted by Tuck and dinged at Johnson. Find schools that will help you meet your career goals and do not apply to a school you would not ultimately happy be attending. Best of luck.
Probably the starngest would be when I saw someone in gmatclub accepted at Chicago Booth, dinged without interview at Texas A&M Mays...
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Probably the starngest would be when I saw someone in gmatclub accepted at Chicago Booth, dinged without interview at Texas A&M Mays...

Yeah, that's the most extreme case. But when you think about it, the Adcoms have been doing this awhile, and Mays may have just concluded that the applicant's profile and stats were much, much higher than their usual applicant pool and recognized that even offering a full-ride wouldn't be enough to sway the applicant, so dinging and moving on saved everybody time. Schools in the top 15 probably don't do this because there's always the possibility someone would choose say, Darden over Booth because of fit, but no one in their right mind will ever choose Mays over Booth because of a better fit. That's just nuts.
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MacFauz
Probably the starngest would be when I saw someone in gmatclub accepted at Chicago Booth, dinged without interview at Texas A&M Mays...

Yeah, that's the most extreme case. But when you think about it, the Adcoms have been doing this awhile, and Mays may have just concluded that the applicant's profile and stats were much, much higher than their usual applicant pool and recognized that even offering a full-ride wouldn't be enough to sway the applicant, so dinging and moving on saved everybody time. Schools in the top 15 probably don't do this because there's always the possibility someone would choose say, Darden over Booth because of fit, but no one in their right mind will ever choose Mays over Booth because of a better fit. That's just nuts.
Right. Plus, realistically, some schools practice yield protection. In the example above, what does Mays have to gain by offering up a spot to someone who will matriculate elsewhere, therefore hurting their yield (and their rankings)?
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kmcduw

Looks like I'll be in this club for the second year in a row unless Sloan works out.

Age/Gender: 25/M
GMAT Score/GPA : 760/3.71
Work Experience: Public Accounting (audit) / 3yrs
Location: Seattle, WA
Schools applied to: Harvard, Tuck, Stern, Haas (2014), Tuck, Stanford, Wharton, Columbia, Sloan (2015)
Any consulting services used: Yes, Stacy Blackman
#Interviews: 2 (both 2015, 1 by invitation, 1 self-initiated)
#WL: 0

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Which ding hurt the most and why? Tuck. I was encouraged to reapply via a feedback offer, accomplished most of the tasks, spent $$ flying across the country to visit, and I was a legacy applicant.
Why the lack of success? Not sure. Poor interview (redeye from Seattle doesn't help) maybe? Lack of international experience? Addressed the feedback call items pretty well.
What next? Continue being a slave in an industry I don't like, I guess.

I can definitely relate with your desire to get out of audit. I spent three busy seasons as a Big Four auditor and realized that I most definitely did not want to do anything related to accounting for the rest of my career. Unfortunately, as I'm sure you're aware, the majority of the exit opportunities for someone in public accounting revolve around accounting, financial reporting, internal audit, etc. Fortunately, I was able to transfer over to one of our Advisory groups and will have been there for about 1.5 years by the time I head off to b-school. I would highly recommend looking into a transfer if that is available to you. The work is definitely more interesting (for me), the hours are better, and you can use it to show the AdCom that you are driven to continuously challenge yourself. Just my two cents.
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As of now, i'm in the club. I'm on four waitlists--Yale, Sloan, Tuck & Kellogg. Hopefully, luck will turn in my favor.
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Age/Gender: 27 - Male
GMAT Score/GPA : 740 (46V, 45Q, 6AW, 4IR) - 3.53
Work Experience: [industry/years] Systems Integration Consulting at Accenture - 5 years
Location: Minneapolis
Schools applied to: Harvard, Sloan, Booth, Kellogg
Any consulting services used: [Yes/NO, Who?] Yes, Amerasia
#Interviews: Kellogg
#WL: 1 - Sloan

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Which ding hurt the most and why? Booth - I didn't get an interview.
Why the lack of success? Unsure
What next? Unsure
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In the club as of now. Applied to three schools- got dinged without interview at two places, waitlisted with interview at one school. Somewhat optimistic I can get off the WL as I'm going to convince them as best as I can that I'm going if I get in (which I'm obviously hoping for).
But even if I don't, I still feel I've learned a lot from the experience applying this time around, and I'll surely be better when I decide to make another run at it. I'm an early career applicant (~2 years WE) so I feel with a few more years I should be more competitive.
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jense688
Age/Gender: 27 - Male
GMAT Score/GPA : 740 (46V, 45Q, 6AW, 4IR) - 3.53
Work Experience: [industry/years] Systems Integration Consulting at Accenture - 5 years
Location: Minneapolis
Schools applied to: Harvard, Sloan, Booth, Kellogg
Any consulting services used: [Yes/NO, Who?] Yes, Amerasia
#Interviews: Kellogg
#WL: 1 - Sloan

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Which ding hurt the most and why? Booth - I didn't get an interview.
Why the lack of success? Unsure
What next? Unsure

It's frustrating. Are you working the Sloan waitlist? Are you from an over-represented group? do you have leadership experience on an off the job?

Obviously I can't even attempt to opine on why you weren't accepted without evaluating your app, but you may want to check out these pages which have resources for wailisted applicants as well as for applicants who may need to reapply:

* MBA Waitlist
* Accepted or Rejected: What to Do Next
* MBA Reapplicants

Don't give up!

Best,
Linda
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Age/Gender: 29 - Male (Asian American)
GMAT Score/GPA : 760 (50Q, 42V) - 3.3 from a top 15 university according to USNews
Work Experience: [industry/years] Software development/financial engineering - 5.5 years
Location: Boston
Schools applied to: Booth
Any consulting services used: [Yes/NO, Who?] No
#Interviews: Booth
#WL: 0

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Which ding hurt the most and why? Booth - It was the only school on my list because it is by far my top choice, and I devoted all of my efforts to their application.

Why the lack of success? I likely had a bad interview grade, and not much community/volunteering work.

What next? Will go through the fall 2013 application cycle, do some community work in something I'm passionate about, and dabble in mobile app development.

LBS, Booth, Wharton, CBS, Tuck are on my preliminary list of schools. Would appreciate any suggestions (especially if I'm aiming too high).
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Blax0r
Age/Gender: 29 - Male (Asian American)
GMAT Score/GPA : 760 (50Q, 42V) - 3.3 from a top 15 university according to USNews
Work Experience: [industry/years] Software development/financial engineering - 5.5 years
Location: Boston
Schools applied to: Booth
Any consulting services used: [Yes/NO, Who?] No
#Interviews: Booth
#WL: 0

Optional:
Which ding hurt the most and why? Booth - It was the only school on my list because it is by far my top choice, and I devoted all of my efforts to their application.

Why the lack of success? I likely had a bad interview grade, and not much community/volunteering work.

What next? Will go through the fall 2013 application cycle, do some community work in something I'm passionate about, and dabble in mobile app development.

LBS, Booth, Wharton, CBS, Tuck are on my preliminary list of schools. Would appreciate any suggestions (especially if I'm aiming too high).
I don't think you're aiming too high. I just think you made a mistake by putting all your eggs in one basket. Based on your list of schools for next season, it seems like you're interested in finance in NYC/Boston. If so, have you considere Darden, Johnson, and Yale? I believe all three place pretty well in IB and could help round out your list of schools.
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kingfalcon
I don't think you're aiming too high. I just think you made a mistake by putting all your eggs in one basket. Based on your list of schools for next season, it seems like you're interested in finance in NYC/Boston. If so, have you considere Darden, Johnson, and Yale? I believe all three place pretty well in IB and could help round out your list of schools.

Probably didn't help that I achieved my GMAT score a month before R2 apps were due (and I didn't start the process yet at that point).

Actually, there are a few specific companies and course-sets that I am looking for in an MBA. I am definitely more on the quant-side, and want a program where I can take hardcore math classes (Times Series Analysis is an indicator I use) as well as the other management/soft skills classes. Booth's curriculum fits this preference very well; they even offer linear programming. All but Tuck satisfies that condition, but Tuck happens to be a target school for most of the "non-bank/consulting" companies I would want to work for.

I was actually a masters student at Cornell 6-7 years ago, and saw their detailed employment report - it was not good. Hopefully things have changed since then, but there are other things about Johnson that I wouldn't want as an MBA student.

I will definitely look into Darden and Yale though; my initial impression of Yale was that its curriculum is very different from everyone else. Not sure if that's good or bad yet. Darden is a complete unknown to me, but its reputation is very strong.

Thank you for the support, and congrats on Sloan! I will definitely do a visit during the fall semester; maybe we can meet up!
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Blax0r
Age/Gender: 29 - Male (Asian American)
GMAT Score/GPA : 760 (50Q, 42V) - 3.3 from a top 15 university according to USNews
Work Experience: [industry/years] Software development/financial engineering - 5.5 years
Location: Boston
Schools applied to: Booth
Any consulting services used: [Yes/NO, Who?] No
#Interviews: Booth
#WL: 0

Optional:
Which ding hurt the most and why? Booth - It was the only school on my list because it is by far my top choice, and I devoted all of my efforts to their application.

Why the lack of success? I likely had a bad interview grade, and not much community/volunteering work.

What next? Will go through the fall 2013 application cycle, do some community work in something I'm passionate about, and dabble in mobile app development.

LBS, Booth, Wharton, CBS, Tuck are on my preliminary list of schools. Would appreciate any suggestions (especially if I'm aiming too high).
I don't think you're aiming too high. I just think you made a mistake by putting all your eggs in one basket. Based on your list of schools for next season, it seems like you're interested in finance in NYC/Boston. If so, have you considere Darden, Johnson, and Yale? I believe all three place pretty well in IB and could help round out your list of schools.

Probably didn't help that I achieved my GMAT score a month before R2 apps were due (and I didn't start the process yet at that point).

Actually, there are a few specific companies and course-sets that I am looking for in an MBA. I am definitely more on the quant-side, and want a program where I can take hardcore math classes (Times Series Analysis is an indicator I use) as well as the other management/soft skills classes. Booth's curriculum fits this preference very well; they even offer linear programming. All but Tuck satisfies that condition, but Tuck happens to be a target school for most of the "non-bank/consulting" companies I would want to work for.

I was actually a masters student at Cornell 6-7 years ago, and saw their detailed employment report - it was not good. Hopefully things have changed since then, but there are other things about Johnson that I wouldn't want as an MBA student.

I will definitely look into Darden and Yale though; my initial impression of Yale was that its curriculum is very different from everyone else. Not sure if that's good or bad yet. Darden is a complete unknown to me, but its reputation is very strong.

Thank you for the support, and congrats on Sloan! I will definitely do a visit during the fall semester; maybe we can meet up!

Yeah, I'd look at those schools + Sloan if I were you. Sloan is more quant-heavy as I'm sure you know, so that sounds like a good fit from a high-level perspective. Yale's curriculum is set-up really differently from other schools' but ultimately the content is more or less the same. There's still cases and lectures and whatnot, but instead of approaching business from a functional standpoint (finance, marketing, operations, etc), they approach it from a stakeholder perspective (customer, competitor, investor, etc). Hope that helps.
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aerien

Yeah, I'd look at those schools + Sloan if I were you. Sloan is more quant-heavy as I'm sure you know, so that sounds like a good fit from a high-level perspective. Yale's curriculum is set-up really differently from other schools' but ultimately the content is more or less the same. There's still cases and lectures and whatnot, but instead of approaching business from a functional standpoint (finance, marketing, operations, etc), they approach it from a stakeholder perspective (customer, competitor, investor, etc). Hope that helps.

I appreciate your opinion; I'm actually a little scared off by MIT. Two of their (much older) alumni work with me, and both are very unhappy with their career trajectory (financial engineering/analytics probably would suit a CS or MFE guy more). Obviously the sample is small and dated, but this seems to be an illustration of the "alumni network" and "career services" offered post graduation. However, I'll commit to educating myself more on the school.

Congrats on Yale SOM though! I have a lot of time to mull things over, and I won't discount any school.
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