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May 2008:00 AM PDT
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What’s in it for you- Live Profile Evaluation Chat Session with Jenifer Turtschanow, CEO, ARINGO. Come with your details prepared and ARINGO will share insights! Pre-MBA Role/Industry, YOE, Exam Score, C/GPA, ECs Post-MBA Role/ Industry & School List.
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12 May 2014, 07:37
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I am thinking of getting an MBA. Let me first say, I already have two graduate degrees (yes! I know, right! I'm mad I tell you! Only the best people are), but before the eyes get-to-a-rollin', or you have already decided, "no," please hear me out.
Target schools:
H/S/W/Y/Tuck
Background:
UG: Top 20 (philosophy); 3.45 GPA
Age: 31 (when I apply early during R1)
Diversity: none (South Asian-American)
GMAT: I have not taken the GMAT, but I will not apply if I score less than 710; so for this argument assume a 710 (generally, I do well on these things)
GS1: Master of International Affairs (Ivy); 3.3 GPA; Negative: I was on academic probation my first semester b/c my GPA fell bellow a 3.0 (I had a 2.7), which was caused by me having picked a program I really did not want to do (yes, I was vain and was enamored by the Ivy-lure). Remedy to the Negative: subsequently, I raised my GPA and graduated a semester early while cramming in 22 and 21 credit hours in the next two semesters, respectively. Concentration: management and institutional analysis (mix of b-school type classes with international spin)
GS2: JD (Tier 3 school, but the school has an exceptional writing program, which is the reason why I went to the school, although, I'm sure, that means nothing to most MBA admission officers and they will likely just focus on the TTT status). Negative: GPA/rank: 10th from bottom of the class; reason: I had an extremely serious family emergency throughout my last two years, causing my rank to plummet, although, the transcript only has the final rank listed (my GPA was 80, but that means nothing since the rank is listed next to the GPA and is in a non-4.0 format); Remedy (kinda): Admitted to the New York Bar.
WE (pre-grad school): Business Analyst in KC for 14 mo. Leadership: creating Excel models and statistics that began a new phase of assessment for the six-month long training program (healthcare IT industry, so there is a lot of required training for new hires to get them up to snuff) and by the time I left I was presenting the results to executives on a bi-monthly basis and the process was implemented in some 13 countries. Not being a KC native, I hated it, and jumped ship to greener pastures to metro-DC where I was a consultant at IBM where I was a team lead for a pitch on a major Federal government RFP and a team lead on an internal modeling project. I was there ten-months before I got admitted to grad school and traveled Europe. I didn't pursue an MBA at that time because I did not like corporate America. That's about as simple as it got for me. So, I tried something different and that's how I ended up in the Master's program
WE (post JD): I co-founded a publishing company with a friend. This required the Excel skills I learned as a Business Analyst, legal training on import-export laws and business formation, and some of the international business type training I had acquired from the Masters program. Once the company was on its path to getting out of the red, nine months later, my relationship with the co-founder soured and I accepted a buyout offer. I may have been burned, but I was bitten by the entrepreneur bug. I decided to start my own company as a way of solving the problem of assess to legal information for middle class Americans by selling downloadable forms and legal self-help books while providing free legal information in several user-friendly mediums i.e., getting away from the legal jargon and outline formats others use. Since I am a licensed attorney, it was manageable. I created some 150+ downloadable forms (more to come) and published five legal books on estate planning since estate planning can be done largely without a lawyer (more to come as well). The books have all gotten five-star reviews, but overall the company is in the red. I've managed several sub-contractors. With no comp sci or real website building background, I was able to build a functioning e-commerce website capable of selling the downloadable forms, shopping cart, and layers of security. (I worked some killer hours!!) I will have been doing this for 18 months by the time I apply. Negative: the company is in the red, but even if I get the company out of the red by the time I apply for the MBA, the profits will be marginal. To off-set some my financial need, I have freelanced. I worked on a project to draft contracts for a consulting company that had won a contract to do refugee work across four camps in Syria and I've been freelancing helping another start-up (a food delivery company) with basic legal needs as well as IT advice.
LOR: entrepreneurs from my freelancing work, so the letters will likely be glowing.
Post MBA plan/why MBA:
I want to continue as an entrepreneur to tackle the middle classes growing need for affordable legal information. Another problem I want to tackle is to create a better legal research tool (the current ones are horrid, to say the least). The MBA would help me in building skills for making solid pitches to raise capital as well as help in making the connections to get face-time with the right people. Also, the more I try to tackle these problems, the more I realize some of the solution, if not most of the solution, is in a business model. I've tried to do it without an MBA and I pretty much don't speak "business" and lack the network which can lead to face-time, leading to access to capital.
Points of Focus: (in no particular order)
a) I've been told by friends, "I know you and I have a hard time piecing together your story, so b-school admissions officers are not going to take the time to understand your strange path." Is this true? Seems practical, to be honest.
b) Is it a deal breaker that I've been a failed, by most b-school standards, I'd assume, entrepreneur?
c) I'm not interested in working for corporate America (including McK, Bain, BCG, Goldman Sachs, or BigLaw), is this lack of interest frowned on? Is the desire to be an entrepreneur, and in the capacity I want to be one, frowned on?
d) With the publications and the multiple degrees, would I be considered too academic? (I really am not that academically inclined. I'm more of a writer than anything else, which lends itself to the academic world.)
Sorry for the length, I like to talk, eh.
Merci!
Target schools:
H/S/W/Y/Tuck
Background:
UG: Top 20 (philosophy); 3.45 GPA
Age: 31 (when I apply early during R1)
Diversity: none (South Asian-American)
GMAT: I have not taken the GMAT, but I will not apply if I score less than 710; so for this argument assume a 710 (generally, I do well on these things)
GS1: Master of International Affairs (Ivy); 3.3 GPA; Negative: I was on academic probation my first semester b/c my GPA fell bellow a 3.0 (I had a 2.7), which was caused by me having picked a program I really did not want to do (yes, I was vain and was enamored by the Ivy-lure). Remedy to the Negative: subsequently, I raised my GPA and graduated a semester early while cramming in 22 and 21 credit hours in the next two semesters, respectively. Concentration: management and institutional analysis (mix of b-school type classes with international spin)
GS2: JD (Tier 3 school, but the school has an exceptional writing program, which is the reason why I went to the school, although, I'm sure, that means nothing to most MBA admission officers and they will likely just focus on the TTT status). Negative: GPA/rank: 10th from bottom of the class; reason: I had an extremely serious family emergency throughout my last two years, causing my rank to plummet, although, the transcript only has the final rank listed (my GPA was 80, but that means nothing since the rank is listed next to the GPA and is in a non-4.0 format); Remedy (kinda): Admitted to the New York Bar.
WE (pre-grad school): Business Analyst in KC for 14 mo. Leadership: creating Excel models and statistics that began a new phase of assessment for the six-month long training program (healthcare IT industry, so there is a lot of required training for new hires to get them up to snuff) and by the time I left I was presenting the results to executives on a bi-monthly basis and the process was implemented in some 13 countries. Not being a KC native, I hated it, and jumped ship to greener pastures to metro-DC where I was a consultant at IBM where I was a team lead for a pitch on a major Federal government RFP and a team lead on an internal modeling project. I was there ten-months before I got admitted to grad school and traveled Europe. I didn't pursue an MBA at that time because I did not like corporate America. That's about as simple as it got for me. So, I tried something different and that's how I ended up in the Master's program
WE (post JD): I co-founded a publishing company with a friend. This required the Excel skills I learned as a Business Analyst, legal training on import-export laws and business formation, and some of the international business type training I had acquired from the Masters program. Once the company was on its path to getting out of the red, nine months later, my relationship with the co-founder soured and I accepted a buyout offer. I may have been burned, but I was bitten by the entrepreneur bug. I decided to start my own company as a way of solving the problem of assess to legal information for middle class Americans by selling downloadable forms and legal self-help books while providing free legal information in several user-friendly mediums i.e., getting away from the legal jargon and outline formats others use. Since I am a licensed attorney, it was manageable. I created some 150+ downloadable forms (more to come) and published five legal books on estate planning since estate planning can be done largely without a lawyer (more to come as well). The books have all gotten five-star reviews, but overall the company is in the red. I've managed several sub-contractors. With no comp sci or real website building background, I was able to build a functioning e-commerce website capable of selling the downloadable forms, shopping cart, and layers of security. (I worked some killer hours!!) I will have been doing this for 18 months by the time I apply. Negative: the company is in the red, but even if I get the company out of the red by the time I apply for the MBA, the profits will be marginal. To off-set some my financial need, I have freelanced. I worked on a project to draft contracts for a consulting company that had won a contract to do refugee work across four camps in Syria and I've been freelancing helping another start-up (a food delivery company) with basic legal needs as well as IT advice.
LOR: entrepreneurs from my freelancing work, so the letters will likely be glowing.
Post MBA plan/why MBA:
I want to continue as an entrepreneur to tackle the middle classes growing need for affordable legal information. Another problem I want to tackle is to create a better legal research tool (the current ones are horrid, to say the least). The MBA would help me in building skills for making solid pitches to raise capital as well as help in making the connections to get face-time with the right people. Also, the more I try to tackle these problems, the more I realize some of the solution, if not most of the solution, is in a business model. I've tried to do it without an MBA and I pretty much don't speak "business" and lack the network which can lead to face-time, leading to access to capital.
Points of Focus: (in no particular order)
a) I've been told by friends, "I know you and I have a hard time piecing together your story, so b-school admissions officers are not going to take the time to understand your strange path." Is this true? Seems practical, to be honest.
b) Is it a deal breaker that I've been a failed, by most b-school standards, I'd assume, entrepreneur?
c) I'm not interested in working for corporate America (including McK, Bain, BCG, Goldman Sachs, or BigLaw), is this lack of interest frowned on? Is the desire to be an entrepreneur, and in the capacity I want to be one, frowned on?
d) With the publications and the multiple degrees, would I be considered too academic? (I really am not that academically inclined. I'm more of a writer than anything else, which lends itself to the academic world.)
Sorry for the length, I like to talk, eh.
Merci!
22 May 2014, 06:16
Kudos
Bookmarks
Hi spm2116,
I see no one has responded here and although I'm no expert, I'll put in my $0.02 based on what I've been doing in my MBA research.
a) It does seem like you have an interesting story and a non-traditional path. I am in a similar boat, however I don't think that it's a problem. You'll just have to spend more time to form a cohesive story that is also concise (I'm finding that staying within the word limits of the essays is much more difficult than I originally thought). I think a big thing to focus on and convey to the adcom is based on your experience, why an MBA and why now. It seems like you have a lot of that figured out, but being able to convey that clearly and earnestly to the adcom will be the key.
b) I don't think that being a "failed" entrepreneur will hold you back in any sense. Actually it seems like you've succeeded in one venture and just haven't succeeded in your next one yet. If anything I think both of these experience are extremely valuable for you and is something that adcoms will look for. You have the potential to add to your future MBA class in very unique way through your personal experiences. I would leverage this and consider it a plus on your application.
c) I really don't think your entrepreneurial dreams will hold you back at all. Not everyone uses an MBA to work in corporate America. I think because of your specific ambitions, you need to make sure you pick a program that best suits you and your goals. Some schools are tailoring more and more classes and programs for entrepreneurs like you and so if you find the right program, you might actually have a better chance because of your fit. You never know, you might end up starting the next Google!
d) I too already have a graduate degree and explaining why you need another can be complicated. I just think that you need to show how an MBA specifically will get you the skills that you don't already have and that your expectations post graduation are realistic.
Good luck and I hoped this helped! I'm also working on my apps right now and I'm having the most difficult time figuring out how to break the news to my boss that I want to go back to school again for an MBA. At least from the looks of it, you won't have that problem at all!
I see no one has responded here and although I'm no expert, I'll put in my $0.02 based on what I've been doing in my MBA research.
spm2116
a) It does seem like you have an interesting story and a non-traditional path. I am in a similar boat, however I don't think that it's a problem. You'll just have to spend more time to form a cohesive story that is also concise (I'm finding that staying within the word limits of the essays is much more difficult than I originally thought). I think a big thing to focus on and convey to the adcom is based on your experience, why an MBA and why now. It seems like you have a lot of that figured out, but being able to convey that clearly and earnestly to the adcom will be the key.
b) I don't think that being a "failed" entrepreneur will hold you back in any sense. Actually it seems like you've succeeded in one venture and just haven't succeeded in your next one yet. If anything I think both of these experience are extremely valuable for you and is something that adcoms will look for. You have the potential to add to your future MBA class in very unique way through your personal experiences. I would leverage this and consider it a plus on your application.
c) I really don't think your entrepreneurial dreams will hold you back at all. Not everyone uses an MBA to work in corporate America. I think because of your specific ambitions, you need to make sure you pick a program that best suits you and your goals. Some schools are tailoring more and more classes and programs for entrepreneurs like you and so if you find the right program, you might actually have a better chance because of your fit. You never know, you might end up starting the next Google!
d) I too already have a graduate degree and explaining why you need another can be complicated. I just think that you need to show how an MBA specifically will get you the skills that you don't already have and that your expectations post graduation are realistic.
Good luck and I hoped this helped! I'm also working on my apps right now and I'm having the most difficult time figuring out how to break the news to my boss that I want to go back to school again for an MBA. At least from the looks of it, you won't have that problem at all!
chromium73
Joined: 08 May 2011
Last visit: 21 Oct 2024
Posts: 216
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Location: United States
Concentration: International Business, General Management
Schools: Wharton '16 (M)
WE:Analyst (Finance: Venture Capital)
22 May 2014, 12:44
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You are way more interesting than 99% of the applicant pool. Godspeed if an MBA is what you want, I'm sure you will raise some eyebrows from adcom.
