Profile Evaluation (Thanks in Advance!)

Question

Hi Everyone! Here is my profile.

Age – 25. Will apply in 2012 for Fall 2013.
Undergrad – One of the UCs. Electrical Engineering. 3.5 GPA.
GMAT – 740 with 4 AWA. Will take again.

WE –
1.5 years in a start up. Running errands. But learned many aspects of running a company.
1.5 years in an international tech company serving 60+ high tech customers including Cisco and Intel. My company has several factory plants in China and Korea that build microelectronics. My job is to solve field-related tech problems, to help customers monitor projects, and to promote our new techs. What I do is a lot similar to consulting, except I solve technical problems. Moreover, I have been to China for training and business.

Activities – 
I have been taking classes in community colleges since graduation. Classes include public speaking, Japanese, econ, personal finance, and some random stuff. I don’t know if the diversity is a pro or a con.
I am also volunteering in a local elementary school to help new immigrant children learn to read.

Career Goal –
Short term wise, I want to get into consulting (MBB). Long term wise, I want to do something with China, such as building and managing factories in southern China's tech clusters.
Also, Chinese factories have very high turnover rates (20~50%), due to the poor living and working conditions. Remember the Foxconn suicides? Therefore, another aspect of my long-term plan is to improve the living and working conditions in Chinese factories.

Dream School –
Dartmouth Tuck. This is the only school I want to go to, so I will concentrate on it, and not waste time & money applying to others. I will apply in the early action around. And if I am lucky enough to get in, I will apply for the dual degree program in Harvard or John Hopkins.

I understand that getting in Tuck is all about fit. Can anyone evaluate my level of "fit"? Also, I don’t really have any leadership experience. Is that a huge problem?

Thanks a lot!

longhorn07 · Answer

My thoughts…

1) Why retake the GMAT? I don't know how much research you have done, but the business school application is not too focused on the hard metrics such as GMAT and GPA. You are quite honestly fine in those categories, so I would not waste too much more energy there. There is VERY LITTLE DIFFERENCE (if any) between a 740 or a 770 from the admissions perspective. Taking the test again may actually reflect negatively on you, even if you get a slightly better score. I would not worry too much about the AWA either.
2) Your profile suggests you should be fairly competitive at Tuck. It is difficult to assess “fit” electronically…my suggestion would be to visit the school, talk with the students, sit in on a class. You will know pretty quickly if you fit their culture or not.
3) Only applying to one school is terribly risky, even if Tuck is your absolute dream school. Why have you discounted all the other top programs already? If possible I think you should visit a few more schools in person. For instance, I wasn’t thrilled about Booth until I visited…I am so glad I did.
4) No leadership experience is a problem. But let’s define what leadership is. It doesn’t have to come in a professional setting. Your work with the school is leadership. Not everyone who gets into a top 10 program have experience leading a team at work. You are still relatively young, and it is understood that these sort of opportunities may not be available to you yet. However, what that does mean is that you need to convey your leadership in other forms. ECs are probably the best way to do that.

StacyBlackman · Answer

Hi poetsandquants,

Thanks for posting. In regards to your GMAT score, a 740 is a very strong score. It may be more valuable for you to spend time on other parts of your application.

As you wrote, the Tuck School of Business is very focused on fit. The best way to show your "fit" is through your personal essays. We have written an article on Tuck Business School essay tips here, which will be of help:

https://www.stacyblackman.com/2010/08/24 ... ssay-tips/

With regards to your leadership experience, Tuck will be looking for this. However, there are ways to demonstrate leadership experience. We had one client with one year of fairly basic experience as an analyst at an investment bank. As an entry level employee in an extremely large organization, she had very little opportunity to differentiate or demonstrate leadership.

We decided to use a relatively mundane example of overhauling an Excel spreadsheet, but dove into details that demonstrated some terrific qualities that the client possessed, such as initiative, detail orientation, can do attitude, ability to influence others, leadership and more. Although the task was not hi-tech – it did provide a stage to present all of this. She also discussed the layers of impact of her simple contribution – and the subsequent lesson that change is possible at any level of an organization, and even small changes can have substantial impact. In the end, she was admitted to HBS and Stanford.

This same strategy can be applied to your application. There are many ways you can express your leadership experience through your essays.

I hope this was of help. Please let me know if I can answer any other questions.

Best,

Stacy Blackman

poetsandquants · Answer

Hi longhorn07 Thanks for your feedback! 1. I took GMAT in last Sep and I am applying in 2012, which is 2 years after. That's why I want to take it again, possibly a time close to the application. just to show them that I haven't forgotten everything.

2&3. I want to go to Tuck, because I thrive in small groups. After factoring in job placement, brand name, and teaching approach and emphasis, I think Tuck is the best fit for me. I completely understand and agree with you on looking into other schools. But at the same time, I do want to avoid getting an MBA just for the degree. I think I'll start attending some more receptions, and get some direct feedback from alums and admiddion officers. 4. Thanks for your advise. I think I'll take some more responsibilities from the volunteering work. That seems to be the safest bet for now. Thanks again!

poetsandquants · Answer

Hi Stacy

Thanks for the specifics about demonstrating leadership! I took a brief look at your website, and have 2 questions.
1. Do you have consultants specializing in certain schools?
2. You mentioned "initiative, detail orientation, can do attitude, ability to influence others". But do applicants actually use these phrases in essays, or do they use the show-but-not-tell approach?

Thanks!

StacyBlackman · Answer

Hi poetsandquants,

Thanks for your message. Our consultants all have MBAs from top schools (15 schools represented), and many have served on actual admissions committees, reviewing files and making actual admit/deny decisions (almost every top ten school).

If you'd like, we offer a free 30 minute phone call consultation where we can talk about your application. You can sign up at:

https://www.stacyblackman.com/contact

With regards to your second question, the best way for an applicant to show these attributes is through personal stories. Regardless of whether a candidate actually writes the specific terms, it is the evidence shown through stories that will prove to an admissions team that the candidate actually possesses these traits, as opposed to being someone who only writes the traits down.

I hope this was of help. Please let me know if I can answer any other questions.

Best,

Stacy Blackman

poetsandquants · Answer

Hi Stacy, Thanks a lot! I'll send you an email when I'm ready to apply.

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