Profile Eval for Class of 2017: 680GMAT, I-Banking, 5YR WE

Question

Dear GMAT community,

Any help / advise / suggestions would be much appreciated. I'll try to make this brief while providing all the necessary stats for you. If you've any questions please feel free to ask.

My goal is a top 10 program and from what one consultant told me, I should be "OK" but I want to hear what you all think as there's a few question marks I want to make sure I address (and prior to spending big $ this fall working with a consultant).

-Went to a Top 25 public university - Majored in Business Administration with a Major GPA off 3.6 
-Minored in Mandarin Chinese, which was tough, which pulled my  overall GPA down to 3.3 . 
(Note, transferred to above university after leaving a small D3 school where I played lacrosse. GPA prior was 3.6.) 
-Did I-Banking as an analyst in NYC at one off the usual suspects 
-Recruited from the bank to a small tech company and grew the business from pre-revenue to $10mm+ (SAAS business)
-680GMAT (took it twice) 
-Active in the community as a Big Brother as a part of BBBS
-Will have a total of 5.5YR WE
-White male

Is there anything you'd recommend I do to help improve my chances of being admitted to a top 10 program? I know for HBS, GBS it's a very, very long shot but for the other programs do I have a strong chance? Any giant red flags you see at first glance / should I take the GMAT again?

thanks,

AlexMBAApply · Answer

Retake the GMAT. For the top 8 schools like Booth, Columbia, Kellogg, Sloan, Tuck or Wharton, you need 700+ and ideally a 720+ or you'll be a big stretch. There are plenty of high caliber finance guys they can choose from (and frankly more than they want to take in), and so you're up against other guys like yourself with GMATs that are closer to the averages. Yes, and many of them will also have a strong profile, some notable extras, etc as well as strong applications - in fact, none of these things are a competitive advantage - they are simply what you need to be competitive in the first place.

Do whatever it takes to boost that GMAT. I know it's a pain in the ass to prep for it yet again, but it's essential.

Kathmandu2013 · Answer

Thanks Alex, that's what I assumed going into my first conversation with the consultant but she said I should be fine and recommended I take a quantitative class at Berkley over this summer to prove my ability since that was what was on the lower end of the spectrum. I appreciate your advise though and will solicit some more feedback and probably start up the studying again. thanks!

CriticalSquare · Answer

I agree with Alex - you have a great profile but, as he mentioned, so do a bunch of other folks. Also, you seem a little light on the community involvement perspective so that's something to consider. Lastly, if you are worried about your quant score in particular, you might want to take a course AND retake the GMAT.

I know that is probably the last thing you want to do (it sounds painful just typing it out) but you have to shore up your profile wherever necessary.

Bhavik

I know that is probably the last thing you want to do (it sounds painful just typing it out) but you have to shore up your profile wherever necessary.

Bhavik

Kathmandu2013 · Answer

Thanks Bhavik, seems there's a general consensus forming (not just from this thread). With that being said, and not sure if it matters, I do have what I believe to be a strong community track record - New York Cares (volunteer), Big Brothers Big Sisters (which is very rewarding and time consuming). Is BBBS not enough? I participated for a variety of reasons, one of which was the favorable "check" it provides the adcoms.

One follow up question, someone along the lines told me a bout a Berkeley distance education summer class that a lot of pre-applicants take. With that being said, I searched the forums and couldn't find it. Any recommendations on the pre-MBA distance course people take? One that I can include on my application as well as help shore up the GMAT quant score.

thanks,

CriticalSquare · Answer

Hey there,

So the community involvement comment was a slight assumption on my part given what you'd written. Your involvement with New York Cares is notable and BBBS is a great organization. What it will come down to is your impact and scope. If you're a mentor, that's fantastic. But if you are on the junior board or help them with strategic concerns or something along those lines, then that's a very different type of involvement. Volunteering is great, impact is better, and scope takes the cake. Does that make sense? If you want me to clarify, happy to do so.

As for the pre-MBA coursework. Make sure you bifurcate between what you need to do to shore up your quant skills for your application and what you need to do to be successful when you get boots on the ground. Most pre-MBA coursework is completed by folks who are already in but are worried they might need a refresher / intro on some of the concepts MBA programs require you to know. Also, some of those pre-MBA programs don't offer grades and may not be from accredited institutions. However, Berkeley and UCLA are the two relative heavy weights in this space. Here's a good option from Berkeley -    and you can find out more about UCLA extension   .

You're being proactive which is great so keep that up and make sure you do a little research so that you not only pick the best option for your apps, but for you too!

Bhavik

Kathmandu2013 · Answer

Bhavik,

Thanks for the quick reply and pointing out the Berkeley class. I believe the Berkeley class with additional studying should put me in a good spot to get the 680 GMAT up; which is what it sounds like I need to do.

Regarding the community service, i'm just mentoring so I will have to look how I can get more involved.

thanks again

CriticalSquare · Answer

My pleasure mate! Good luck with the retake (remember to focus on strategy, not just content!) and let us know how things go. If you ever have other questions, you know how to reach us

Bhavik

PaulBodine · Answer

Kathmandu2013, I would retake the GMAT if you have some evidence that you could raise the score more than 20 points. Although they will give you credit for minoring in Mandarin, a 3.3 GPA + 680 GMAT at top 5 schools is asking for trouble. Your BBBS work is commendable but for people aiming high I like to see a leadership role in your current extracurricular. Your work with the small tech company is perhaps your biggest asset. Hopefully there's more; feel free to send me your resume: paulsbodine@gmail.com. --Paul Bodine, Great Applications for Business School, www.topmba.guru/testimonials

Kathmandu2013 · Answer

@Paul - thanks for the reply and your candor. I realize top 5 is going to be an uphill battle and even maybe a top 10 is pushing it. I believe that's why the other consultant was recommending taking the Berkeley class; because it shows I can handle the rigor of a top MBA program and the 100+ hours of studying for the GMAT can be better spent - such as improving my extra curricular leadership.

@Bhavik, thanks, will reach out over the summer as I prep for fall '14 applications.

@Bhavik, thanks, will reach out over the summer as I prep for fall '14 applications.

CriticalSquare · Answer

Sounds great - looking forward to it!

Profile Eval for Class of 2017: 680GMAT, I-Banking, 5YR WE

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