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03 Aug 2015, 11:03
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Bookmarks
Hi everyone,
Schools I'm planning to apply to:
1st Round - Booth
2nd Round - Wharton/Kellogg/Fuqua (depending on how 1st Round goes)
Background:
White male, Hungarian, 26 years old
I have 3 years of work experience at Morgan Stanley as a valuation controller (finance back-office), specializing in corporate bonds, and now working with credit derivatives. Responsible for reporting results to senior management and working with London, New York, Hong Kong, and Tokyo. In the last 3 years I had 3 interns who I had the opportunity to train and work with. Also, I have extensive experience in working within an international team, for example my team lead was Polish. A while ago, I was doing a presentation on Behavioral Finance, a subject that I hadn't known much about. For this presentation, I was working with a senior manager in NY through phone and video conferences, and finally we presented it in front of the global team and senior managers.
I'm just before promotion. I'm currently handing in papers for the promotion process, but the comp (and promotion) day is in January.
Undergrad: A business college in Hungary - Budapest Business School (BBS) - major: International Economics
My time in college is my weak spot in my opinion. I would say my grades started out as below average in the first year (grading is a lot different in Hungary than in the US, so I don't have a GPA), and I even had to take an additional year to finish school. The last part actually was a beneficial experience to me, because in that one additional year I had the free time to get to know myself better. I started reading a lot, especially self development and I realized how important goals are. Especially in a college where I was studying. In that college the curriculum was very flexible, there were core subjects, but one could tailor his or her curriculum to his own needs and interests. By the last year I set several goals to myself and started realizing them, also I've been playing american football in college and it started to show in my work ethic. It thought me how to work hard and never give up. These experiences resulted in relatively good grades in the last year (exceptionally good compared to previous years, but this is partly due to the subjects getting easier).
I was always better in quantitative subjects, and that's why I'm rather disappointed in my 47 on the GMAT (that's only a 67th percentile now, and on the GMAT prep test I scored Q49 before the exam), but my recommendation letters will probably be partly about my quantitative skills.
I'm choosing Booth partly because I have extensive experience with a flexible curriculum and know how to choose my specialization now, and partly because I was visiting Chicago 2 years ago and that experience helped me decide that I want to pursue and MBA in the US. I was walking through Gleacher back then to see the pictures of the Noble laureates, and I was thinking if I'd do my MBA anywhere this would be the place.
Interests/hobbies/Volunteering: I'm a member of the BBS school team; member of another university's Thesis Support Group (to support undergrads with their final paper); avid volunteer during global volunteer month, which is in July, this year I was volunteering for clothes sorting at a homeless shelter, gardening at a preschool, making toys for children, and last year I was doing a charity run.
As mentioned earlier, I was playing in a national american football team in college, still a fan.
Also, I have a diverse interest in a broad range of subjects ranging from Philosophy to physiology (mostly fitness related, I've been a fitness enthusiast since I was 18).
Finally, an additional question from me: Do you think I should resit the GMAT?
Thanks in advance!
Schools I'm planning to apply to:
1st Round - Booth
2nd Round - Wharton/Kellogg/Fuqua (depending on how 1st Round goes)
Background:
White male, Hungarian, 26 years old
I have 3 years of work experience at Morgan Stanley as a valuation controller (finance back-office), specializing in corporate bonds, and now working with credit derivatives. Responsible for reporting results to senior management and working with London, New York, Hong Kong, and Tokyo. In the last 3 years I had 3 interns who I had the opportunity to train and work with. Also, I have extensive experience in working within an international team, for example my team lead was Polish. A while ago, I was doing a presentation on Behavioral Finance, a subject that I hadn't known much about. For this presentation, I was working with a senior manager in NY through phone and video conferences, and finally we presented it in front of the global team and senior managers.
I'm just before promotion. I'm currently handing in papers for the promotion process, but the comp (and promotion) day is in January.
Undergrad: A business college in Hungary - Budapest Business School (BBS) - major: International Economics
My time in college is my weak spot in my opinion. I would say my grades started out as below average in the first year (grading is a lot different in Hungary than in the US, so I don't have a GPA), and I even had to take an additional year to finish school. The last part actually was a beneficial experience to me, because in that one additional year I had the free time to get to know myself better. I started reading a lot, especially self development and I realized how important goals are. Especially in a college where I was studying. In that college the curriculum was very flexible, there were core subjects, but one could tailor his or her curriculum to his own needs and interests. By the last year I set several goals to myself and started realizing them, also I've been playing american football in college and it started to show in my work ethic. It thought me how to work hard and never give up. These experiences resulted in relatively good grades in the last year (exceptionally good compared to previous years, but this is partly due to the subjects getting easier).
I was always better in quantitative subjects, and that's why I'm rather disappointed in my 47 on the GMAT (that's only a 67th percentile now, and on the GMAT prep test I scored Q49 before the exam), but my recommendation letters will probably be partly about my quantitative skills.
I'm choosing Booth partly because I have extensive experience with a flexible curriculum and know how to choose my specialization now, and partly because I was visiting Chicago 2 years ago and that experience helped me decide that I want to pursue and MBA in the US. I was walking through Gleacher back then to see the pictures of the Noble laureates, and I was thinking if I'd do my MBA anywhere this would be the place.
Interests/hobbies/Volunteering: I'm a member of the BBS school team; member of another university's Thesis Support Group (to support undergrads with their final paper); avid volunteer during global volunteer month, which is in July, this year I was volunteering for clothes sorting at a homeless shelter, gardening at a preschool, making toys for children, and last year I was doing a charity run.
As mentioned earlier, I was playing in a national american football team in college, still a fan.
Also, I have a diverse interest in a broad range of subjects ranging from Philosophy to physiology (mostly fitness related, I've been a fitness enthusiast since I was 18).
Finally, an additional question from me: Do you think I should resit the GMAT?
Thanks in advance!
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Expert reply
03 Aug 2015, 11:59
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szaszgt
szaszgt
Thank you for providing information about your background, education and work experience. In order to advise you better, I have some questions
- How high do you think you can get on the GMAT?
- While I know there is not a GPA for your undergrad, what were your grades and estimate class rank % (usually its easiest if clients just send a transcript)
- What has your performance been at work relative to peers / salary progression?
On the surface I would recommend retaking the GMAT. Without that, you will be reaching at those programs based on what you have provided so far.
Feel free to post here or email me directly if you would rather [email protected]
03 Aug 2015, 12:03
Kudos
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thanks for sharing your profile. Very interesting background and personal story can potentially resonate well with AdComm. Your GMAT score is ok but it is below the Booth (724) average and a bit below the other schools as well. Typically you want to look at your GPA and GMAT in tandem generally the lower one is the higher the other one should be. So can't really tell how low your GPA actually is.
I think you have an interesting story to tell and even in the span of reading your question think you can paint an interesting picture which is very important when it comes to essay time but on paper you are a bit below range. Admits aren't just evaluated on the numbers but this still is a major part of the consideration process. So if you think you can raise your GMAT it might be worth a re-take
Hope this helps!
I think you have an interesting story to tell and even in the span of reading your question think you can paint an interesting picture which is very important when it comes to essay time but on paper you are a bit below range. Admits aren't just evaluated on the numbers but this still is a major part of the consideration process. So if you think you can raise your GMAT it might be worth a re-take
Hope this helps!
