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10 May 2016, 22:44
Kudos
Bookmarks
Dear Paul,
Some background info:
US, UK citizen; Ethnically Asian; 27 year old male.
BS Mechanical Engineering from Columbia University
GPA: 3.67/4.33, GMAT: 760 (Q:49, V:44, IR:8, AWA:6.0)
PPE Fellowship program
Internship at NGO (3 months)
Co-owner, Manager of restaurant (1.75 years)
Internship at Health Systems Company (3 weeks)
Post-MBA goals: Healthcare
Short-term: Healthcare consulting
Long-term: Strategy position at healthcare provider, medical device, medical IT company
Question:
1) I have been accepted into a program and have paid the deposit and enrolled. However, a family situation may keep me from attending. I am unable to defer. Do you think withdrawing would negatively impact my chances if I were to re-apply?
2) I know that work experience is my greatest weakness. What kind of work should I be looking for (given the tough employment climate in Korea currently) to help bolster my MBA admissions odds?
3) With an extra year of work under my belt, what do you think my odds are for top 10 schools?
Your assessment and insights would be very much appreciated. Thank you!!
Some background info:
US, UK citizen; Ethnically Asian; 27 year old male.
BS Mechanical Engineering from Columbia University
GPA: 3.67/4.33, GMAT: 760 (Q:49, V:44, IR:8, AWA:6.0)
PPE Fellowship program
Internship at NGO (3 months)
Co-owner, Manager of restaurant (1.75 years)
Internship at Health Systems Company (3 weeks)
Post-MBA goals: Healthcare
Short-term: Healthcare consulting
Long-term: Strategy position at healthcare provider, medical device, medical IT company
Question:
1) I have been accepted into a program and have paid the deposit and enrolled. However, a family situation may keep me from attending. I am unable to defer. Do you think withdrawing would negatively impact my chances if I were to re-apply?
2) I know that work experience is my greatest weakness. What kind of work should I be looking for (given the tough employment climate in Korea currently) to help bolster my MBA admissions odds?
3) With an extra year of work under my belt, what do you think my odds are for top 10 schools?
Your assessment and insights would be very much appreciated. Thank you!!
12 May 2016, 12:49
Kudos
Bookmarks
Hey minsoolyo:
I am not sure that I have enough information to answer your question fully, but I will give it a shot.
The first question(s) that popped into my mind is simply this – "are you currently working in the healthcare industry? And if so, for how long?"
Based on the information that you provided, I am unable to determine the nature of your current work experience, and how it may have affected your admissions results. I did Google PPE Fellowship program, and there were a number of results that came up - none of which I found relevant to the healthcare industry. If you could provide more information on that it would be very helpful to my analysis.
Additionally, I do not know whether or not you have been accepted into the top 10 business school program. So knowing (Or rather, not knowing) all of this, let me take a direct shot at your answers now.
Your Questions to Me:
1) I have been accepted into a program and have paid the deposit and enrolled. However, a family situation may keep me from attending. I am unable to defer. Do you think withdrawing would negatively impact my chances if I were to re-apply?
My first thought is that it seems a little odd a reputable program would not allow you to defer given the Family emergency. I am not sure if it is a medical emergency, or anything related to the matter, But I would not take any non-deferral admission policy at face value. I would definitely try and ask, and I would push the issue with evidence if you have any. Again, I am not sure of what the specific family situation is, But I would Definitely reveal as much personal information as you can in requesting or receiving a deferral. You do not want to throw yourself upon the mercy, but you are asking them for a pretty big favor. And even if they state that they have a firm policy, you need to remember that you are dealing with a human being in the admissions office who might have some leeway in granting you an exception to the rule. So push for it. In the very least, you should be asking for a deferral via phone and email. And send them documentation of your situation.
I do not think that withdrawing will negatively impact your chances, as long as they know this year why you are withdrawing. Again, this is why you should notify them in full detail as to what your situation is, why you want a deferral, and why you will most likely have to withdraw. As long as they had good reasons from you, they will not hold it against you at all next year.
2) I know that work experience is my greatest weakness. What kind of work should I be looking for (given the tough employment climate in Korea currently) to help bolster my MBA admissions odds?
How do you know this? I am not doubting you, but I just want to know the more specific reasons as to what you believe that your work experience is your greatest weakness. Based on what you told me in your original post, I cannot really tell what work experience you have. I find the restaurant experience rather compelling For several reasons. It is not lost upon the admissions committee that running a successful restaurant is extremely taxing and time-consuming. Restaurants are extremely tough businesses to keep afloat, much less proliferate. So that is definitely a feather in your cap. As an aside, I had a client who owned a couple of restaurants on the side apply to CBS a few years ago and he was able to get a full ride. They basically give him some sort of full ride scholarship that designated him as a exceptional applicant. I had to believe that running these restaurants, in addition to his excellent full-time work experience, contributed to the full tuition award.
If work experience – and specifically, I mean work experience within the healthcare industry – is your greatest weakness, then you are going to really have a tough time getting into a top program. Again, I am not sure what industry you currently are in. I am hoping it is healthcare, because after all that is what you stated is your goals upon graduation from an MBA program when you applied this past year. Correct?
With respect to getting another year of work experience – I believe that this is going to be absolutely necessary to getting into a top 10 program. Again, I do not know how many years you have under your belt within healthcare, but I do know that this extra year of work experience has to show management progression and be within the healthcare industry if you are going to state that your goals upon graduation from an MBA program are in the healthcare industry.
I never advise anyone – anyone – to be a career switcher when stating their goals (on the application) for business school. If you are stating that you want to be a career switcher, you really have to get your head out of your butt. I mean this in the best way possible, because it will save you a lot of pain when you reapply. What I hear quite often is "but Paul, I know I can make this transition. All I have to do is major in healthcare, take the electives, and network with healthcare alumni like crazy." That is all fine and good, but it is not enough. You have to look at things through the eyes of a potential healthcare recruiter – who will be looking at you upon graduation, or for a summer internship. You may have the best work ethic, networking skills, and career intentions within healthcare, but if you do not have the relevant experience in healthcare (to be clear, if you do not have as much relevant healthcare as the next MBA student applying for the same position) then you are not to get the job. Current experience trumps all in the eyes of recruiters. They want as much of a sure bet as possible. This is more evidence as to why I always tell my clients to never state that they are going to switch careers on their application essays - Because the admissions committee thinks like recruiters when it comes to goals.
3) With an extra year of work under my belt, what do you think my odds are for top 10 schools?
To be completely frank with you, it is impossible to answer this question with any sort of accuracy. Any number that I throw out here is going to off the mark because it is based on a lack of information. To recap I need to know the following:
Any "Odds" are drastically affected by the quality of your essays. So you may be a golden boy on paper, and you may even get the right experience in the coming year. But if you are a poor communicator, if you do not answer the essay questions a school asks "correctly", or if you simply communicate odd characteristics about yourself in the essays, you are not going to get into a top 10.
If you would like to speak to me about your candidacy, please email me at [email protected]. Please ask to speak directly to me, and references conversation in your email.
Respectfully,
Paul Lanzillotti
I am not sure that I have enough information to answer your question fully, but I will give it a shot.
The first question(s) that popped into my mind is simply this – "are you currently working in the healthcare industry? And if so, for how long?"
Based on the information that you provided, I am unable to determine the nature of your current work experience, and how it may have affected your admissions results. I did Google PPE Fellowship program, and there were a number of results that came up - none of which I found relevant to the healthcare industry. If you could provide more information on that it would be very helpful to my analysis.
Additionally, I do not know whether or not you have been accepted into the top 10 business school program. So knowing (Or rather, not knowing) all of this, let me take a direct shot at your answers now.
Your Questions to Me:
1) I have been accepted into a program and have paid the deposit and enrolled. However, a family situation may keep me from attending. I am unable to defer. Do you think withdrawing would negatively impact my chances if I were to re-apply?
My first thought is that it seems a little odd a reputable program would not allow you to defer given the Family emergency. I am not sure if it is a medical emergency, or anything related to the matter, But I would not take any non-deferral admission policy at face value. I would definitely try and ask, and I would push the issue with evidence if you have any. Again, I am not sure of what the specific family situation is, But I would Definitely reveal as much personal information as you can in requesting or receiving a deferral. You do not want to throw yourself upon the mercy, but you are asking them for a pretty big favor. And even if they state that they have a firm policy, you need to remember that you are dealing with a human being in the admissions office who might have some leeway in granting you an exception to the rule. So push for it. In the very least, you should be asking for a deferral via phone and email. And send them documentation of your situation.
I do not think that withdrawing will negatively impact your chances, as long as they know this year why you are withdrawing. Again, this is why you should notify them in full detail as to what your situation is, why you want a deferral, and why you will most likely have to withdraw. As long as they had good reasons from you, they will not hold it against you at all next year.
2) I know that work experience is my greatest weakness. What kind of work should I be looking for (given the tough employment climate in Korea currently) to help bolster my MBA admissions odds?
How do you know this? I am not doubting you, but I just want to know the more specific reasons as to what you believe that your work experience is your greatest weakness. Based on what you told me in your original post, I cannot really tell what work experience you have. I find the restaurant experience rather compelling For several reasons. It is not lost upon the admissions committee that running a successful restaurant is extremely taxing and time-consuming. Restaurants are extremely tough businesses to keep afloat, much less proliferate. So that is definitely a feather in your cap. As an aside, I had a client who owned a couple of restaurants on the side apply to CBS a few years ago and he was able to get a full ride. They basically give him some sort of full ride scholarship that designated him as a exceptional applicant. I had to believe that running these restaurants, in addition to his excellent full-time work experience, contributed to the full tuition award.
If work experience – and specifically, I mean work experience within the healthcare industry – is your greatest weakness, then you are going to really have a tough time getting into a top program. Again, I am not sure what industry you currently are in. I am hoping it is healthcare, because after all that is what you stated is your goals upon graduation from an MBA program when you applied this past year. Correct?
With respect to getting another year of work experience – I believe that this is going to be absolutely necessary to getting into a top 10 program. Again, I do not know how many years you have under your belt within healthcare, but I do know that this extra year of work experience has to show management progression and be within the healthcare industry if you are going to state that your goals upon graduation from an MBA program are in the healthcare industry.
I never advise anyone – anyone – to be a career switcher when stating their goals (on the application) for business school. If you are stating that you want to be a career switcher, you really have to get your head out of your butt. I mean this in the best way possible, because it will save you a lot of pain when you reapply. What I hear quite often is "but Paul, I know I can make this transition. All I have to do is major in healthcare, take the electives, and network with healthcare alumni like crazy." That is all fine and good, but it is not enough. You have to look at things through the eyes of a potential healthcare recruiter – who will be looking at you upon graduation, or for a summer internship. You may have the best work ethic, networking skills, and career intentions within healthcare, but if you do not have the relevant experience in healthcare (to be clear, if you do not have as much relevant healthcare as the next MBA student applying for the same position) then you are not to get the job. Current experience trumps all in the eyes of recruiters. They want as much of a sure bet as possible. This is more evidence as to why I always tell my clients to never state that they are going to switch careers on their application essays - Because the admissions committee thinks like recruiters when it comes to goals.
3) With an extra year of work under my belt, what do you think my odds are for top 10 schools?
To be completely frank with you, it is impossible to answer this question with any sort of accuracy. Any number that I throw out here is going to off the mark because it is based on a lack of information. To recap I need to know the following:
- Are you currently working in healthcare, and how many years have you been doing so?
Are you currently in a management role? If not, what is the nature of your current role?
What is going to be the nature of your work experience in the coming year? Will this new role demonstrate progression with respect to leadership and management – at least on paper? What types of projects will you be working on? Again, this new work experience better be in healthcare if you are stating healthcare is your goals. This is a nonnegotiable.
Any "Odds" are drastically affected by the quality of your essays. So you may be a golden boy on paper, and you may even get the right experience in the coming year. But if you are a poor communicator, if you do not answer the essay questions a school asks "correctly", or if you simply communicate odd characteristics about yourself in the essays, you are not going to get into a top 10.
If you would like to speak to me about your candidacy, please email me at [email protected]. Please ask to speak directly to me, and references conversation in your email.
Respectfully,
Paul Lanzillotti
minsoolyo
