Events & Promotions
|
|
GMAT Club Daily Prep
Thank you for using the timer - this advanced tool can estimate your performance and suggest more practice questions. We have subscribed you to Daily Prep Questions via email.
Customized
for You
Track
Your Progress
Practice
Pays
Not interested in getting valuable practice questions and articles delivered to your email? No problem, unsubscribe here.
Apr 2511:00 AM EDT
-01:00 PM EDT
Looking to secure a coveted spot at a top business school? Our team of seasoned MBA admissions consultants, including top B schools alumni and industry leaders, is here to help turn your dreams into reality. Let’s kick-start your journey to success!
Apr 2908:00 PM EDT
-09:00 PM EDT
Join us for a live Ask Me Anything (AMA) session with Juno’s Co-Founder, where we’ll break down everything you need to know about financing your MBA in today’s rapidly changing landscape.
Apr 3010:00 AM EDT
-11:00 AM EDT
Applying to business school from a finance background? Personal MBA Coach is here to help with this quick tips video on how to set yourself apart during the MBA application process!
Apr 3010:00 AM EDT
-10:30 AM EDT
Sia Admissions Founder Susan Berishaj will walk through why reach/target/safety produces the wrong list for many specific profiles, how admissions committees at different programs read the same background differently, and more...
Apr 3012:00 PM EDT
-01:00 PM EDT
Starting at $975 and offering up to $545 of savings, our new Amplify Hourly Packages offer structure and support in certain high-value areas (story development, resume, essays, interviewing) to help get your applications across the finish line.
Apr 3009:00 PM IST
-10:00 PM IST
Thinking about PE/VC? Most consultants are. Few actually make it. Learn how to position your profile, build the right skills, and break into Private Equity & Venture Capital.
May 0108:30 AM EDT
-09:15 AM EDT
Get the inside scoop on what makes Emory’s Goizueta Business School great, learn how you can present a strong MBA application, and connect with an Admissions Director to get your questions answered.
May 0108:00 PM PDT
-09:00 PM PDT
Inquire for a free profile evaluation and guarantee statement for possible admits and scholarships!
swbluedevil
Joined: 01 Jun 2006
Last visit: 26 Aug 2018
Posts: 207
Own Kudos:
Given Kudos: 7
Affiliations: Google, Facebook
Location: United States (CA)
Schools: Haas '15 (M) Kellogg '15 (A)
GMAT 1: 750 Q50 V40
25 Jul 2009, 06:44
Kudos
Bookmarks
Alex, I posted this in the peer review section, but I also wanted to get your opinion. I've read your posts on BW and WSO and find them to be very insightful.
GMAT: 750
GPA: 3.15 in electrical engineering from Top 10 school
Current Occupation: military officer (deployed to Afghanistan)
Applying to: Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, Northwestern, and UCLA
Extracurriculars:
Post Grad: Fundraising and Community Service Chair for a 600 member junior officer organization. Garnered a community service award and title of Top Junior Officer Council in the Western U.S. for my organization. Also, I'm my base representative in a two-year community leadership development program. I'm also an alumni interviewer for undergrad admissions for my school.
During College: Heavily involved in ROTC (10-15 hours per week). Ultimately, served as Cadet Commander of my ROTC detachment. Responsible for training junior cadets to become military officers. Also, very involved (~10 hour per week) with a student-run company. Served on the executive board as the Assistant CFO and then the CFO. Company had annual sales of around $1M.
Career Goal: Couple my experience managing defense aerospace programs and overseeing contracts with my interest in finance to pursue an investment banking career focused on M&A in the aerospace/defense sector.
Why Now/Why MBA: I'm coming towards the end of my military service commitment (Jul 2010) and would like to transition to civilian life. Since my career goals involve working in finance and I have no formal finance training, I plan to use the MBA to address this gap in my skillset.
Primary Concerns:
Low GPA- I've built an alternate transcript of 2 accounting classes and an econ class (All A's). I've also won numerous military training awards for academics. Lastly, I've won several awards for my job performance and have increasingly been given more responsibility. I plan to address my GPA in the optional essay.
Career Switcher- Being a career switcher into I-banking might raise a red flag, so I plan to present a "Plan B" in the career goals essay. My plan B will probably be to seek an internal compliance/government affairs in an I-bank or perhaps a regulatory position with a government agency (SEC, Fed Reserve, etc.).
Are the schools I'm targeting realistic? Are my career goals feasible? Have I properly addressed my weaknesses? Are there any other weaknesses in my application that I haven't mentioned? Thanks!
GMAT: 750
GPA: 3.15 in electrical engineering from Top 10 school
Current Occupation: military officer (deployed to Afghanistan)
Applying to: Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, Northwestern, and UCLA
Extracurriculars:
Post Grad: Fundraising and Community Service Chair for a 600 member junior officer organization. Garnered a community service award and title of Top Junior Officer Council in the Western U.S. for my organization. Also, I'm my base representative in a two-year community leadership development program. I'm also an alumni interviewer for undergrad admissions for my school.
During College: Heavily involved in ROTC (10-15 hours per week). Ultimately, served as Cadet Commander of my ROTC detachment. Responsible for training junior cadets to become military officers. Also, very involved (~10 hour per week) with a student-run company. Served on the executive board as the Assistant CFO and then the CFO. Company had annual sales of around $1M.
Career Goal: Couple my experience managing defense aerospace programs and overseeing contracts with my interest in finance to pursue an investment banking career focused on M&A in the aerospace/defense sector.
Why Now/Why MBA: I'm coming towards the end of my military service commitment (Jul 2010) and would like to transition to civilian life. Since my career goals involve working in finance and I have no formal finance training, I plan to use the MBA to address this gap in my skillset.
Primary Concerns:
Low GPA- I've built an alternate transcript of 2 accounting classes and an econ class (All A's). I've also won numerous military training awards for academics. Lastly, I've won several awards for my job performance and have increasingly been given more responsibility. I plan to address my GPA in the optional essay.
Career Switcher- Being a career switcher into I-banking might raise a red flag, so I plan to present a "Plan B" in the career goals essay. My plan B will probably be to seek an internal compliance/government affairs in an I-bank or perhaps a regulatory position with a government agency (SEC, Fed Reserve, etc.).
Are the schools I'm targeting realistic? Are my career goals feasible? Have I properly addressed my weaknesses? Are there any other weaknesses in my application that I haven't mentioned? Thanks!
27 Jul 2009, 20:10
Kudos
Bookmarks
You should be competitive for the schools you mentioned. More guys like you get in than not.
Your GPA isn't great, but it isn't a huge concern (and if you get dinged, it won't be because of your GPA) because it's engineering (they're more forgiving of lower GPAs from engineers given that they know the grading curve is steeper) and also because you're military (for some reason the military applicants historically have lower GPAs). Also, you have an exceptional GMAT.
Everything else looks good. Don't worry about "career switch" -- by leaving the military for civilian life, you are by definition career switching. Whether it's i-banking or something else isn't the issue. The key issue is whether you're prepared for that transition to civilian life, and how b-school fits into that transition. As you may or may not know, lots of military guys transition to banking, consulting and industry all the time. Not to mention that you have a very loyal network of military vets with top MBAs that are known to help each other out. If you're interviewing with an MBA recruiter (whether it's banking, consulting, or industry) and the person interviewing you happens to be a vet (which isn't that uncommon), your military background will be a huge asset.
The biggest hurdle with military applicants is being able to show their readiness for transitioning to civilian life - and that they understand and appreciate the challenges they face. And part of this comes with how you write your essays - it's not just writing your war stories, but showing that you understand which aspects of your experience translate to civilian life, and which aspects don't (even if some of your examples you showcase in your essays are "war stories").
Military guys are probably the most highly coveted applicants amongst top b-schools, but the flipside of that is post 9/11, the applicant numbers from the military have also increased -- not to mention many of them with leadership in wartime (unlike my time in b-school where quite a number didn't have the chance to serve in any conflict) means that the competition is stiffer than before. But nonetheless, your odds are still pretty good so long as you don't completely screw up your applications.
Your GPA isn't great, but it isn't a huge concern (and if you get dinged, it won't be because of your GPA) because it's engineering (they're more forgiving of lower GPAs from engineers given that they know the grading curve is steeper) and also because you're military (for some reason the military applicants historically have lower GPAs). Also, you have an exceptional GMAT.
Everything else looks good. Don't worry about "career switch" -- by leaving the military for civilian life, you are by definition career switching. Whether it's i-banking or something else isn't the issue. The key issue is whether you're prepared for that transition to civilian life, and how b-school fits into that transition. As you may or may not know, lots of military guys transition to banking, consulting and industry all the time. Not to mention that you have a very loyal network of military vets with top MBAs that are known to help each other out. If you're interviewing with an MBA recruiter (whether it's banking, consulting, or industry) and the person interviewing you happens to be a vet (which isn't that uncommon), your military background will be a huge asset.
The biggest hurdle with military applicants is being able to show their readiness for transitioning to civilian life - and that they understand and appreciate the challenges they face. And part of this comes with how you write your essays - it's not just writing your war stories, but showing that you understand which aspects of your experience translate to civilian life, and which aspects don't (even if some of your examples you showcase in your essays are "war stories").
Military guys are probably the most highly coveted applicants amongst top b-schools, but the flipside of that is post 9/11, the applicant numbers from the military have also increased -- not to mention many of them with leadership in wartime (unlike my time in b-school where quite a number didn't have the chance to serve in any conflict) means that the competition is stiffer than before. But nonetheless, your odds are still pretty good so long as you don't completely screw up your applications.
