Profile Evaluation Please

Question

Hi Alex,

I was wondering if you could help me out with a profile evaluation.

- I am a 25 year old white male 
- Went to a small southern public school
- BA in History (3.1/4) but had a "concentration" (school does not have minors) in Business (3.5/4 in those classes)
- Currently work at a Big 4 Accounting firm in the consulting practice (economic/tax consulting). I think this will help bridge the gap between a humanities major and math abilities.
- Have been promoted to the highest possible level before they make you go to B-school (Senior Associate)

GMAT 690 (Q46/V39) - was a little upset about this, was hoping to get a 7 in the hundreds place but is on par with practice tests

I am also involved in multiple charities ranging from soup kitchens to scholarship funds (not a board member on any, but active volunteer at all)

I was a college athlete (I hold an NCAA record - if this matters)

I want to go to business school because I want to end up in private equity or in M&A/BD at a large corporation, and I think the best way for me to do that is through management consulting and then moving over to PE/Industry.

Schools I'm looking at are:
Columbia (Dream school - want to apply early decision)
Darden
Anderson
Ross
G'town
Duke
Haas (think I'm out of the range)
Stern (like NYC - even though very banker focused)
Tuck?

I've heard that Columbia appreciates people who are committed to the school and rank it as their first choice by going ED - will this help my chances? Do I have a shot if I apply ED?

Any other schools you think I should look into? Are my schools above realistic? Should I retake the GMAT or concentrate on making the strongest application essays I can?

Thanks in advance for your help.

AlexMBAApply · Answer

You're looking at the right range, although you can narrow down that list down to 5-6 (which 5-6 is really a matter of personal opinion and fit). For the schools you listed, you're in the mix - it will come down to how well you execute the applications.

Also, keep in mind that business development, M&A and private equity are completely different career tracks. If you want to get into private equity, the path is really through investment banking. Same with M&A or any fundraising/acquisition/deal-driven-type role at a company. "Business development" is a generic term that will mean different things to different companies - in some companies, it's a euphemism for "sales" (but "business development" sounds so much sexier right?); in others, it's interchangeable with corporate development which is essentially internal strategy. Consultants tend to transition into internal strategy type roles, or other operational roles within a company.

With Columbia, if you really want to go you should apply ED - it makes a difference. You have enough of a shot that it's worth applying - not a shoe in (even if you had a 740+ on the GMAT), but your profile overall is in range.

As for GMAT, re-take it if you can score 720+ without much effort. If your current score is a good day for you, then you probably should focus on the written applications.

RFMBA2 · Answer

Thanks for your response Alex. My GMAT test scores were all hovering in the 700 range (topping out at 730 on two of them but also below 690 on some). I think I will try to improve my applications.

One last specific question, as I narrow down my schools, I will be sure to apply ED to Columbia. If that does not work, is Tuck realistic enough to apply to?

Thanks again for your help.

AlexMBAApply · Answer

Yes, Tuck is within reach.

Schools like Columbia, Tuck, Kellogg, Sloan and Chicago will be slight stretches - but you still have enough of a shot that it's worth at least applying to one or two (in your case Columbia and Tuck).

Schools like Darden, Ross, Duke, Haas, UCLA and NYU are sweet spots - schools where you should focus on and where you'll have a reasonable shot of getting in. Choose 2-4.

Safeties would be schools outside the top 16 such as Georgetown. It's up to you whether you want to apply to a safety this year. You're young, so you may not want to apply to a safety (consider it next year if you get in nowhere this year).

RFMBA2 · Answer

Hi Alex,

Thanks again for all of your help in my profile evaluation. I've been starting to write my essays and had one additional question. As I mentioned before, my overall GPA was 3.1 in History, however in Business classes I had a 3.5 GPA. Is this something that I would want to write the optional essay about or is this something that the adcoms will be able to see for themselves?

Thanks again.

AlexMBAApply · Answer

No need to write the optional essay in your case.

RFMBA2 · Answer

Hi Alex,

I recently retook the GMAT and got a 750 (49Q, 42V). I was curious as to how this may or may not change my selection in schools? Specifically, does this put me in the range that I should/could think about applying to a H/S/W? Also, how would this change the other schools that I look at? I obviously want to keep Columbia on my list, as well as Haas. Do schools like Columbia, Tuck, Kellogg and Booth become sweet spots now? Please let me know your insights as I value them a great deal.

Thanks in advance for your continued help.

AlexMBAApply · Answer

Here's what a high GMAT will do - it'll give adcoms *less* reason to ding you compared to a 690, but it's not going to give them any *more* reason to admit you. So it helps to some degree in the sense that now your GMAT isn't a concern - so it will still come down to everything else. As for school selection, whether you had a 690 or 760 in your case isn't really the game changer anyhow. Again, you'll be less of a stretch at the top 8 schools, and still a stretch for H/S/W (whether your GMAT was a 690 or 750) - plenty of people will apply to either all or some of H/S/W just to say that they've tried, and some do get in. It's really up to you whether you feel it's worth the effort.

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