Canis Lupus Portfolio

Question

Canis Lupus has also asked a number of insightful questions about selecting schools- hence this portfolio. 

Canis Lupus, could you sum up where you are with your portfolio?

Canis lupus · Answer

edit

Hjort · Answer

Wake Forest appears to accept a number of students with limited work experience- around 10% of the entering class. Maryland has the better overall brand name, but Wake Forest appears to be quite strong in Entrepreneurship (including a Family Business Center). 

What is your rationale for including Duke?

Canis lupus · Answer

basically i know that Duke&Tuck is slightly more difficult to get into than other schools in my shortlist but i honestly do believe that Duke is a perfect fit for me..I mean as soon as i read about the school and the students and the whole Durham atmosphere i knew i would love to go there..
Although i know its a moot choice because the chances to get into Fuqua with my work ex are probably slim to nothing..

Do you suggest that i look for an alternative to Duke and Tuck..Which one's do you suggest..Indiana or Cornell maybe ?..i have no idea..i've exhausted all the info that i know..Please suggest an alternative if you feel so..

Another thing, Does babson encourage students with les than 2 yrs of work ex..On their site they've specifically stated that their work ex range is 2-something years..Do they accept recent graduates or candidates with limited work ex like Wake forest or Tepper

As far as Wake forest goes thanks for the info..I was leaning more towards wake too than Smith..Glad to hear that they accept students with limited work ex also..

Also this is the question i posted before you created my portfolio thread..so feel free to delete the previous thread

Some of the colleges that i'm applying to require online reoc's..Now every single one of my recommenders is asking me to write my own reco's and get it edited from them because they dont have the time..Since im still in college most of my recommenders are prof's who dont have any time at all..

Can i ask them just to sign on the reco's and mail the hard copies to the school..If yes then what is the procedure for this..Do the reco's have to reach before the deadline or after or before i submit the application or after i submit the application..also what details do i need to attach with the hard copies so that the school knows which applicant he reco's belong to..

Thanks

Hjort · Answer

This is the tricky thing about your portfolio- if we take something out it will be extremely hard to find a similar school to replace it with. 

As we both well know, most of the elite cluster have yet to return to their previous love of young candidates. Even if you are enrolled in such a program, it is important to consider whether employers (and the career services offices) are prepared to handle students with limited work experience when your average peer has 5+ years. 

Since you found Duke such a strong match, I am reluctant to remove it from the list. 

Re: Babson, I do not recall it being particularly open to young applicants and the class profile appears to reflect this. However, Babson is essentially the "mother ship" for entrepreneurs so I understand why it appeals to you. 

While I think we discussed it before, Arizona (Eller) is another possibility. It is strong in eship and has an mean nominal work experience of 3.3 years!

UNC offers a very nice blend of strengths (GM, eship, location in NC). There is just that pesky 2 year minimum work exp. requirement. However, the exchange below suggests you might be able circumvent the work requirement. 

"Q:If I have less than two years of full-time work experience, will my application be considered? 

A: We review every application we receive, regardless of the amount of work experience. But applicants with less than two years of experience are not likely to be competitive in comparison to other candidates at UNC Kenan-Flagler. 

Q: I worked full-time before I received my college degree. Will you consider that work experience? 

A: Your full-time work before you earned a bachelor's degree can be considered. The quality of work experience is as significant as the quantity. The Admissions Committee will evaluate the degree and progression of your responsibility, supervisory roles and the managerial promise of that work."

Hjort · Answer

Re the Recos: The easy answer for me is "contact the school and ask." It is still good advice but rather uninsightful. For academic institutions, technology initiatives are often aspirational i.e. it sure would be nice if we stopped getting paper cuts from all these bothersome envelopes that we end up losing anyway. Sorting and matching letter of reference can be a major pain, especially when your are dealing with thousands of applicants each sending several pieces of mail. Thus, it makes perfect sense to firmly encourage applicants to use the online system. However, schools generally realize that not all recommenders necessarily have access to the online forms. Thus, I would expect most schools to grudgingly accept mail delivery of these items for the next few years. 

Since your letters are coming from a university, I would look to see if your school has a recommendation coordinator/clearinghouse/office that assists students and professors with the processing of recommendations. Another option, assuming it is in line with the individual MBA program's honor code, is to obtain permission from the professor to have another party input the letter into the online system.

Canis lupus · Answer

hey hjort thanks for an excellent reply.. I wish my college was capable of organizing some procedure by which i could maybe send the recos online but i know for a fact that if i approach them with this idea they'll say dont go abroad to study then

..They are a highly unprofessional bunch of people..My prof's would straight turn down a reco if i told them they would have to move an inch to make the extra effort of sending them online.. I guess i'll mail the colleges and ask them what the procedure is like although i think most of them if not all would be ok with reco's in snail mail too..but the procedure of sending them would be critical..please inform me if you get any clues about this too.. hmm..about the portfolio ..what to do what to do..i'm still in a conundrum..would it be worth it to send apps to Duke and Tuck..Babson is a strong college but again would they consider me..my mind is made up about the 2nd round apps..but im still shaky on 3 in the 1st list with Duke,Tuck and Babson.. I might as well send one to Duke anyways..but i need to replace Tuck and Babson to maximize my chances.. I'm frankly having a tougher time sorting this out than my essays.. :-D

.. hmm what do you think about Cox,Rice,Fisher,Krannert,Michigan State..You already discussed UNC but i still am not sure with UNC..please let me know your views on the aforementioned schools...any inof on admits or average ages..i'll do my background checking too.. Oh btw Hjort what do you do for a living ?.. I mean how in gods name do you carry around so much info in that head of yours..

Hjort · Answer

It is dismaying how lazy some professors are . . . 

Choosing schools can be quite time consuming. The schools you mentioned are all quality schools, it is just that many have rather regional reputations (Michigan State and Ohio State in the Midwest/Great Lakes, SMU and Rice in the Southwest). This is not necessarily a bad thing, but might limit where you will work after the degree.

Just to muddy the waters further, Puilinchristin brought up Rochester/Simon. Rochester has at least as strong a general reputation as the five schools you mentioned and might even waive your app. fee.

Canis lupus · Answer

yes but how is rochester in terms of work ex requirements..Can you suggest 2 more schools where limited work ex is ok..

How does Krannert fare in terms of young applicants..? It seems to have a very strong program similar to Maryland's..

Apart from MIS, does maryland have any strengths in terms of more "traditional" business concentrations like general mgmt or mkting..I know their eship course is pretty strong

btw you still didnt answer my question of what you do..unless of course im intruding in which case you would not feel obligated..

Thanks

edit..Just looked up simon and 38% of their class size has 0-2 yrs of work ex..thats good news for me..Also they have mkting,eship in their concentrations..I've heard excellent reviews about the finance program..How do you think Mkting/eship stand up to other colleges in its tier..

Fisher,Broad specifically state on their web sites that strong work ex is highly preferrred..so those two are out too..

Hjort · Answer

Maryland is best known for MIS but it is generally strong in the core subjects. 

As I recall, the percentage of students at Purdue/Krannert without post undergrad experience is greater than 10%.

And the final matter- Hjort shall remain an enigma.

Canis lupus · Answer

i also checked the class profile of Indiana Kelley..only 95% of their students have full time work ex..i decided to keep duke..but change Tuck and babson for
1>.Kelley
2..Krannert
3>.Maryland
4>.Simon Rochester

Im leaning towards two of kelley,krannert and Maryland..simon like you said has a very intense program and i dont think i'd be the kind to thrive under that..

So which 2 do you suggest out of the 3..where would i stand the best chance..this would be my ultimate shortlist finally..(i hope)..i wonder if the b-schools would accept this as a accomplishment in my essays

..so let me know what you think..

And hjort= ELVIS ? :twisted:

..so let me know what you think.. And hjort= ELVIS ? :twisted:

Hjort · Answer

Among Kelley, Krannert, and Smith my gut reaction is to lean toward the first two schools.

I would not cross Rochester off the list so readily- research it some more and see if it appeals you since Rochester is serious about younger candidates.

Canis lupus · Answer

apart from the finance course what are the strengths of rochester ?..and when you meant intense program in rochester what do you mean by it exaclty..

Hjort · Answer

Rochester is well known for being strong in accounting and operations as well. However, since it has such an emphasis on the fundamentals of management, you can expect it to be strong in GM as well. 

By intense I mean that it has a reputation for being a place that attracts serious students who will work hard in the course of their degree. Some MBA programs have a reputation for being academic "country clubs" with less emphasis on their studies (of course, one could easily argue that this is not a fair portrayal of these schools). One look at upstate NY in January should quickly convince you that students are not there for any sort of vacation.

As a young MBA grad, coming from a place that is known as an intellectual boot camp can be a good thing. Without as much conventional work experience as other students, it is valuable to show that you can thrive in a demanding environment.

Canis lupus · Answer

what about notre dame for a safety college..what are its strengths..also knowing my profile would you suggest 1 reco letter from my college and 1 from work exp or both from supervisors or co-workers from work ex..which will be more effective..

Also duke and wake forest mention that TOEFL is required only for candidated who have not completed their undergrad from a English speaking univ..I have completed mine from an english speaking univ..In this case is it preferred to still give the TOEFL or not..

Duke's also has an online form submission.Is there any downloadable version of the app also..(i didnt see anything of this sort on the site!!)

Hjort · Answer

Notre Dame is probably best known for its strength in Ethics. It has two large advantages 1) It is connected to a well known and respected university and 2) it is one of the few Near Elites near Chicago and has a strong reputation there. 

If you can clear the TOEFL requirement through your undergrad degee, I would go ahead with that. English competency is essentially a threshold or pass/fail evaluation. However, I have found that schools can define "English speaking" in some rather unexpected ways. I would email the schools and verify that you have satisfied the English requirement. 

Re: Duke's application- Are you looking for a PDF version of the application?

Hjort

Canis lupus · Answer

yes i'm looking for a pdf version of the application..I did not find any on the site..Do you have a link to that..

Kelly has a class profile with 95% students with FT work ex..How much % do you think is required for a good chance in a school..

I have these stats so far
HBS- ?
PENN- ?
PURDUE-86%
KELLY-95%
WAKE FOREST-90%
SIMON-68% (32% BETWEEN 0-2 YRS OF FT WORK EX)..

Any additions to that list

Can i just take 2 reco's from my work ex part instead of educational bit..is it preferred this way..

Can i take a reco from someone who is a client of our company but with whom i have personally interacted to complete his order..

Hjort · Answer

I'll have to check into the most recent stats for each school. 

Re: the recommendations, my general rule is to go with the person who will can provide the strongest, most engaging narrative. Yes, there is nothing novel about this but I still feel it is a sound criterion. 

Your situation is a bit different since you are coming directly from an undergraduate program. Some schools are more forgiving (in one sense at least) with younger applicants in that these candidates have had less time to develop relationships with multiple professional supervisors. A client reference is fine as long as she can provide genuine insight into your skills, character, and leadership potential.

Canis lupus · Answer

any idea about the Duke's pdf version?..still cant find it

Hjort · Answer

I had not luck either. If for whatever reason you want a preview of the application you can start a dummy application under a different name and cancel it.

Canis Lupus Portfolio

Prep Toolkit

Top 5 GMAT Debrief Videos

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards