Background and nationality: Afrcan-American, Male, 26 Y.O. (will be 27 by the time I apply; applying next year for 2019 matriculation)

Undergrad Information: Emory University, BA in Economics, 3.51 GPA

GMAT: 700 Q48, V39, AWA-6, IR-8

Work experience and leadership: Obtained my series 7 and 63 and then worked for 2 years at an online brokerage firm as a trader. Currently work at BB investment bank doing both project management and business analyst work. Have been here for 2 years. In the process of moving to a more front office role.

Community and others: Co-founded an organization that provided free ACT, SAT, LSAT, GRE, GED and High School Graduation test tutoring, financial literacy, writing critique services, and assistance in filling out financial aid forms in Atlanta. Since leaving Atlanta, am currently involved in a local mentor program in the city of Jacksonville, serving as a mentor to young boys in underrepresented communities.

Post MBA goals: Ultimately, my career goal is to close the opportunity gap that exists for people who look like me and grew up where I did. The avenue through which I want to do this is by developing social impact businesses that solve development challenges and offer career opportunities that can change the wealth paradigm both in America and in Ghana.

Haas (and Berkeley) is known for valuing some of the quantifiable metrics over some of the softer metrics. Their students have some of the highest GMAT/GPA combination of any top tier schools. This will be one of your biggest hurdles to overcome. You can do that by trying again on your GMAT for 740+ score to offset the low GPA. Given your short-term goal, you may consider some of the distant MBA programs. You will have to quit your job to start a full time program. Unless your company is sponsoring you, the raise you may get from your current company will not offset the cost of attendance.

Thank you very much for the candid response and the reality check. I'm working my butt off trying to hit 740+ but I realistically won't hit it, and I know I probably won't get into Haas. I've considered trying the part time program as well, my work has mentioned that they'd sponsor me to go as well. I'm not sure if that might be the better route for me, but given my circumstances, that might be the only way into Haas.

Thanks again for the feedback!

Hi Guys,

Please help evaluate my profile for R1 :

Age: 24, South East Asian, Female

Undergrad: Business Finance in Top school in Southeast Asia

GPA: 3.89
GMAT: 700 (49Q 35V).

Work:
As of now, 2 years experience as management consultant in Big 3
-Worked in Bank transformation project (convincing senior management to implement new org. structure that is already implemented and yield productivity improvement by 30%)
-Worked in corporate due diligence in consumer product industry
-Worked in customer strategy for shopping malls (proposed turnaround strategy for one-loss making malls - $ 3M)

Extracurricular
- Provided pro-bono consulting to social enterprise
- Participated actively in mentorship program for student community
- Coached university business case club members on business case competition and consulting interviews.
- Led training program in office


Short term Goals :
- Return as a consultant (as scholarship candidate) specializing in retail and customer strategy. Gain interest in retail since young from family business (Drugstore chain in Southeast Asian Country). The last project in shopping mall even strengthen my interest in this area and will eventually run the family business in the long-run.
- Wanna gain expertise in Retail and customer centric approaches from MBA, develop leadership styles (as I will start to have more direct reports) and gain exposure to international experiences to broaden my perspective.

Any advice, tips, chances?

Thank you

Hi, I am a little confused with this.

I gave GRE 2 years ago and scored 325 (Q 170, V 155) Quant percentile >90, verbal <80
I gave GMAT a few days ago and scored 730 (Q49, V40) Verbal percentile>90, Quant <80, IR 7, AWA awaiting

Now I am not sure which score I should pick to apply, please help me out.
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Would appreciate if someone reviews my profile.. TIA

Hi,
your strengths are: advanced leadership skills, impactful/measurable results and achievements, relevant career goals (which means they are realistic and achievable)
To make your chances good, target GMAT 740+ scores and develop deep reasoning of why you need MBA Berkeley degree to assure its AdComs
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Can you please review my profile for HAAS
Background: Indian Male (25 years of age)
Education: BE IT
Exp: 2.5 years will be 3 years by the time I start the program
Work Type: Software Engineer at Citi Bank
Leadership Experience: Founder of a non-profit organization for underprivileged children
GMAT Score: 760
CGPA: 7.9/10

Please let me know your honest opinion. Open to share any more information if needed.

Thank you!

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Hi there,

I realize you posted this a few weeks ago, but I didn't see any responses specific to your post and wanted to make sure you received some input! A few thoughts both in general and as it relates to Haas:

- Your GMAT is excellent, but your IR score does raise a little bit of a question mark. IR was introduced in 2012 and wasn't entirely considered in its early years, but reports suggest that 59% of schools were at least looking at IR scores as recently as a year or two ago. There's no simple answer with your scores, so the best suggestion is to reach out to the schools you're interested in to inquire about whether there is any concern (or you should possibly even consider re-taking the GMAT) given the 2 on IR. If it were a 4 or higher, then maybe not, and there are stories out there of candidates getting into great programs with very low IR scores, but it's worth school-specific input in this case. As it relates to Haas, they do not specifically reference IR in their current "Academics" video online: https://mba.haas.berkeley.edu/admissions/tips.html. But it's worth feeling the programs out.

(There's also a good forum here with views from both sides: https://gmatclub.com/forum/scored-too-l ... l#p1522003)

- Your undergraduate GPA is on the lower end, but that's supported some by your strong GMAT and strong master's GPA. It would be great if your master's degree included quant courses in which you had high grades. (And while your work experience does not outwardly suggest any quantitative work, I'd endeavor to highlight it if there is some there (e.g., perhaps you use statistical or analytical techniques to determine certain communications strategies. Could be an interesting complement.)

- The crux of your challenge and application effort (to Haas and any other program) will center on your story, career goals, why MBA, what that particular program, etc. You already have an MPA and have worked for a several years in the public sphere. Whatever your stated career goals are, you'll need to build a coherent narrative around why who you are and what you've done to this point PLUS the MBA can successfully lead you to your stated (and specific) goals. How did the interest in these new goals evolve? What relevant knowledge, skills, and experience do you already have? What knowledge, skills, and experience do you need via the MBA, and how exactly will you attain them?

- On its face, your transition to FinTech seems rather stark and discconnected. If that is indeed your goal, then you'll really need to tease out and tell the adcom why this evolution makes sense. You don't want your MPA and previous experience to be an "unrelated aside" in your story. They are part of the foundation of what you is now leading you to Haas. You'll want a narrative that explains how everything makes sense *together.* (With that in mind, you might consider career goals that maximize the unique combination of your previous degree and work experience *and* your future MBA. There's a unique combination there. Where will it have its optimal impact?)

- Be very specific -- both with your career goals and your Haas-specific (or school-specific) rationale. You'll usually need to articulate very specific short- and long-term goals. What role at which company or companies, and why? The same way your previous education and experience plus the MBA should lead to your short-term goal, consider how all of those things together will lead you to your (very specific) long-term goal. How **exactly** will the MBA bridge what you did before with what you seek to do after? What courses, clubs, and extracurriculars? What about Haas's culture, community, and unique career opportunities? Do your research, go to information sessions, visit schools (if you can), speak with current students and alumni, and show the programs that you know them very very well, fit well, want to be there, and will make unique contributions. (This is true of every program, and I'd argue that it's even more so the case with Haas, which takes fit and its four defining principles very seriously, and which has the smallest full-time class size for top programs.)

I'd be happy to address any and all of this in greater detail at your convenience. Please feel free to email me at greg@avantiprep.com.

Best Regards,
Greg (Haas '15)
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