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engineer3535
Joined: 19 May 2016
Last visit: 27 Mar 2017
Posts: 1
Given Kudos: 1
Location: United States
Schools: Haas '19 Kellogg '19
GPA: 3.32
WE:Engineering (Energy)
13 Jun 2016, 08:47
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I'm trying to figure out where to apply for Fall 2017 admission. I am a 26 year old white male. Right now I work as a process engineer at a refinery in Texas, but I would like to go into consulting in the energy instrustry after getting my MBA. I will have 4 years of work experience by the time I would start my MBA. I made a 770 on my GMAT (48 Verbal, 48 Quant, 7 Integrated Reasoning, 5.5 AWA) and a 3.3 undergraduate GPA at UT - Austin in Chemical Engineering. My GPA really dropped off during my Junior (and especially) Senior years. After my Sophmore year of college I had about a 3.6 GPA. My junior year I took a few electives that ended up not being very interesting to me and did poorly in a numerical methods class. These events brought my GPA down to a 3.45 at the end of my junior year. I already had job offers before the end of my first semester senior year, so I got lazy in school and ended up graduating with just a 3.3. I know that was not the right thing to do and it is an experience from which I have learned. I have matured a lot since then. Will buisness schools understand this? Lastly, I do not have a lot of extra curriculars. Right now I'm looking at:
1) Berkely (Haas) - This was high on my list, but the class profile shows that they really like GPA (bottom of the middle 80% is 3.42). Is it even worth applying?
2) Chicago (Booth) - Great school and flexibility in curriculum.
3) Harvard - Is it worth applying? This would be my first choice.
4) Wharton - Great school, I have friends in Philadelphia, but would it be a good fit considering my career goals?
5) Columbia - NYC would be a nice place to live, but, as with Wharton, would it be a good fit considering my career goals?
6) Darden - Case method sounds intriguing. How is the brand name perceived? What is Charlottesville like?
7) McCombs - I might get some scholarship money, they're known for energy, and I like Austin. However, they are not as highly ranked as the other schools that I'm considering. Also, would employers see it as a negative that I did my undergrad work here as well?
8) Yale - Good school, but probably not as good as some others on this list. New Haven doesn't sound very nice.
9) Northwestern (Kellogg) - Another really good school. However, I really haven't looked at it that much yet.
Thanks in advance for your feedback!
1) Berkely (Haas) - This was high on my list, but the class profile shows that they really like GPA (bottom of the middle 80% is 3.42). Is it even worth applying?
2) Chicago (Booth) - Great school and flexibility in curriculum.
3) Harvard - Is it worth applying? This would be my first choice.
4) Wharton - Great school, I have friends in Philadelphia, but would it be a good fit considering my career goals?
5) Columbia - NYC would be a nice place to live, but, as with Wharton, would it be a good fit considering my career goals?
6) Darden - Case method sounds intriguing. How is the brand name perceived? What is Charlottesville like?
7) McCombs - I might get some scholarship money, they're known for energy, and I like Austin. However, they are not as highly ranked as the other schools that I'm considering. Also, would employers see it as a negative that I did my undergrad work here as well?
8) Yale - Good school, but probably not as good as some others on this list. New Haven doesn't sound very nice.
9) Northwestern (Kellogg) - Another really good school. However, I really haven't looked at it that much yet.
Thanks in advance for your feedback!
13 Jun 2016, 10:49
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engineer3535
Realistically, all of them would be fine for your goals. Just pare the list down a bit. McCombs is really strong in the energy sector, and all of the M7s are fantastic for consulting in general.
13 Jun 2016, 12:50
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Welcome to GMAT Club!
I think your stats/numbers look good and solid. The GPA is a concern when under 3.0 but at 3.3. you are in the OK zone. I doubt you need to worry about it, and if you are concerned, you can turn this around into a learning experience story using the optional essay to touch on the reasons for your lower-standing GPA. Your GMAT is a bit unusual for an engineer with a Q48 and V48 - you are either a bad engineer or too good of a communicator for one
) Unusual is never bad in the Top 10 by the way, so don't take it the wrong way.
One thing to keep in mind is that anyone applying to the top 10 will have your stats and probably better - they will have a high GMAT, high GPA, and 4+ years of work experience, potentially sexy work experience such as investment banking or special forces, so you need something to trump them with there other than stats/numbers. The differentiation for all applicants will be qualitative. Your contribution to the class, your leadership experience, your passions, hobbies, and other things you outside of work. That will determine whether you go to Booth or something much lower ranked that needed your high GMAT score for their rankings boost.
As to the schools you listed, all are fantastic and I think you would have a great experience in all of them. The trick is to get in. Most dont' apply to more than 3 schools per round. Crazy folks tried 5 per round and it was super hard due to Recommendations, Essays, etc. So you do need to pair your list down to probably 3 schools for R1 and 4-5 for R2. That's about the max.
I think your stats/numbers look good and solid. The GPA is a concern when under 3.0 but at 3.3. you are in the OK zone. I doubt you need to worry about it, and if you are concerned, you can turn this around into a learning experience story using the optional essay to touch on the reasons for your lower-standing GPA. Your GMAT is a bit unusual for an engineer with a Q48 and V48 - you are either a bad engineer or too good of a communicator for one
) Unusual is never bad in the Top 10 by the way, so don't take it the wrong way. One thing to keep in mind is that anyone applying to the top 10 will have your stats and probably better - they will have a high GMAT, high GPA, and 4+ years of work experience, potentially sexy work experience such as investment banking or special forces, so you need something to trump them with there other than stats/numbers. The differentiation for all applicants will be qualitative. Your contribution to the class, your leadership experience, your passions, hobbies, and other things you outside of work. That will determine whether you go to Booth or something much lower ranked that needed your high GMAT score for their rankings boost.
As to the schools you listed, all are fantastic and I think you would have a great experience in all of them. The trick is to get in. Most dont' apply to more than 3 schools per round. Crazy folks tried 5 per round and it was super hard due to Recommendations, Essays, etc. So you do need to pair your list down to probably 3 schools for R1 and 4-5 for R2. That's about the max.
