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jasonc · Answer

Given your GMAT score and prevous job I'd say your GPA is not as much of an issue. Regarding your current unemployment - make sure you're doing something with your time - its good that you're still invovled in the volunteer activity and that will definitely help. The main point here is to show initiative and show that you are not just sitting on your butt all day. You may also be able to take some stats/accounting classes at a local college to both help your GPA and give you something to do during unemployment - take this with a grain of salt, being an 09 applicant who is still relatively new on this forum, I don't really know what I'm talking about

I'll also need to explain a similar unemployment issue - I have an 8 months gap between college and my first job - I have a few things I did during that time that I'll be using to show initiative - volunteer work, taking care of my mother's injuries (she was in an accident) and also exploring/researching for industries/jobs I'd actually enjoy - and holding out for the right job instead of taking whatever came along.

solaris1 · Answer

Your perceived weakness doesn't sound to be *that* bad a problem at all! It seems like you did some really interesting travels during that seven month hiatus, I think that makes for a good story if you spin in right. And I bet admissions committees are more understanding of layoffs anyway, I had a similar 3 month period between jobs, however I just took it real easy and at least you have your travels and extracurricular involvement to talk about. You haven't found a job in line with your short- and long-term goals, it's a tough economy out there and that sounds like it could be a pretty concrete explanation in itself. Just keep up your interests outside of work, so the adcoms know you are pursuing something you feel truly passionate about, and keep looking for jobs. That's just what it is.

Yahsek · Answer

It's not so much about the tenure of your participation as it is the quality of it and you make a lot of good posts so I definitely take your suggestions seriously! I've considered enrolling in a statistics and/or calculus course to take a little pressure off my undergraduate marks but my current employment uncertainty makes me a bit uneasy about commiting. I just don't want to get half way through a course only to have to discontinue because I take a job that makes attending class impossible. Plus, taking classes makes my unemployment benefits go poof :-)

I don't think your gap is a big deal because it was so long ago and before you began your professional career. Plus, you can spin it as a positive that you were holding out for the right job and not just one that you took because you were bored. You can stress how you had a plan for your career and how important it was that you eventually took the job that you did. All very valid points and ones I will consider when trying to explain my employment gap. The biggest challenge I forsee will be picking the angle that is the most resilient. Even though the economy is down, Bay Area big pharmaceuticals especially, there are still plenty of jobs out there and plenty of people who find those jobs. An adcom can easily get the impression that I have some sort of performance deficiency if I cite the poor economy as my primary obstacle.

kryzak · Answer

yihwei, since you asked me about Haas, I will ask you to check into Haas's environmental policy/sustainability/net impact programs. Haas is also strong in the biotech industry, with their joint programs/classes with UCSF Med school. I know you're worried about your quant scores, but you can make it up with decent quant score and maybe taking some quant classes at a community college or UC extensions. Otherwise, I see a good fit between your goals and what Haas is strong at.

togafoot · Answer

What type of managment role are you seeking?
If you are looking at people management, then you will need to emphasise these points in your essays. For certain, an MBA will not help you to develop soft skills which is a key requirement in a people related management role, so if you have them, you can use it to show how some of the management electives can harness the previous people management skills you have developed. Talk about why you want a managment role and how that fits in with your goals and how it relates to your previous experience (e.g. how an inspiring manager affected you)

Likewise if you are talking about analysis management or project management.

kryzak · Answer

toga, I have to disagree with this statement. Based on my interviews with alums from Stanford, Berkeley, and UCLA, they said the best thing they learned were the soft-skills classes offered by the b-school. they valued it more than the business fundamental classes they've took. So I guess it depends on the electives you take and the school you go to, whether you learn soft-skills or not.

riverripper · Answer

I agree with Kry on this. Depends on the program, it is a priority at some but not so much at others. I would say schools like Berkeley, Kellogg, Stanford, and Duke are "soft" schools. While Chicago, Wharton, MIT, Tuck, and Darden would be viewed as "hard" schools. However, even the hard schools try to get people to work on their soft skills...

Something you probably notice about the soft schools are they are the ones viewed as team oriented, were as the hard schools are generally viewed as the academic and individualistic schools. Do remember that just because a school has a stereotype doesn't mean its 100% accurate. You can take very challenging classes at soft schools and you will learn soft skills at the hard schools.

Yahsek · Answer

Kryzak, thanks for the head's up. I went back and did some more research about Haas' Center for Responsible Business. I found that in addition to their many corporate projects they also have about half a dozen courses ranging from environmental strategy to social investing. They also have a group of prospective student advisors, so I'll definitely be emailing them for more information. In addition, the website said that MBA students can select from nearly 140 courses from other Berkeley graduate schools to take for MBA credit. I'm hoping/assuming that the College of Natural Resources is one of them! I'm still not sure if I'm going to apply, but even if I do I don't intend to until R2 so at least I have a few more months to make a decision. It's a good thing I'm just across the bridge in SF so I can always pop over for a visit without too much advanced planning. Thanks again for your advice.

kryzak · Answer

No problem YihWei! If you need anything, let me know. Hopefully I'll meet you in person some day, and I hope you will apply in R2!

Yahsek · Answer

I'd be most interested in a combination of people and project management. To be completely honest, I haven't really thought about specific types of management until you asked! So, thanks for bringing to my attention that I need to elaborate. I guess it'll be pretty important to talk about these kinds of details in my essays. I've always thrived when depended on to motivate and provide direction for a team, so I really want to manage people. At the same time, I believe that the best way for me to promote environmental sustainability within my company/industry is through the implementation of projects and programs. My biggest challenge will be to give examples of when I've lead teams and motivated people, since at my job those opportunities have been few and far between.

I definitely need to work on my "hard" skills the most, which is why I feel that an MBA is a good fit for me at this point in my career. As an analytical chemist, my exposure to business fundamentals have been limited at best. So to best train me to enter a general management role I need to learn as much as I can about all aspects of business from marketing to finance and beyond. As a very personable and outgoing person I am really looking for a program that is team oriented and more on the "soft" side. That's why I'm primarily targeting schools like Ross, Fuqua, Haas, and Johnson. Judging from my research of these programs, the core curriculums are very comprehensive while giving significant flexibility in their electives so I can further develop my "hard" skills or take courses relating to environmental management and sustainable development.

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