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AdmissionsConsultants · 10-05-2007, 09:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cam54

Hi David,

Thanks for all your help!

Please help evaluate my profile:

I am a 26 yo female

GMAT: 550/5 AWA (IM taking it again in a couple weeks, and I should break 600, but I have been having A LOT of trouble with this test. I have been studying for over a year, and score very high on practice tests, but have not had the same luck with the actual test yet)

GPA: 3.2 (didnt do well in junior college, but in University almost all A's and B's in business courses) Marketing major.

Work Exp: We have a family Medical business my father started over a decade ago. I have worked my way up from clerical to VP of Marketing, managing 6 at the moment, and made many changes to the company and increased revenue substantially. I am planning on taking over the business, so an MBA is my first step. We are a pretty large company (70-80 employees and still growing) and we are a leading provider in Southern California.

My dream school is Marshall's part-time program at USC.

What do yo think my chances are? I am applying early and have great essays and letters of rec.

I really appreciate your help!

Thanks in advance!

-Cameron

Hi Cameron and thanks for your inquiry.

You have some issues that need addressing. Your GMAT is the first concern. Continue studying and hope for a dramatic increase for your current score is really quite weak. Given the GMAT concern, it will be extremely essential that you underline your upward trend during your last years in undergrad.

As for your work experience – you seem to have truly risen to take on more challenges within the family business. However, there is always room for questions when one states that they work for a family business. It will help if you can obtain a letter of recommendation from one of your top clients or partners. Choosing the right recommender will be important.

Feel free to call our office if you would like to discuss your GMAT situation in more detail. We might just know some tutors and/or companies that could help.

This said, if you cannot raise the GMAT score, I suggest you outline a few other programs to consider just to make sure that you are not throwing all your eggs in one basket.

Best of luck with your applications!

Sincerely,

David Petersam
DPetersam@admissionsconsultants.com
703.242.5885

adamtay · 10-06-2007, 12:39 AM

Hi David, good to see you back on the forums. If you have any advice as per my post on 9/21 it would still be useful. Thanks.

calex · 10-07-2007, 08:55 PM

Dear David,

Id like your opinion on my situation.

I graduated in 2006 from York University (Toronto, Canada), with a degree in Information Technology (BA, Specialized Honours). My GPA is quiet low (2.9), most of my grades are very good, except my major grades. This low GPA is mostly due to first year classes.

I'm thinking of takin the GMAT, ive been studying on and off with practice scores of low-mid 700s. and im actually interested more in the Masters in Finance programs in the UK or europe in general... states arent a bad option either, but i haven't heard of any there. I'd love to do an MBA, but i dont want to spend 3-4 years on work expirience. after all the knowledge is the most important to me and i dont see a logical reason to spend my 20's on, that puts me in the Masters of Finance category. I really want to get into the biotech and investments field, so i even took up some science courses after graduation with approx a 3.2averag on those courses.

Problem is, what do i do with my low gpa? i was trying to calculate and even if i take up a whole bunch of different coureses now and score 4.0 ...which is realistically going to be 3.8 , my gpa won't rise that much.

Do i stand a chance in gettin into any reputable school with my stats? what would u suggest to me ? thanks so much in advance
Al

CaliforniaKid · 10-15-2007, 09:55 AM

My 2 questions:
1. What are my chances at HBS and Stanford coming straight out of college? I’m 21, currently a senior at UC Berkeley. I’m applying 2nd round at HBS and either 1st or 2nd at Stanford.
2. How would you package the gambling (see below) or would you even mention it at all?

Knocks against me:
1. My grades are relatively low (~3.5 as a Political Science major, which is pretty easy at UCB, although in my defense my GPA has gone up substantially every year) and I haven't really challenged myself that much academically since I've always had so much other stuff going on.
2. Little to no real work experience. I had one I-banking internship, which I hated, and that's about it. I've always been too busy wheeling and dealing on my own, which I found much more rewarding.
3. As of now, I have one, maybe two people who can write me a legitimate letter of recommendation. Like I said, I haven't been in the habit of dealing with Profs much outside of class.

Things I have going for me:
1. I’ve started two of my own businesses, and I know that I want to be an entrepreneur. I care passionately about creating my own way, and I had enormous success running a sneaker business in high school, and I’m starting my second project (a political news site) right now.
2. I got a 790 on the GMAT, 51Q 51V. I was actually surprised that I didn't get an 800, but I haven't gotten my official score yet so maybe there is some weird procedure about 800s or something that I'm not aware of. I found the test pretty easy, and I could get an 800 if I wanted to take it again, but it’s not worth it.
3. I have a lot of leadership experience. I am the president of the largest and most active fraternity on campus and I was the VP of the inter fraternity council as a sophomore.

Variance: I actually devote an enormous amount of my time to a college football algorithm that I wrote, which has been doing extremely well, and also to poker. Through a sample size that is large to an extremely significant degree, I can say with confidence that I could easily make 150-300k a year gambling, if I chose to do it 8 hours a day, 5 days a week… and that’s assuming that I wouldn’t improve dramatically, but rather that I would continue to win at my current rates. However, that lifestyle really doesn't appeal to me and I really want to go to business school and then become an entrepreneur. The question is this: it’s something that I’m extremely proud of, extremely good at, and (in my mind at least) extremely translatable to the business world. Is it too risky to discuss on an application? Will I get dismissed as a degenerate by people who don’t understand the industry? Does the fact that I have a 790 on the GMAT make it more believable?

Also, I’m only applying to HBS and Stanford, because I figured that I would have a great chance to go to a top 5 school after working for 2-4 years, so I’m just trying to fast-track myself. If I don’t get into either school, I will have no problem going to work (although I have no clue what I want to do in terms of getting a real job) for a few years and then reapplying.

What do you think my chances are? I can’t find any numbers for acceptance rates for kids straight out of high school, but they can’t be very high… I was hoping for a 10-20% shot, but I don’t know if that’s realistic.

CaliforniaKid · 10-15-2007, 07:18 PM

Odd, it didn't bump the thread when I posted...

Bump

ShaneNewell · 10-15-2007, 11:36 PM

Dear David,

I would like your honest assessment please. I took the GMAT once and received a 690 (Q-49 V-35). I plan on applying to Columbia and NYU. My undergrad is from the University of Maryland business school where I graduated with a 3.55 GPA. I have 2+ years of work experience in an investment management capacity with Blackrock and a good amount of charity and volunteer work. Also, I passed two levels of the CFA exam and have one to go, which I will be taking in June. Does passing a few levels of the CFA exam bear any weight on my application and do I have a decent shot of being accepted into one of these programs?
Thanks!

cheffie · 10-18-2007, 03:12 AM

Hi David,
Thanks for offering your professional advice. I really appreciate it.
Some background on me...
35 years old, asian female, my undergrad major was design w/a concentration on the studio arts (drawing, painting). My undergrad gpa is 2.5. It wasn't great b/c I had family difficulties during college. Upon entering college, my interests were in art, premed and marketing. I chose the design major b/c it was the easiest for me during those difficult years w/regards to my family. I volunteered at a nursing home and also tutored english to an immigrant during those years. I also started a design club and was the head of events. I also worked part time (15-20 hours a week). After a couple years of being out of school, I went back to school almost full time for 2.5 years for pre-med credits plus some additional science courses (plus calculus). I worked 30+ hours at this time and also volunteered at numerous hospitals too. I also had a chance to coauthor a small study that got published in a medical journal. My premed gpa is 3.8. After working at physician's office for a year, seeing the daily reality of being a physician, and having an incident happen (I won't go into detail here but will do so in my application essays), I realized that medicine wasn't for me. I went into marketing instead. I currently work in the marketing dept. of a large fortune 500 company and have worked here for 7 years. Over the last 7 years my responsibilities have increased, including managing and supervising temporary staff throughout the year, leading projects, conducting training sessions, and collaborating with others on other projects. My boss holds me in good esteem and values my contribution and opinions. I feel that now is the right time to get the mba b/c I'd like to push my career into brand management.

gmat in may: 620 (q40, v35)
gmat in oct: 650 (q45, v35)

My question is this - If my essays are well written and give a good sense of who I am, what I value, and my career goals and if my recommendations are good, is this enough for kellogg? I realize that it's a "reach" considering my low undergrad gpa and 650 gmat score, but I would absolutely love to go there. It is the one place I have my heart set on. Of course I will apply to other schools that I also value and hope to be accepted to, but Kellogg has always been my top choice. Can you offer any suggestions/advice? I plan to apply during round 2. What should I emphasize in my application given that I'm an older applicant? Also, how do I go about finding out if schools are more open to accepting applicant's in their 30's? Most schools have an average age of 28 but don't give a clue about how friendly they are to older applicant's.

Thank you again for your insights and hope you have a great day!

-cheffie

tt1 · 10-19-2007, 05:52 AM

Hi,
I am really looking for some honest advice here.
I have an international degree in chemistry and I have never worked with that degree( except for internship), primarily because I never got a job in that area. I found a job in the IT field and worked there about 1 year and then I moved again because the pay was pitiful. I eventually found myself in a cushy bank job (for some months) and then I had to move again because it was time to move to the US. I really liked working in a bank, meeting people and proferring solutions really fufilled my desire to be wanted (almost like being a doctor). But the US was a different terrain altogether - couldn't get a job as a banker so took a job as a teller with the hopes that in a short while I would move to a position I like. It's application time now and I am still a teller (i've been that for a year now). I am worried that been a teller will not look good on my application in the midst consultants, bankers, project managers,engineers etc and that my chances of been admitted to evevn a third tier school is null. What would you suggest?
In addition, I really, really really want to go to business school because I need to advance in the new industry I have choosen. I want to start on a fresh page of my career and I know that having an MBA will help me achieve just that. Furthermore, my ultimate dream is to become an entrepreneur (Possibly marketing speciality drugs or food to the world). The problem is I am having a very hard time convincing myself on paper. The essays I wrote are horrible almost as if my dreams don't make sense. (I hope I do make sense here). Any advice? where do I go from here?
Thanks guys!

AdmissionsConsultants · 10-22-2007, 08:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by adamtay

Hi there, your advice seems excellent and is much appreciated. Here's my profile:

-----
GMAT: 770 (q50, v45) AWA 6.0
Undergrad: University of Cambridge, UK, Equivalent 3.7 GPA
----
Work:

Current (18 months): A tech startup (handheld games and media), VP of our US subsidiary, 80 people in the UK, just me in CA, CRM, Biz dev, sales, support, coffee, photocopies - everything!

Previous: (one year): Same company, back in the UK, Technical Producer on two major games, one in Japan, one in the US, leading teams of 2-6 people, sometimes taking over lead role on teams of 20.

Lead Developer (one year): Major project, leading 3 engineers, awarding winning, flagship product for major publisher (EA)

Developer (6 months): Two more small games, one BAFTA (UK Oscar equivalent) winner.

Internship: Morgan Stanley, worked on the Fixed Income e-trade desk.

Prior to U-Grad: Voluntary web-design with local church, this secured self employed work for a local company and then 2 years of vacation work at a web design firm.
----
Extra-curric: Travel is my passion, spent 9 months in the last 4 years travelling, 30+ countries, lived with a family to learn spanish, now learning Chinese. I am also an avid skier.

U-Grad Extra-curric: Head cox for the mens boatclub, read leadership role, responsible for team motiviation, drive etc. Also small involvement in college orchestra and ultimate frisbee.
----

I plan to apply to Harvard, Stanford, Wharton and MIT. All offer different , but equally attractive programs. I really don't have the time to apply to many more (at least not in this round).

Few questions:

1) Do you think only applying to the top is narrow minded, should I be applying to more, perhaps in later rounds?

2) Since ugrad I've not joined many clubs etc (as I've been working hard!), except perhaps Chinese class. I have however done a lot of travel and skiing, is it fine to mention these under an 'activities' section of the application even though they are larger done alone or in a spontaneous group of friends?

3) The 'Why MBA' essay. My intention is to move into the general management/executive route occupying a global role, immediately following an MBA I'd like to work at a strategy consultancy. However, I want the MBA to expose me to different industries as I'm not sure where I want to end up, and I am unclear about whether I want to be an executive in my own company, or an existing firm. Is this going to be read as lack of direction, or is it perfectly acceptable?

4) Can you suggest areas of my profile to highlight for each of the respective schools?

Many thanks, I appreciate you don't have to spend your days reading profiles!

Hi and thanks for your inquiry.

You certainly pass the academic qualifications hurdle which is a great foundational start. In addition, your work experience appears to have offered your several successful leadership roles. However, the one point that you bring up which is truly indeed an issue, is your overall career objectives. It will be important that you highlight what you’ve learned and accomplished this far and how that has opened your eyes to what you want to accomplish while in b-school and afterwards.

One theme that I see prevalent in your background is the global and international perspective. This could be a strong theme to incorporate throughout your essays and it may also help to differentiate your profile. For instance, you mention that you have not participated in many clubs since undergrad. That is fine and can be compensated by your desire to learn more languages. Thus I would not focus so much on the skiing and sports but more so on what you have been doing to truly make your global management job a reality and how b-school will help to fulfill this goal.

Weaving and creating a cohesive theme throughout your applications is something that requires great analysis and though. Thus if you would like more detailed feedback, do give us a call.

Best of luck with your applications!

Sincerely,

David Petersam
DPetersam@admissionsconsultants.com
703.242.5885

AdmissionsConsultants · 10-22-2007, 09:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by osuguy

Hi David,

could you please evaluate my profile? BS from a top engineering college in India (Indian Institute of Technology), GPA 8.62/10.00 (3rd in class). Some part time entrepreneur activity with good success. Ph.D. in engineerring from a good US university (Ohio State). good GPA: 3.82. phd required a major and minor within department, and a minor in outside department. My minor was in finance (from business school). Started a company based upon my PHD research (in drug delivery), while I was still in school. Formed a good group of people to start this company – MBA student, MD, Ph.D. student in biomedical engineering, and myself phd student in elec engg. Presented our business plan in many business school business plan competitions, and won cash awards in about 30k US dollars. While doing these entrepreneurial activities, I could still finish my MS + PHD in less than 5 years. Company could not succeed because could not get enough money to keep it running. Well! Now working in a top semiconductor company as a senior process engineering in US. Work experience > 2 year, will be >3 in sept 08. At work, I was reviewed in top class in last two years. Have good experience training peers, working 24/7, interacting with vendors, taking directions and giving directions. I am not a direct supervisor, but indirectly give direction and supervise work of many individuals. The weakest point is low GMAT 640 (Q48, V29), one time only. I would appreciate if you could take some time out and suggest schools for me. I am shooting for top 10.

Hi and thanks for your inquiry.

Choosing a list of target schools requires a very intricate process of selection and analysis. Thus, I could not begin to competently offer school selections based on such minimal information. However, I will comment on some of the detail that you did provide.

I applaud you for your remarkable academic accomplishments but wanting yet another higher degree can present some concern. Although the admissions committees see an array of applicants with different backgrounds, it will be extremely important for you to strategically lay out your objectives so that they understand why it is that you want yet another degree. Thus, your PhD in engineering can be a true asset in your applications if presented in a logical and strategic manner. Your GMAT is indeed low and even though the courses that you have taken at the doctoral level can help to validate your academic abilities, I’d still strongly encourage you to retake the test if you’re confident you can boost your score.

Finally, the startup company you created is also an impressive accomplishment but this too will need to be explained in a sensitive fashion about what you learned from it given the funding problems that occurred.

Overall, you have a great foundation to begin with but many of your unique features will necessitate careful attention and execution.

Best of luck with your applications!

Sincerely,

David Petersam
DPetersam@admissionsconsultants.com
703.242.5885

10-18-2007, 03:12 AM	#1117 (permalink)
cheffie Within my grasp! Join Date: May 2007 Location: chicago Posts: 121	Hi David, Thanks for offering your professional advice. I really appreciate it. Some background on me... 35 years old, asian female, my undergrad major was design w/a concentration on the studio arts (drawing, painting). My undergrad gpa is 2.5. It wasn't great b/c I had family difficulties during college. Upon entering college, my interests were in art, premed and marketing. I chose the design major b/c it was the easiest for me during those difficult years w/regards to my family. I volunteered at a nursing home and also tutored english to an immigrant during those years. I also started a design club and was the head of events. I also worked part time (15-20 hours a week). After a couple years of being out of school, I went back to school almost full time for 2.5 years for pre-med credits plus some additional science courses (plus calculus). I worked 30+ hours at this time and also volunteered at numerous hospitals too. I also had a chance to coauthor a small study that got published in a medical journal. My premed gpa is 3.8. After working at physician's office for a year, seeing the daily reality of being a physician, and having an incident happen (I won't go into detail here but will do so in my application essays), I realized that medicine wasn't for me. I went into marketing instead. I currently work in the marketing dept. of a large fortune 500 company and have worked here for 7 years. Over the last 7 years my responsibilities have increased, including managing and supervising temporary staff throughout the year, leading projects, conducting training sessions, and collaborating with others on other projects. My boss holds me in good esteem and values my contribution and opinions. I feel that now is the right time to get the mba b/c I'd like to push my career into brand management. gmat in may: 620 (q40, v35) gmat in oct: 650 (q45, v35) My question is this - If my essays are well written and give a good sense of who I am, what I value, and my career goals and if my recommendations are good, is this enough for kellogg? I realize that it's a "reach" considering my low undergrad gpa and 650 gmat score, but I would absolutely love to go there. It is the one place I have my heart set on. Of course I will apply to other schools that I also value and hope to be accepted to, but Kellogg has always been my top choice. Can you offer any suggestions/advice? I plan to apply during round 2. What should I emphasize in my application given that I'm an older applicant? Also, how do I go about finding out if schools are more open to accepting applicant's in their 30's? Most schools have an average age of 28 but don't give a clue about how friendly they are to older applicant's. Thank you again for your insights and hope you have a great day! -cheffie Last edited by cheffie : 10-18-2007 at 03:29 AM. Reason: added more info

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10-06-2007, 12:39 AM	#1112 (permalink)
adamtay Eager! Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 33	Hi David, good to see you back on the forums. If you have any advice as per my post on 9/21 it would still be useful. Thanks.

10-07-2007, 08:55 PM	#1113 (permalink)
calex Trying to make mom and pop proud Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 7	Dear David, Id like your opinion on my situation. I graduated in 2006 from York University (Toronto, Canada), with a degree in Information Technology (BA, Specialized Honours). My GPA is quiet low (2.9), most of my grades are very good, except my major grades. This low GPA is mostly due to first year classes. I'm thinking of takin the GMAT, ive been studying on and off with practice scores of low-mid 700s. and im actually interested more in the Masters in Finance programs in the UK or europe in general... states arent a bad option either, but i haven't heard of any there. I'd love to do an MBA, but i dont want to spend 3-4 years on work expirience. after all the knowledge is the most important to me and i dont see a logical reason to spend my 20's on, that puts me in the Masters of Finance category. I really want to get into the biotech and investments field, so i even took up some science courses after graduation with approx a 3.2averag on those courses. Problem is, what do i do with my low gpa? i was trying to calculate and even if i take up a whole bunch of different coureses now and score 4.0 ...which is realistically going to be 3.8 , my gpa won't rise that much. Do i stand a chance in gettin into any reputable school with my stats? what would u suggest to me ? thanks so much in advance Al

10-15-2007, 09:55 AM	#1114 (permalink)
CaliforniaKid Trying to make mom and pop proud Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 18	My 2 questions: 1. What are my chances at HBS and Stanford coming straight out of college? I’m 21, currently a senior at UC Berkeley. I’m applying 2nd round at HBS and either 1st or 2nd at Stanford. 2. How would you package the gambling (see below) or would you even mention it at all? Knocks against me: 1. My grades are relatively low (~3.5 as a Political Science major, which is pretty easy at UCB, although in my defense my GPA has gone up substantially every year) and I haven't really challenged myself that much academically since I've always had so much other stuff going on. 2. Little to no real work experience. I had one I-banking internship, which I hated, and that's about it. I've always been too busy wheeling and dealing on my own, which I found much more rewarding. 3. As of now, I have one, maybe two people who can write me a legitimate letter of recommendation. Like I said, I haven't been in the habit of dealing with Profs much outside of class. Things I have going for me: 1. I’ve started two of my own businesses, and I know that I want to be an entrepreneur. I care passionately about creating my own way, and I had enormous success running a sneaker business in high school, and I’m starting my second project (a political news site) right now. 2. I got a 790 on the GMAT, 51Q 51V. I was actually surprised that I didn't get an 800, but I haven't gotten my official score yet so maybe there is some weird procedure about 800s or something that I'm not aware of. I found the test pretty easy, and I could get an 800 if I wanted to take it again, but it’s not worth it. 3. I have a lot of leadership experience. I am the president of the largest and most active fraternity on campus and I was the VP of the inter fraternity council as a sophomore. Variance: I actually devote an enormous amount of my time to a college football algorithm that I wrote, which has been doing extremely well, and also to poker. Through a sample size that is large to an extremely significant degree, I can say with confidence that I could easily make 150-300k a year gambling, if I chose to do it 8 hours a day, 5 days a week… and that’s assuming that I wouldn’t improve dramatically, but rather that I would continue to win at my current rates. However, that lifestyle really doesn't appeal to me and I really want to go to business school and then become an entrepreneur. The question is this: it’s something that I’m extremely proud of, extremely good at, and (in my mind at least) extremely translatable to the business world. Is it too risky to discuss on an application? Will I get dismissed as a degenerate by people who don’t understand the industry? Does the fact that I have a 790 on the GMAT make it more believable? Also, I’m only applying to HBS and Stanford, because I figured that I would have a great chance to go to a top 5 school after working for 2-4 years, so I’m just trying to fast-track myself. If I don’t get into either school, I will have no problem going to work (although I have no clue what I want to do in terms of getting a real job) for a few years and then reapplying. What do you think my chances are? I can’t find any numbers for acceptance rates for kids straight out of high school, but they can’t be very high… I was hoping for a 10-20% shot, but I don’t know if that’s realistic.

10-15-2007, 07:18 PM	#1115 (permalink)
CaliforniaKid Trying to make mom and pop proud Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 18	Odd, it didn't bump the thread when I posted... Bump

10-15-2007, 11:36 PM	#1116 (permalink)
ShaneNewell Trying to make mom and pop proud Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 6	Dear David, I would like your honest assessment please. I took the GMAT once and received a 690 (Q-49 V-35). I plan on applying to Columbia and NYU. My undergrad is from the University of Maryland business school where I graduated with a 3.55 GPA. I have 2+ years of work experience in an investment management capacity with Blackrock and a good amount of charity and volunteer work. Also, I passed two levels of the CFA exam and have one to go, which I will be taking in June. Does passing a few levels of the CFA exam bear any weight on my application and do I have a decent shot of being accepted into one of these programs? Thanks!

10-19-2007, 05:52 AM	#1118 (permalink)
tt1 Eager! Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 60	Hi, I am really looking for some honest advice here. I have an international degree in chemistry and I have never worked with that degree( except for internship), primarily because I never got a job in that area. I found a job in the IT field and worked there about 1 year and then I moved again because the pay was pitiful. I eventually found myself in a cushy bank job (for some months) and then I had to move again because it was time to move to the US. I really liked working in a bank, meeting people and proferring solutions really fufilled my desire to be wanted (almost like being a doctor). But the US was a different terrain altogether - couldn't get a job as a banker so took a job as a teller with the hopes that in a short while I would move to a position I like. It's application time now and I am still a teller (i've been that for a year now). I am worried that been a teller will not look good on my application in the midst consultants, bankers, project managers,engineers etc and that my chances of been admitted to evevn a third tier school is null. What would you suggest? In addition, I really, really really want to go to business school because I need to advance in the new industry I have choosen. I want to start on a fresh page of my career and I know that having an MBA will help me achieve just that. Furthermore, my ultimate dream is to become an entrepreneur (Possibly marketing speciality drugs or food to the world). The problem is I am having a very hard time convincing myself on paper. The essays I wrote are horrible almost as if my dreams don't make sense. (I hope I do make sense here). Any advice? where do I go from here? Thanks guys!

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