Ask AdmissionsConsultants

[AdmissionsConsultants]

Originally posted by bhornbuc

Hello David,

Firstly, let me say that I think what you're doing is great. You obviously have a ton of knowledge and are willing to share it.

To cut to the chase, my question is a popular one: Do I need a higher GMAT score in order to be highly competitive at a Top 10 business school?

Background:
- Current Score 680 (Q:44, V:40). Ran out of time and sped through last 7 Quantitative questions. Test conditions pose greater challenge than test content.
- Work Experience: 3 years - Capital One Financial Services - Varied positions doing a wide variety of tasks - internet advertising, postage spend analysis, systems development methodology, Inventory and eProcurement system implementations
2 years - MAXIMUS Consulting - Consultant/Business Lead/Project Manager (progressive responsibilities) for State of Indiana eProcurement and eSourcing systems implementations
-Education: Brown University - BS Applied Mathematics-Economics; BA Political Science; GPA = 3.0
- Other: PeopleSoft Certified Consultant, MAXIMUS Consulting "2004 Rookie of Year" (chosen by peers from set of 30 first-year consultants)

All said, with my collegiate GPA so low (3.0), I feel like a sub-700 GMAT allows for my aptitude to be called into question. If I were to retake the GMAT, I feel like 710/720 would represent my ceiling. However, I still have 2-3 months before the application process commences so the opportunity cost of a GMAT retake would be minimal.

Thus, the question becomes, based on your experience, what would you do if you were in my shoes?

Thank you very much in advance. Your time and energies are appreciated.

Regards,

Blake.

Hi Blake and thanks for your inquiry.

Your GPA is not the strongest, but – obviously! – Brown is a reputable school and your major was not exactly underwater basket weaving. Applicants with your GPA and GMAT combo are admitted into top 10 b-schools each year, so with a good story, you are already competitive from an academic qualifications viewpoint. This said, if you are confident you can boost your score by at least 30 points and it won’t detract from your application efforts, then go for it. It will only make you more competitive and, if your career progression and/or extracurricular activities are less than outstanding, the extra boost can only enhance your chances.

My only additional comment concerns the value of those last 7 questions in the CAT exam. I don't think they carry much weight in relation to your score -- assuming you at least selected an answer for each one. (In other words, there probably isn't 30-40 points of improvement there.)

Best of luck with your applications!

Sincerely,

David Petersam
DPetersam@admissionsconsultants.com

Admissions committee experience from the top b-schools

[AdmissionsConsultants]

Originally posted by btraub

Hi David,

I read this thread regularly and I would to thank you for always taking the time to answer everyone's questions. I am also very interested in your services as well. I will be in contact with you.

Thanks in advance.

My questions are as follows:

1 - I have read in some of your replies that GPA/GMAT counts for 35% - 40% of the application. Would you be able to provide a similar breakdown for the other componenents of the application?

2 - How do schools weight GPA according to where the GPA is from? ie - of course a GPA of 3.5 from Harvard undergrad weighs more than a 3.5 from a local community college. In my case I went to the University of Maryland undergrad business school (the Smith school was to 20 when I went there where my GPA was a 3.96 (I received 1 B in 4 years and two majors). Will this count less than the same GPA from another school? How do they weight it and how much should I count on this GPA helping me?

3 - I have been out of school only 2 years and am about to complete a 2 year GE managment program. In terms of buiness school (note that I am not asking about short term career goals would it be better to stay at GE, move to another big name company (for more money, work for a small no-name, or try to do something out of the box: ie - go teach english to students in a foreign country, volunteer for a few months to provide aid in a third world country? I am currently at this crossroad and dont know what to do both personally and professionaly.

4 - I have dealt with a lot of personal hardship in my life in terms of family and relationships. Is this something that I should not consider mentioning, focus on since it shaped me into the person I am and is important to me, or do something in between (this is for essays of course)?

5 - Recomendations - I am asking two people that I used to work for at GE for recommendations. They both have a title of VP and I reported directly to one of them (the other one was my bosses boss and got to know me very well). For a third recommendation I was going to ask the Dean of my undergrad business program at Maryland. I still have relationship with her and I wanted to know if this makes sense from an MBA admissions point of view? I have also considered the option of close family friends or a teacher friend who have all seen my grow throughout my life. What do you think of this as well?

6 - GE Management Programs: While working at GE you get brainwashed into thinking that every large company and top university has heard of GE programs (FMP, IMLP, etc...). Do MBA programs know what these programs are, and do they look upon them highly? The programs themselves are very competitive to get into, but I feel that people in my position tend to lose sight of what everyone else thinks. I know that 2 years of experience is not much, however I do know 2 year GE program grads who have gone on to top 3 schools after 2 years.

7 - It seems to be a cliche that everyone writes essays about how the want to go into non-profit or government servce. This is however, a realistic goal for me. Is this something I should shy away from writing about in essays since everyone else seems to do so, or can I be honest and say that this is absolutely a goal of mine (this ties in greatly to what I refer to above with my life experiences)?

8 - Lastly, would you give your feedback on how you think my application stands for a top 3 school. My info is below.

Education - University of Maryland, double major in business school, 3.96 GPA, university honors program, business honors program (president), numerous undergrad scholarships

Work - 2 year GE management program (1 year GE internship while in school), responsible for process improvement and digitization projects with actual business impact, leading 2-5 consultants on each project, growing responsibility in each of 4 assignments (I can of course elaborate on this in detail if need be, but I hope this gets the idea across) GE classes to no end (leadership skills, business dynamics course, presentation skills, group dynamics, etc...) I also got certified as a GE Blackbelt in Six Sigma. I have also received outstanding reviews and worked in Los Angeles and New York, with travel to other cities as well.

Recommendations - Noted above

Community Service - I have done a few projects with GE (habitat for humanity etc...), but most importantly, I am the local chapter advisor for an international youth group (high school age). I spend 1 night a week with the students and help them on things from education to social problems to girlfriend issues to career advice.

GMAT - 700 (Q44, V 42), taken once (ironically my best verbal ever and my worst quant ever). The Q score was 73rd %ile. How much will this hurt me?

Sorry for all of the questions, but I figured I would ask them all at once instead of going back and forth. Thanks so much in advance for your feedback. I look forward to seeing eveyone's response.

I hope I am not being too long in my writing (GMAT sentence correction joke).

- btraub

Hi btraub and thanks for your inquiry.

Unfortunately, I don’t have the time to answer this lengthy post in detail, but we can certainly assign you to a consultant and all this can be covered adequately within a one hour initial consultation. (Telephony is far more efficient than email.)

Your GPA puts you in great shape. You’re a 3.96 and should have nothing to worry about. You don’t have to attend a top school as an undergrad to get into a top MBA program. Additionally, there is some rampant grade inflation at certain schools and in a recent year a whopping 91% of Harvard students graduated ‘with honors’.

What you should do now depends on what you think you can accomplish by staying put, taking a sabbatical or joining another company. Any of these could be feasible depending upon your particular details.

The GE management programs are, indeed, well known within the admissions committees. I’m impressed by the fact you keep grounded and not get caught up in organizational groupthink by the way!

At some schools, the 73% will automatically kick out an in-depth review of your transcript. Given your 3.96, I don’t think they’re going to find any proverbial ‘closet skeletons’.

The extracurricular activities are good and, with a good ‘wow’ factor, you should be competitive at any b-school in the country.

Best of luck with your applications!

Sincerely,

David Petersam
DPetersam@admissionsconsultants.com

Admissions committee experience from the top b-schools

[btraub]

Hi David,

Thanks for the response. I truly appreciate it. Your answers were what I was hoping for at this point. I will be in touch with you in the coming weeks about admissions consulting.

Thanks again,
btraub

[P Misc]

Hi David,

Can you please let me know what my chances are for getting into Part Time MBA Program at Haas for Fall 2004? My GMAT score is 730, I have 6 1/2 years of experience and have Master's degree from IIT (Reputed in India) with high GPA (~3.64). I was invited for interview last month, it went OK.

Thanks,
Pmisc

[AdmissionsConsultants]

Originally posted by P Misc

Hi David,

Can you please let me know what my chances are for getting into Part Time MBA Program at Haas for Fall 2004? My GMAT score is 730, I have 6 1/2 years of experience and have Master's degree from IIT (Reputed in India) with high GPA (~3.64). I was invited for interview last month, it went OK.

Thanks,
Pmisc

Hi Pmisc and thanks for your inquiry.

I’m not really sure what I can tell you since the application has already been submitted and the interview completed. Based on the very limited information you shared, I see no reason why you shouldn’t be competitive and if you had a good story, you should be getting an acceptance soon.

Best of luck!

Sincerely,

David Petersam
DPetersam@admissionsconsultants.com

Admissions committee experience from the top b-schools

[mba_guy]

Hi David,

First of all let me tell you that I am quite amazed by the efficiency and accuracy of your replies .You dont seem to have missed anyone.

I am an engineering graduate from a premier institute in India and I am planning to apply for MBA programs beginning next year.I have some questions regarding my GPA and work experience.

My college has an percentage system and it is extremely difficult to score high marks.So even though my percentage is 67% ,its a comparatively good score as our college topper had around 75%.So will these facts be reflected when I convert to GPA.?..Who does the conversion? ..Should the applicant convert and give or does the admission board convert?..Sorry this might look like a repeated question but I couldnt get a clear answer from any of the posts below.

My work experience is above 3 years,2 years with a major MNC in India and the rest as a consultant in an european company.I have worked and experienced a multitude of cultures during the current course of my employment.(Including most of europe,middle east and US ).Should I highlight these facts in my application..?.Or in other words how pertinent are these facts with regard to my chances of getting admitted ..?

Regarding my GMAT I am expecting to score a 700+ as I am performing relatively well in the preps and sample test.

Expecting a reply from you soon

[mayank_s2003]

Hi David,
I would like to seek your advice to assess my chances of getting into a fair MBA program in USA.

I will start by listing down key points about my profile.

1. Passed out from one of the best engineering colleges from India with a GPA of 3.79. Majored in Mechanical Engineering. Ranked 9th in Mumbai University out of 450 students.

2. Got recruited in one of topmost IT companies in India and worked at offshore (i.e. India) for 1 year on a GE project. Work profile was mostly programming.

3. Have been working at onshore at 'GE' for last two and a half years on [h1]B visa. Have been appraised among top 5% of employees in my company for all 4 years. Bagged Empoyee of the Year award for 2003 among 3000 emplyees.My work profile in US has been defined around managing an offshore team of 20 programmers and functional consulting about my application. I can say that it's more non-technical with more stress on people skills and/or management.

4. Took my GMAT last month with 720 (Q 49 V 39) . AWA 4.5 which was a little disappointing.

5. Have been an active member of CRY (Child Relief and You) which is an NP organization of India. Have been involved in 'Adopt a Child' programme to help children from underprivileged countries.

6. I am certified in Green Belt Six Sigma methodology with training in Process Management from GE .


David,
I am planning for the MBA starting Fall-2005 (Age 24 now). By that time, I would have 5 years of IT experience with some savings to go with. My one and only criteria is a non-expensive school with a good career prospect after graduation. I am more worried about my profile as I have changed my major from undergrad education to take a job in IT. I am keen on MBA in Finance/MIS with a longterm goal of IT Consultancy.

Can you please advise whether or not I can get an admit from a good MBA program in US ? Where should I concentrate so that my application will look competitive in my pool ? To be honest I feel a little overwhelmed by other posts of people talking about only targetting Harvard and Kellogg. :o

Your advice will be truely appreciated...

Mayank

[btraub]

Hi Mayank,

What GE business are you at and what GDC are you with (or are you GE staff now)?
I am at a GE business as well...no need to explain why you want to go back to school

[AdmissionsConsultants]

Originally posted by mba_guy

Hi David,

First of all let me tell you that I am quite amazed by the efficiency and accuracy of your replies .You dont seem to have missed anyone.

I am an engineering graduate from a premier institute in India and I am planning to apply for MBA programs beginning next year.I have some questions regarding my GPA and work experience.

My college has an percentage system and it is extremely difficult to score high marks.So even though my percentage is 67% ,its a comparatively good score as our college topper had around 75%.So will these facts be reflected when I convert to GPA.?..Who does the conversion? ..Should the applicant convert and give or does the admission board convert?..Sorry this might look like a repeated question but I couldnt get a clear answer from any of the posts below.

My work experience is above 3 years,2 years with a major MNC in India and the rest as a consultant in an european company.I have worked and experienced a multitude of cultures during the current course of my employment.(Including most of europe,middle east and US ).Should I highlight these facts in my application..?.Or in other words how pertinent are these facts with regard to my chances of getting admitted ..?

Regarding my GMAT I am expecting to score a 700+ as I am performing relatively well in the preps and sample test.

Expecting a reply from you soon

Hi and thanks for your inquiry.

Your score is probably pretty good based on what you said. All selective admission committees have ‘specialists’ who are extremely knowledgeable about a particular country, it’s top schools, grading systems, etc. Since you graduated near the top of your class, you will be fine if you compliment this 67% with a good GMAT score.

Without knowing your entire story, I think it is a safe bet that you should probably incorporate your international experiences into one of your selected themes. You are in a very competitive pool though and there will be plenty of other Indian nationals who also have good international experience. As a result, don’t put too much faith into this aspect of your background. Successful applicants from your demographic – and there are plenty of them – will also pack a very potent ‘wow’ factor into their stories.

Best of luck with your applications!

Sincerely,

David Petersam
DPetersam@admissionsconsultants.com

Admissions committee experience from the top b-schools

[AdmissionsConsultants]

Originally posted by mayank_s2003

Hi David,
I would like to seek your advice to assess my chances of getting into a fair MBA program in USA.

I will start by listing down key points about my profile.

1. Passed out from one of the best engineering colleges from India with a GPA of 3.79. Majored in Mechanical Engineering. Ranked 9th in Mumbai University out of 450 students.

2. Got recruited in one of topmost IT companies in India and worked at offshore (i.e. India) for 1 year on a GE project. Work profile was mostly programming.

3. Have been working at onshore at 'GE' for last two and a half years on [h1]B visa. Have been appraised among top 5% of employees in my company for all 4 years. Bagged Empoyee of the Year award for 2003 among 3000 emplyees.My work profile in US has been defined around managing an offshore team of 20 programmers and functional consulting about my application. I can say that it's more non-technical with more stress on people skills and/or management.

4. Took my GMAT last month with 720 (Q 49 V 39) . AWA 4.5 which was a little disappointing.

5. Have been an active member of CRY (Child Relief and You) which is an NP organization of India. Have been involved in 'Adopt a Child' programme to help children from underprivileged countries.

6. I am certified in Green Belt Six Sigma methodology with training in Process Management from GE .


David,
I am planning for the MBA starting Fall-2005 (Age 24 now). By that time, I would have 5 years of IT experience with some savings to go with. My one and only criteria is a non-expensive school with a good career prospect after graduation. I am more worried about my profile as I have changed my major from undergrad education to take a job in IT. I am keen on MBA in Finance/MIS with a longterm goal of IT Consultancy.

Can you please advise whether or not I can get an admit from a good MBA program in US ? Where should I concentrate so that my application will look competitive in my pool ? To be honest I feel a little overwhelmed by other posts of people talking about only targetting Harvard and Kellogg. :o

Your advice will be truely appreciated...

Mayank

Hi Mayank and thanks for your inquiry.

It will be important to properly emphasize the non IT nature of your work to show your strong qualifications for b-school as well as differentiate yourself from the many other IT applicants from your demographic.

Your outstanding employee evaluations will be very helpful to you – assuming, of course, they can be substantiated. I’m not overly worried about the AWA. You have a decent verbal score and with good essays and a good interview, you will be fine.

You have good academic qualifications, good work experience, and some extracurricular activities. With a well-prepared application and decent ‘wow’ factor, you should be competitive at the top schools. Your post-MBA salary should help you repay your loans, so I’m not sure I’d place too heavy an emphasis on cost in the school selection process. There is the possibility of scholarships at the private schools, but you may want to focus a bit more heavily on the public schools (Darden, Michigan, Haas, Indiana, Kenan-Flagler, etc.) if cost is a major issue for you.

Best of luck with your applications!

Sincerely,

David Petersam
DPetersam@admissionsconsultants.com
703.242.5885

Admissions committee experience from the top b-schools