Finance Candidate 2013 Preliminary Evaluation

[Phdcandidate13]

Hello all, after finding this forum and reading some profiles I wanted to get mine started. I have not completed all of the requirements for B school admittance, but wanted to go ahead and get a preliminary eval. out there and update it as I go along. So thanks in advance for anyone who takes the time to look this over and comment.

Age 28

Undergraduate Education: Graduated Magna cum laude from a not well known state school. Degree in Economics, minor in Management. Undergrad GPA will be around 3.7 (assuming A's in the rest of my math classes).

Relevant Courses: Principles of micro/ macro, business statistics, applied statistics and optimization models, Calc 1-3, econometrics, linear algebra, Intermediate Micro., Financial Derivatives & financial engineering, International trade and finance.

Graduate Education: None

GRE/GMAT: Have not yet taken... Plan to take GMAT in the fall.

Letters of Recommendation: I will have 2 letter of recommendation's from the Professors I am doing research with. The 3rd letter of recommendation will come from my advising professor in undergrad/ Interim Dean of Econ/Finance Dept. who has his econ PhD from a top 10 school. I have known him for years now and did a little research with him while still in undergrad.

Research Experience: Currently doing research with 2 professors from undergrad one was the Dean of Econ dept. but has moved on to another school. The research topic is more on developmental economics, but I wanted to go ahead and get my feet wet with what research is really like. We more than likely will not have anything published before my applications are due.

Teaching Experience: None

Work Experience: I have been working since graduation (1.5 years) in the finance department for a QSR (fast food) company.

Research Interests: Having done no real research in Finance I can only speculate on what topics I have done some reading on and interest me now. The biggest interests are financial econometrics, capital asset pricing, and Derivatives.

SOP: I have not written my SOP here but will be getting advice from Professors who will be writing my letter of recommendation. I know I will will discuss how I decided I wanted to do research and pursue my PhD after graduating. So I will talk about taking classes over the past 2 years to prepare for PhD work and dedication to my goals. I will also be taking Diff EQ and maybe another class after applying to schools (Spring 2013) so I won't have grades for that until after application process, but want to let them know I will continue to take courses to improve my app.

Concerns: My main concerns are two fold. First I am just not a great standardized test taker. I would honestly expect to probably top out the GMAT at around 710-720 absolute tops and that is with preparation. the second concern is that my undergrad was from a AASCB accredited school it is in no way considered a top B school. So I know that is going to not help.

Schools Applying to:
I will probably go with 1 top 10 school ( I can always dream right?), maybe 2 or 3 to Top 30 schools, and spread the rest out to T 50 and T100 schools. This might change depending on GMAT score, but as of now I will probably send out 12 - 15 apps. Obviously I would only send an app to a school that matches my research interests.

I know I can't get much help because I don't have an actual GMAT score, but just wanted to get some advice based on where I think I will fall with my estimated GMAT score and current profile. Thanks again.

[Phdcandidate13]

Any suggestions or advice?

[rsaylors]

Take the GMAT before the fall so you can apply in September to schools.

Admissions doesn't start, nor do schools matriculate, in the spring.

[lordofwar]

It depends on your GMAT score. If you score more than 750, you could be competitive in top 10 programs. If not, I would recommend applying anyway, but your chances won't be high. I'm also considering phd and from my research I can tell that it is very, very competitive, especially for top 10 programs. If I were in your shoes I would consider 2 options:
1) Getting into top 10: Get work experience (1-2 years), during that time take 2-3 more advanced level math classes because top 10 LOVE that. Take GMAT in order to score around 770-780.
2) Get into a top 50 or 100 PhD program with my current profile.

[wittmic]

1) Getting into top 10: Get work experience (1-2 years)

This is not great advice. Programs do not care about work experience. The only reason to keep working while taking advanced math (which is good advice) is if you cannot afford not to work.

I think you have the right mindset in applying to schools that match your interest. If you can, study hard for the GMAT, there are plenty of books out there that can help you improve your score. Anything in the 700's should get you past the cut at most schools. If you are applying for next fall, you should try and take the GMAT by early October at the latest. Applications are usually due in December and the GMAT can take a while to get sent to schools.

If you are really worried about the prestige of your undergrad degree, a master's degree is always something to consider. Best of luck!

[frayed]

for finance, work experience doesn't really matter. it is not a plus. accounting, on the other hand...

710-720 is fine, but you will need to show more on the other parts. research experience as an ra will help bolster that, and having those people you ra for write your recommendations is good, too.

you should also try to get some of the seminal papers in the fields you are interested in, read them, and then ask yourself the following questions: first, are you interested in what the papers are doing? second, can you see yourself doing papers like these for the rest of your life?

you should also speak to your professors (including those in the finance department at your current school) about possible schools to apply to. they might have friends in those departments who can help your application.

[drxpac]

It depends on your GMAT score. If you score more than 750, you could be competitive in top 10 programs. .

even with a high gmat itll be hard to get a top 20 admit based on profile