Profile Evaluation: 2018 Strategy/Management

[hk93]

Test Scores (GRE):

Quant 90 percentile, Verbal 85 percentile

Undegrad GPA:

CGPA - 3.52 (Top 1% of Class)

Major - 3.76

International University - Engineering

 

Graduate GPA:

CGPA - 3.66

UC Berkeley - Masters in Engineering

Took courses in strategy, marketing, etc

 

Research Experience:

Currently working with a Professor - Aiming for 1 publication at least in sciencemag or similar

 

Work Experience:

Less than 1 year - mostly internships

Recommendations:

2 top professors at Berkeley - One was a professor at HBS for several years

1 Head of Department at Undergrad Uni - Cambridge Alum

 

Concentration Applying to:

Technology Strategy or Management

 

Number of programs planned to apply to: 10-12

 

Dream Schools: MIT, Harvard

 

 

Other Questions:

 

What made you want to pursue a PhD?

I took a class in technology strategy and the professor motivated me to consider a PhD. Currently working with him to establish interest and gain exposure to the field

 

Questions or concerns you have about your profile?

Given my engineering background and lack of education in economics, I will be considered a wild card applicant. Do top uni take students from eng. background with no prior experience in economics? What can I do over the course of the year to improve my chances besides continuing research with professor?

[BrazilianPhD]

Your profile looks good to me. But I'm from a different concentration, maybe someone else shows up to help you.

 

GRE scores are not outstanding, but should be enough to make them take a look at your profile. GPAs doesn't look like much, but you wrote that one of them is top 1% and the other from Berkeley.

 

So, what will make a difference is doing things you're building now. Research experience, publication, great letters of recommendation, research interests.

 

I always tend to think a list of 10-12 schools is a little on the short side.

 

I don't think a background in engineering is unusual. I see lots of people with PhD in business with that kind of background. Of course, if you are interested in business, you should be able to explain why and show evidence of that.

[mh89]

Your profile looks good. I would just make sure that the 10-12 schools you pick have a good fit on research that you are interested in and span a range of rankings. A strong statement of purpose should explain your interests and draw on prevalent research enough that the engineering background/no experience in econ won't be as much of a concern.

 

I have an engineering undergraduate degree and was viewed as more of a wild card applicant because I have been working in industry for 6 years and have an MBA with no research experience under my belt. That being said, I did get in to my dream school (a T10 Strategy program) via waitlist (and was rejected from other lower ranked schools). The application process is a wildcard in itself and it will come down to research interests and fit. The best thing you can do to prepare is read as many relevant papers as you can and draw on them as examples in your statement. If you have not started to yet, I would also email professors at those schools and see if they will chat with you via phone or in person. I received some great feedback and valuable information on the process that way. Best of luck!

[margaritaramos]

Lee Fleming was kicked out of HBS because of assault with deadly weapon...Just Google it. You think he will write a strong letter for you?

Plus Berkeley MEng is a cash-cow program without any research component. It's outspokenly professionally oriented and will add not much value to your PhD apps.

The reputation of your college matters a lot. Given your username, some HK universities are OK, but dozens of HKUST guys do RA at HBS. If from China, unless THU/PKU, no way to Harvard.

You can probably launch at top 20-50, but nowhere near Harvard...

 

Test Scores (GRE):

Quant 90 percentile, Verbal 85 percentile

Undegrad GPA:

CGPA - 3.52 (Top 1% of Class)

Major - 3.76

International University - Engineering

 

Graduate GPA:

CGPA - 3.66

UC Berkeley - Masters in Engineering

Took courses in strategy, marketing, etc

 

Research Experience:

Currently working with a Professor - Aiming for 1 publication at least in sciencemag or similar

 

Work Experience:

Less than 1 year - mostly internships

Recommendations:

2 top professors at Berkeley - One was a professor at HBS for several years

1 Head of Department at Undergrad Uni - Cambridge Alum

 

Concentration Applying to: Technology Strategy or Management

 

Number of programs planned to apply to: 10-12

 

Dream Schools: MIT, Harvard

 

 

Other Questions:

 

What made you want to pursue a PhD?

I took a class in technology strategy and the professor motivated me to consider a PhD. Currently working with him to establish interest and gain exposure to the field

 

Questions or concerns you have about your profile?

Given my engineering background and lack of education in economics, I will be considered a wild card applicant. Do top uni take students from eng. background with no prior experience in economics? What can I do over the course of the year to improve my chances besides continuing research with professor?

****

I did google it, he threw coffee at someone for taking his parking space - he plead not guilty. That someone got upset about a parking space is not a good basis to determine that someone is unfit as a university professor or judge of character when writing letters of recommendation.

 

Harvard Professor Arrested for Assault and Battery with Hot Coffee, Thermos |

 

News |

 

The Harvard Crimson

 

-RSaylors

Edited December 4, 2017 by rsaylors