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LennyBee · 05-27-2008, 05:47 PM

Hi everyone,

I'm new to this forum, and planning to apply for a marketing Ph.D. (consumer behaviour focus) for Fall 2009.

I think my profile is pretty good, except that I'm terrible at math. Is this going to wreck my chances at anything Top 25? A lot of the schools I've been looking at don't have math requirements for marketing, does this make a difference?

Quick profile:
Undergrad: Commerce, from a small Canadian school, GPA 80% (3.0?)
Grad: MBA, from a small Canadian school (will finish next May)
GMAT: 740 (but split unevenly - 99th percentile on verbal, 78th on math)
Research experience: 4 years of research assistanceships, two years in finance, two in sports marketing
1 publication (in finance), 7 conferences (1 finance, 6 marketing)

I'm very concerned about my math scores - I've done well in statistics and econometrics, but nearly failed linear algebra.

Any advice or opinions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

oldprogrammer · 05-27-2008, 07:56 PM

I honestly don't know anything about marketing programs, but you have a great GMAT score, you've done well in statistics, and it sounds like solid research experience.

I'm thinking you've got the raw numbers for a top 15-25 school, but it seems (because of the low numbers of admissions) that it will come down to your LORs and SOP to determine your fit for a given department. Without a couple of solid LOR's, I don't think most departments are willing to risk a spot on someone. Business PhD admissions seem to be very personal.

But again, I don't know much about marketing programs specifically.

ginmanga · 05-27-2008, 08:09 PM

I would check different business school's websites, look for the requirements, and see how much emphasis they put on math.

For example: Marketing: PhD Program: Stanford GSB

It seems they expect some sort of statistics/data analysis background.

desimba · 05-27-2008, 09:38 PM

It is a somewhat unusual profile in the sense that you have exceptional research experience but relatively inadequate background in math. Also what you haven't mentioned (and would be helpful to a profile evaluation) are your grades in math courses. I am assuming that you have had some calculus and got at least a B on those courses. If that isn't the case, then I would be somewhat concerned.

My main advice would be that you should speak with some of the marketing faculty members at your present school/ undergrad school. Most faculty members tend to have PhDs themselves, in several cases from the US, and they would probably be the best source of advice on this. In addition, you can also get their thoughts on which schools you should be applying to.

LennyBee · 05-28-2008, 11:45 PM

Thanks for the opinions - I appreciate it.

I know which schools I will be applying to and they don't stress math at all for CB marketing, which was important for me because I don't actually have any math courses beyond the terrible mark in algebra. It seems odd to me that math should be important for consumer behaviour, but it seems I've heard so much about the importance of math that it's gotten me paranoid about getting in anywhere.

rcwlhk · 05-29-2008, 03:58 AM

Just a note on your GPA --- 80% from a top Canadian university (i.e. Toronto, UBC, McGill, etc) is NOT a 3.0 ---- in fact, it is much higher than that.

Don't try to convert your percentage grades to a 4.0 GPA scale; it just doesn't work.

Quote:

Originally Posted by LennyBee

Hi everyone,

I'm new to this forum, and planning to apply for a marketing Ph.D. (consumer behaviour focus) for Fall 2009.

I think my profile is pretty good, except that I'm terrible at math. Is this going to wreck my chances at anything Top 25? A lot of the schools I've been looking at don't have math requirements for marketing, does this make a difference?

Quick profile:
Undergrad: Commerce, from a small Canadian school, GPA 80% (3.0?)
Grad: MBA, from a small Canadian school (will finish next May)
GMAT: 740 (but split unevenly - 99th percentile on verbal, 78th on math)
Research experience: 4 years of research assistanceships, two years in finance, two in sports marketing
1 publication (in finance), 7 conferences (1 finance, 6 marketing)

I'm very concerned about my math scores - I've done well in statistics and econometrics, but nearly failed linear algebra.

Any advice or opinions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

05-27-2008, 05:47 PM	#1 (permalink)
LennyBee Trying to make mom and pop proud Join Date: May 2008 Posts: 5	Marketing Ph.D - How important is Math? Hi everyone, I'm new to this forum, and planning to apply for a marketing Ph.D. (consumer behaviour focus) for Fall 2009. I think my profile is pretty good, except that I'm terrible at math. Is this going to wreck my chances at anything Top 25? A lot of the schools I've been looking at don't have math requirements for marketing, does this make a difference? Quick profile: Undergrad: Commerce, from a small Canadian school, GPA 80% (3.0?) Grad: MBA, from a small Canadian school (will finish next May) GMAT: 740 (but split unevenly - 99th percentile on verbal, 78th on math) Research experience: 4 years of research assistanceships, two years in finance, two in sports marketing 1 publication (in finance), 7 conferences (1 finance, 6 marketing) I'm very concerned about my math scores - I've done well in statistics and econometrics, but nearly failed linear algebra. Any advice or opinions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

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05-27-2008, 07:56 PM	#2 (permalink)
oldprogrammer Within my grasp! Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Dallas, Texas, USA Posts: 167	I honestly don't know anything about marketing programs, but you have a great GMAT score, you've done well in statistics, and it sounds like solid research experience. I'm thinking you've got the raw numbers for a top 15-25 school, but it seems (because of the low numbers of admissions) that it will come down to your LORs and SOP to determine your fit for a given department. Without a couple of solid LOR's, I don't think most departments are willing to risk a spot on someone. Business PhD admissions seem to be very personal. But again, I don't know much about marketing programs specifically.

05-27-2008, 08:09 PM	#3 (permalink)
ginmanga Eager! Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 50	I would check different business school's websites, look for the requirements, and see how much emphasis they put on math. For example: Marketing: PhD Program: Stanford GSB It seems they expect some sort of statistics/data analysis background.

05-27-2008, 09:38 PM	#4 (permalink)
desimba Within my grasp! Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 248	It is a somewhat unusual profile in the sense that you have exceptional research experience but relatively inadequate background in math. Also what you haven't mentioned (and would be helpful to a profile evaluation) are your grades in math courses. I am assuming that you have had some calculus and got at least a B on those courses. If that isn't the case, then I would be somewhat concerned. My main advice would be that you should speak with some of the marketing faculty members at your present school/ undergrad school. Most faculty members tend to have PhDs themselves, in several cases from the US, and they would probably be the best source of advice on this. In addition, you can also get their thoughts on which schools you should be applying to.

05-28-2008, 11:45 PM	#5 (permalink)
LennyBee Trying to make mom and pop proud Join Date: May 2008 Posts: 5	Thanks for the opinions - I appreciate it. I know which schools I will be applying to and they don't stress math at all for CB marketing, which was important for me because I don't actually have any math courses beyond the terrible mark in algebra. It seems odd to me that math should be important for consumer behaviour, but it seems I've heard so much about the importance of math that it's gotten me paranoid about getting in anywhere.

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