Marketing (CB) PhD Profile evaluation _ Fall 2019

[qpwoei10]

Hi, I am applying for Marketing CB track this fall. (For FALL 2019)

I'm mostly concerned with my GMAT score and GPA, because I know lot of you bring in 700+ GMAT and something like 3.9/4.0 GPA...

 

Anyhow, here is my profile

 

Test Scores GMAT 680 (85th) (V 38 (85th), Q 47 (61th) IR 4) -- Another attemp, 660 (71th) (V 31, Q 49)

(* Not sure how multiple attempts are evaluated... I'm re-taking it this Oct. That's my 5th attempt, and will be my last attempt)

Undegrad GPA: 3.43 / 4.0 (Top 20 in the U.S. - Business major)

Graduate GPA: 3.74 / 4.0

Research Experience:

 

Poster presentation at SCP

Poster presentation at ACR

2-years RA at graduate school

 

Undergraduate research journal publication (sociology)

Undergraduate RA (1-year, sociology)

Undergraduate research symposium (sociology)

Undergraduate sociology conference presentation

(* I know, I happen to have a bunch in sociology, but I'm a business undergrad major)

 

Teaching Experience: none

Work Experience:

 

3 months internship (big 4 consulting)

6months internship (major insurance company, worked as a consultant)

1 year of full-time experience at a marketing division at a retail company

 

Concentration Applying to: Marketing CB

Number of programs planned to apply to: 20~25

Dream Schools: NYU, Columbia, USC, U Michigan, UCLA, U Indiana, UIUC, UT-Austin

 

 

Recommendation : I think it's going to be pretty good.. 1 from my current advisor, 1 from the sociology professor (dept head I worked with during undergrad), 1 from a marketing professor at my undergrad (well-known in the field)

[BrazilianPhD]

Yeah, GMAT scores of 700 or more are not uncommon among PhD applicants. So, 680 will not look particularly impressive. When there are multiple scores, I think they usually take into consideration the highest score, but not all schools are like that. I don't know how long you've been studying for the GMAT, and the quality of your preparation, but since you got 680 in one attempt and 660 in another, it looks you attempted again without much improvement. I usually recommend making another attempt when you're pretty sure you will see a significant improvement. After my 1st attempt, I studied for almost 1 year before trying again, but by then I was confident that I would get a much better score, and it was probably the best I could do. I would have attempted the GRE instead of the GMAT too. Some people find the GRE easier, some people find the GMAT easier, it's hard to say. But maybe for you the GRE would have worked better.

 

About the GPA, there isn't much you can do.

 

So, those may be weaknesses in your profile. But if you do a good work selecting schools to apply, I see no reason to not get accepted by a good school.

[XanthusARES]

Yeah, what Brazilian said. Your GMAT and GPA are what they are. Work hard on the GMAT retake. There is a chance that schools won't look at your application because of your GMAT, but that can normally be overcome with a quick email or call from a recommender. That being said, getting that 7 handle on there will keep them from having any questions at all.

 

Other than that your profile seems solid, some good research experience and decent recommendations. I think that you have a shot at getting into a good school. Your dream schools are all extremely competitive, even with a strong GMAT the odds at getting accepted to any of those schools are pretty low. Basically you should definitely apply to those places, I'd say that you have a better shot at some of them than some others from previous years on here, but also cast a wide net and apply widely.

 

Good luck!

[qpwoei10]

Thank you so much for your comments!

 

And yes, I will try my best on my GMAT retake. But I was curious how good is my research expereince compare to rest of the applicants pool?

Do you think it is good enough to compensate my GMAT socre and under average UGPA?

 

With my profile as it is, waht would you say about my chances of admiitting to T30?

I am shooting for UIUC, UT Austin, U Indiana, U Maryland, UCLA, U Washington (Seattle) and U Boston

My dream schools are, as mentioned above, USC, NYU, U Michigan

I am also thinking about the following schools : UBC, U Toronto, Arizona State, UC San Diego, Goergia Tech

 

Any advice regarding my school choices? (in worst case, I will have to apply with my 680 GMAT (V 38, Q 47)

[BrazilianPhD]

Your research experience is well above average compared to the applicant pool. This should be really a strength.

 

However, I don't agree with the idea that a strength compensates a weakness. Because they are very different things. Think about a car: a top car will have a very good engine but also very good breaks. The fact that you have an amazing engine is not a compensation for bad breaks, and vice-versa.

 

Low GMAT and low GPA can still cause concerns about your chances of doing well in coursework. Research experience is not a good indicator of performance in coursework, or at least not as good as GMAT and GPA (which I don't consider that good either, but that's often the best they have). And if you fail coursework, it's all for nothing.

 

Of course they want someone who has great potential as a researcher. But they also want someone who can handle the hard coursework before that. And, so far, your profile does not look very convincing for extremely competitive schools like the top 30.

[XanthusARES]

Yeah, I mean, Brazilian is right. A low GPA or GMAT can sink an application and there are definitely schools that won't look at your application because of that. For the record your GPA isn't terrible, a 3.4 Undergrad and a 3.7 Grad aren't that far off for a lot of schools. Meaning that, in my opinion, that won't preclude you from consideration at most schools.

 

The GMAT is a different story. While it isn't a good indicator of ability, it is a piece of information that schools have. I know of a few schools who won't look at any application if they don't meet a minimum GMAT score (and that minimum always starts with a 7).

 

However, all of that being said, PhD applications, just like job applications, really are about who you know. You have the requisite research and if you have the coauthors who truly are well known and liked in the field, have them go to bat for you. That means more than just writing a letter, it means having them introduce you to their friends next week at ACR. It means sending out emails to people they know at the schools you are interested in. I cannot be more clear about this. For the schools you list in the top 30, they will be forgiving about your less than stellar GPA and GMAT if they have the word from someone they trust that you'll be fine.

 

All of that to say that, in theory, I largely agree with Brazilian. If you're going in to applications with nothing but your application as is, meaning no emails or introductions from your co-authors, you'll have a hard time getting into one of the schools you list. I say hard, but I still largely believe you could get into one of them. It's not like your coming in with a 620 and a 3.0.

 

My advice on your dream schools is the same. Even with a perfect profile those schools are nearly impossible to get into. But even there co-authors can pull some weight. I would include Toronto, UBC and UC San Diego as part of this nearly impossible to get into list. They're great schools with intense competition.