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Profile Eval - OB program for Fall 2021 start


darcy

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Test Scores (GMAT/GRE): GMAT - 700 (V45, Q41)

Undegrad GPA: 2.8 (English Lit)

Graduate GPA: 3.7 (MBA)

Research Experience:

Currently doing RA work with a professor at my graduate institution within the OB Field and area of interest, will probably try and one one more project at least prior to applications.

Teaching Experience: None (not sure if it's relevant but extensive coaching experience elite level athletes)

Work Experience: 6 years varied experience: HR & Strategy at a major retailer, consulting at big 4, and most recently leading business operations at an AI startup post-MBA

 

Concentration Applying to: Micro Organizational Behavior (work meaningfulness, motivation, values, emotional labour)

Number of programs planned to apply to: 15-20

Dream Schools: Michigan, Northwestern

 

Other Questions:

 

What made you want to pursue a PhD? Primarily intellectual curiosity and tendency towards critical thinking work. Also, a passion for understanding how to make work better. My goal is to ultimately pursue academic research.

Questions or concerns you have about your profile? Obviously my GMAT quant and undergrad GPA will be a big issue. I'm wondering to what extent should I address this specifically in my personal statement and/or statement of purpose. Is there any hope in offsetting this with decent grad school grades and a high verbal GMAT score?

Any additional specific questions you may have: One of my references will be the professor I'm currently working with as an RA. I don't have super close relationships with my other grad school professors. If I ask a few other professors - is it okay if they are faculty in a different area? Ie. finance/economics?

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Obviously my GMAT quant and undergrad GPA will be a big issue. I'm wondering to what extent should I address this specifically in my personal statement and/or statement of purpose.

 

You can briefly address the GPA if you have a good explanation. But that's not really what they want to see, so don't waste too much time on that, if any.

 

Is there any hope in offsetting this with decent grad school grades and a high verbal GMAT score?

Some hope? Yeah. A lot of hope? No.

Unless the school doesn't care about a low GPA or a low Quant score (not something I'd expect), I don't see how one would offset the other. I don't see how a high verbal score would compensate for a low quant score.

 

I don't have super close relationships with my other grad school professors. If I ask a few other professors - is it okay if they are faculty in a different area? Ie. finance/economics?

It should be ok. Lots of applicants are from different areas, so they get recommendations from faculty in a different area.

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What made you want to pursue a PhD? Primarily intellectual curiosity and tendency towards critical thinking work. Also, a passion for understanding how to make work better. My goal is to ultimately pursue academic research.

 

Might be helpful to tell a story or give an example about what led to you having this intellectual curiousity.

Questions or concerns you have about your profile? Obviously my GMAT quant and undergrad GPA will be a big issue. I'm wondering to what extent should I address this specifically in my personal statement and/or statement of purpose.

 

If you have good letter writers, they may be able to address this in their letter if they believe these are not indicative of your actual ability. At the end of the day, if you are not going to take the GMAT again, then the GMAT and GPA are whatever they are and you'll have to roll with the punches on this one.

 

Is there any hope in offsetting this with decent grad school grades and a high verbal GMAT score?

 

Maybe a bit... I mean at the end of the day it's a writing game. But given your english lit background and higher verbal, I would not be worried about your writing skills as much... but I would be worried about how difficult it will be for you to pick up statistics. It's not that the stats will be super difficult (compared to other areas), but it's better to be able to have a broader range of stats skills, oppose to perhaps only learning rather simplistic quant skills .... the exception might be if you want to be a pure experimental researcher, which Mich and Nwestern could help you do... in this case, it's more about rigorous research design.

 

Any additional specific questions you may have: One of my references will be the professor I'm currently working with as an RA. I don't have super close relationships with my other grad school professors. If I ask a few other professors - is it okay if they are faculty in a different area? Ie. finance/economics?

 

Again, you have whatever you have at this point. It is better to have a letter writer that knows you well and has a lot to say beyond "this student did well in my class, yada yada yada.... " but can also speak to things they have observed, talked to you about, or what capabilities they believe you have.... etc... basically the closer you are, the more they have to write, which is helpful if you are neck and neck with another applicant.

 

Hope it helps! Best of luck!

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