Profile Evaluation - PhD OB (micro)

[mp1410]

Hello! Can you evaluate my profile? Currently freacking out about the entire application process.

TestScores: GRE 159V (82%), 160Q (72%), AW (not received yet)
UndegradGPA: 109 out of 110 (minimum is 66) in a European university. Major was Economics and took classes in both statistics (got an equivalent of an A) and econometrics (got an equivalent of an A+)
Graduate GPA: 98.2 out of 100 in a top3 university in East Asia and top 70 in the world. Majored in Business
Research Experience: I wrote a bachelor and master thesis and now I have finished to write a paper on what I want to research about during my PhD together with my grad advisor (we have submitted for publication, I think it will be at least peer-reviewed once by the time I submit the application)
Teaching Experience: none
Work Experience: internships abroad and currently working in East Asia (manager level)

Concentration Applying to: OB (micro)
Number of programs planned to apply to: 15-20
Dream Schools: Stanford, Duke, Columbia, Toronto, Cornell, Ohio State, Penn State


Other Questions:

What made you want to pursue a PhD?

I have always wanted to become a professor. I love researching and I keep researching even if I have a full-time job and that means sacrificing your weekends and nights after work.

Questions or concerns you have about your profile?

1) not having a GPA due to the fact that I graduated outside of the US
2) GRE. I tried to take it the first time and I got 157V and 160Q. I tried to take it again and only scored two more points in V although I focused on improving my Q score (that remained the same)


Any additional specific questions you may have: I wonder whether I can pass the cut-off desk due to my GRE scores

[BrazilianPhD]

1) A GPA from a school outside the US is not a problem, that's the case for lots of PhD students.

Different programs may have different recommendations about how to proceed. Some programs ask you to inform your original GPA (the way your school grades), some ask you to convert that to the US system, some ask you for additional documentation that explains how the grading system works at your school.

2) I think your GRE score is going to be a problem.

Maybe not for all schools, of course, but I expect your score to be an issue for many of them. Especially for schools that really use the scores as a cut-off.

My usual recommendation would be to try the GMAT. Some people get better results with the GRE, some people get better results with the GMAT. So it's good to take both if you have problems getting high scores. But I guess there is no time enough to prepare for that, as application deadlines are close. So, I suppose you gotta try and see what happens.

[mp1410]

1) A GPA from a school outside the US is not a problem, that's the case for lots of PhD students.

Different programs may have different recommendations about how to proceed. Some programs ask you to inform your original GPA (the way your school grades), some ask you to convert that to the US system, some ask you for additional documentation that explains how the grading system works at your school.

2) I think your GRE score is going to be a problem.

Maybe not for all schools, of course, but I expect your score to be an issue for many of them. Especially for schools that really use the scores as a cut-off.

My usual recommendation would be to try the GMAT. Some people get better results with the GRE, some people get better results with the GMAT. So it's good to take both if you have problems getting high scores. But I guess there is no time enough to prepare for that, as application deadlines are close. So, I suppose you gotta try and see what happens.

For which schools do you think my GRE would be a problem? And which ones use the scores as a cut-off?

Thank you!

[BrazilianPhD]

I don't think we can identify them. Schools don't provide details about how they evaluate applications.

I know that there are schools that use the scores as a cut-off and schools that don't, based on informal talks I had with professors from some schools. But this is not the kind of thing schools publicly reveal, so there is no way to make a list.

[Snagret]

Micro OB/Management PhD applicant

Test Scores (GMAT) 720/800 (94%), V: 41/51 (94%), Q: 47/51 (60%), AW: 5 (56%), IR: 7 (81%)
Undergrad GPA: 3.84/4.00 overall, BS in Psych from a solid private school
Graduate GPA: none
Research Experience: 2 years, part-time with 3 faculty, econ, OB and Psych. Worked 0-20 hr./week depending on need. Also did several research projects in my research based classes (research design, psych testing, stats in psych, writing in psych, etc.), Research tools: R, Stata, Qualtrics.
Teaching Experience: 1 semester as a TA for psych.
Work Experience: 1 year in HR consulting/training as a project manager.
Letters of Rec: OB professor I did research with, Psych professor I did research with, Psych professor I had 3 classes with and is a mentor/friend.

Concentration Applying to: Micro OB, interested in Business/Behavioral Ethics, Meaning at Work, Positive Org Scholarship, Moral Psych.
Number of programs planned to apply to: I've applied to 9 as of now, may apply to a few more.
Dream Schools: Harvard, Michigan, Washington


Other Questions:

What made you want to pursue a PhD?
- I thought the career would be intellectually stimulating, flexible, and challenging. I thought research could make an impact and that teaching/mentoring would be meaningful as well.

Questions or concerns you have about your profile?
- Concern is my Quant score. It's a solid score, but not too high on percentile. Not sure how much micro OB programs are sticklers on this one? Also, I'm applying straight out of undergrad without a masters, I've heard this isn't too big of a deal as long as you are prepared but wanted more input on that.

Any additional specific questions you may have:
- I'm applying to a mix of top 10, top 20 and top 40 schools (based on TAMUGA rankings). Right now I've applied to 9. Should I apply to more? Is my application strong enough for a top 10 school?

[Mike567]

Hi BrazilianPhD,

How many graduate programs do you think an applicant should apply to for a PhD in Business Administration - Management? Ten schools? Twenty schools?

[BrazilianPhD]

My guess is that people apply to around 15 schools on average. But that doesn't mean that number applies to you.

I'd say that you should apply to the schools that seem to be a good match for you, taking into consideration the different factors. Research fit, culture fit, strength of your profile, cities in which you would be ok living for years, amount of money you have to cover the application fees, etc.

So, if you have very narrow research interests, or you would exclude some schools because they are in cities that you would hate, or you don't have much money, then maybe a list of 10 schools makes sense.

Otherwise, I think you should be able to find more schools that would be good for you. Don't apply to a program unless you would be happy to accept an offer from it.

I applied to 20 schools, but I knew several of them were dreams schools, probably out of my reach. I didn't expect to get into those schools, but I thought it would be worth a try.