nomadicmba

I took the OB and Social Psych approach... and it seems I had no luck. I read journals extensively and even did research at my MBA program for a professor with a social psych background. Applying with GRE scores of Q790 and V670 to three top 30 schools brought me no invites to interviews as of yet. Given the word on thegradcafe.com, I am pretty sure I am out of the running, though I have not received any official rejections as of yet.

I just wanted to report a phone interview earlier this week for BU OB. Thanks for the invaluable information, everyone. I applied to 5 business programs and 3 social psychology programs. This is the first one I heard back from.

I did not realize that 15-20 schools are typical and think that I may have trouble with the 3rd letter of recommendation since the professor has a tendency to be somewhat flakey. Are there any schools requiring only 2 letters you guys can recall? I think I will go for Rutgers as a backup because of their dual-degree program. This late in the game, I would have to make some significant changes. Regionally, I need to stick around +- 4 hours of NY. It seems to me the Social Psych programs are easier to get into than the Bus Admin OB programs.

I have posted my profile before but I have developed a paranoia about my atypical applications strategy. My research advisor is a young social psychology phd with tenure at the university where I did my MBA (top 12). He thought I was better off with a social psych phd, which I cannot disagree with. My research interest is in organizational behavior and more specifically innovation systems and culture. My ideal program would be at MIT and to do research with the Center for Collective Intelligence there. Undergrad GPA: 3.6 (top 5 school) MBA GPA: 3.5 (yes I realize this is very low, 1st year was focusing on extracurriculars) GMAT: 770 (47V, 49Q) taken 3 years ago GRE: (670V, 790Q) taken last month mid-30s female I am trying to focus on schools with research that I am absolutely fascinated with and I am starting to think that maybe I should be applying to more backup programs. Any thoughts would be very much appreciated. As of now, I am only applying to 5 schools for each discipline and 10 schools total. BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION SCHOOL DEADLINE Boston U December 13, 2010 MIT December 15, 2010 Columbia January 1, 2011 NYU January 1, 2011 Temple January 2, 2011 SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY SCHOOL DEADLINE NYU December 12, 2010 Princeton December 15, 2010 Columbia TC December 15, 2010 Cornell December 15, 2010 Stony Brook January 15, 2011

So in summary, what I have learned from this thread is: 1. possibly not necessary to get an additional research gig 2. may not be opportunities for non-enrolled students at most institutions Thanks to everyone for your contribution! I really appreciate your time and thoughts.

Thanks for the new perspective. It never occurred to me that my MBA work with industry really could potentially be framed as being of academic value. I was also afraid my unfocused background could hurt my application.

Thanks for reading my request for ideas on how to reach out to professors to do a volunteer RA gig in Strategy. I thought I was interested in the behavioral side within the Management and Organizations department but realized it was not for me after my research experience. I would ask my professors at school for advice but I don't want to give them the impression that I do not want to work for them; I just have a preference to leave the current area. A bit about myself: * Finished MBA from a top 15 with not the greatest GPA; focused on recruiting first year and had no idea I was going to become passionate about pursuing business academia * Had a hefty merit-based scholarship during my MBA * GMAT 770 (Q 49, V 47) * UG GPA 3.58 in biology from a top 5 * UG biology research experience and 4 months MBA micro-behavioral research experience; only summary paper published for independent study at the university * Math: differential equations, multivariables, linear algebra, probability and statistics (unfortunate over 12 years ago) * 2 semester-long strategy projects in technology and entrepreneurship, involving travels to India and China to collect soft data * Work background includes IT, music education, and retail entrepreneurship * Fluent in conversational Mandarin and have taken 4 years of German courses I would like to continue researching international business involving innovation, technology and entrepreneurship. However, I am hesitant to reach out to professors out of the blue. I am financially independent and can work for free if necessary, but I am not sure whether mentioning this will be potentially negative rather than positive. Thanks for your time.