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billymcg
Underclassman
1 Posts |
 Posted - 09/23/2004 : 14:12:13
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David,
This forum has been of great help to me as I have read it so far. I have some questions as to how to better my chances of being admitted. My GPA is a 3.89 in statistics, and my GMAT is a 760. I have worked as an actuarial consultant for 1.5 years now, and I know that's on the low end. I haven't had much managerial experience because advancement in my field is based on a series of exams that must be passed first, which usually take about 4 years. I have consistently passed the exams though. My EC are a little low, mainly I took two years off of college to do volunteer service in Bolivia and then did some tutoring at a school during college. I was involved in a couple of other things, but nothing "wow." Post college, my consulting job and studying have taken up my time. I am planning on applying to Stanford, HBS, MIT, and Wharton. How do you think I could strengthen my application?
Thanks in advance. |
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lsheran
Underclassman
USA
2 Posts |
Posted - 09/23/2004 : 14:20:24
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Thank you in advance for answering my questions. Your answers have been helpful to me so far.
My fiancé is in the process of applying to some top tier business schools (i.e. Harvard, Wharton, Stanford, University of Chicago, etc.) He has three years of work experience as a research associate for RBC Dain Raucher, he got a 690 on the GMAT, he has good letters of recommendation, has a 3.6 undergraduate GPA and just recently passed level three of the CFA. His concern is that his qualifications are average in the eyes of these schools and he has also heard that if you do not know people that went to HBS, Stanford, etc. that it is very difficult to get in unless you really stand out. Is this assumption correct? Is there anything that he can do to remedy this? |
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AdmissionsConsultants
Admissions Expert
USA
2119 Posts |
Posted - 09/23/2004 : 14:33:43
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Hi and thanks for your inquiry.
David,
This forum has been of great help to me as I have read it so far. I have some questions as to how to better my chances of being admitted. My GPA is a 3.89 in statistics, and my GMAT is a 760. I have worked as an actuarial consultant for 1.5 years now, and I know that's on the low end. I haven't had much managerial experience because advancement in my field is based on a series of exams that must be passed first, which usually take about 4 years. I have consistently passed the exams though. My EC are a little low, mainly I took two years off of college to do volunteer service in Bolivia and then did some tutoring at a school during college. I was involved in a couple of other things, but nothing "wow." Post college, my consulting job and studying have taken up my time. I am planning on applying to Stanford, HBS, MIT, and Wharton. How do you think I could strengthen my application?
Your academic qualifications are fine. If you can demonstrate good personal and professional development, 2.5 years of work experience at matriculation will be adequate for admission to any of the top U.S. b-schools.
I don’t know enough about what you did in Bolivia to know if it was ‘wow’ or not, but this often comes down to the way these activities are spun in the actual applications. In terms of what you should do to strengthen your application, be sure you have a solid story with airtight reasons for why an MBA, why now, diversity, etc.
Thanks in advance.
No problem. We currently have consultants from MIT and Wharton who are accepting new clients. Don’t hesitate to contact me directly if you would like to retain one of them.
Best of luck with your applications!
Sincerely,
David Petersam
President
AdmissionsConsultants, Inc.
DPetersam@admissionsconsultants.com
AdmissionsConsultants
703.242.5885 |
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AdmissionsConsultants
Admissions Expert
USA
2119 Posts |
Posted - 09/23/2004 : 17:50:14
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Hi and thanks for your inquiry.
Thank you in advance for answering my questions. Your answers have been helpful to me so far.
My fiancé is in the process of applying to some top tier business schools (i.e. Harvard, Wharton, Stanford, University of Chicago, etc.) He has three years of work experience as a research associate for RBC Dain Raucher, he got a 690 on the GMAT, he has good letters of recommendation, has a 3.6 undergraduate GPA and just recently passed level three of the CFA. His concern is that his qualifications are average in the eyes of these schools and he has also heard that if you do not know people that went to HBS, Stanford, etc. that it is very difficult to get in unless you really stand out. Is this assumption correct? Is there anything that he can do to remedy this?
Good question. It is true that you need to stand out because the vast majority of applicants are highly qualified. (No one with a 370 GMAT, 1.7 GPA and 1 year of work experience flipping burgers at McD’s is going to bother even applying.)
It is not true, however, that you have to know someone. Friend of the applicant letters of support are far less effective than most people probably imagine. The benefit of knowing people at these schools would be the additional clarity it can bring to the “why XYZ business school” theme. But that’s about it.
I know it is easier said than done, but try not to sweat the things you can’t control, i.e. knowing people at these top schools.
Best of luck with your applications!
Sincerely,
David Petersam
President
AdmissionsConsultants, Inc.
DPetersam@admissionsconsultants.com
AdmissionsConsultants
703.242.5885 |
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Jeff_M
Underclassman
2 Posts |
Posted - 09/27/2004 : 11:35:29
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Hi, a quick question for you.
How much stock should I place in the GMASS?
After my recent GMAT I've started to receive emails and phone calls from different schools (Tuck, Wharton, Northwestern, etc) congratulating me and then inviting me to either go to the campus for an interview or schedule an information session. In some cases offering to waive the application fee. Can I reasonably assume that I've passed the school's basic academic requirements if I'm getting this type of contact or does everyone taking the GMAT get these?
Thank you for your time!
Jeffrey
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AdmissionsConsultants
Admissions Expert
USA
2119 Posts |
Posted - 09/27/2004 : 15:22:19
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Hi Jeffrey and thanks for your inquiry.
Hi, a quick question for you.
How much stock should I place in the GMASS?
After my recent GMAT I've started to receive emails and phone calls from different schools (Tuck, Wharton, Northwestern, etc) congratulating me and then inviting me to either go to the campus for an interview or schedule an information session. In some cases offering to waive the application fee. Can I reasonably assume that I've passed the school's basic academic requirements if I'm getting this type of contact or does everyone taking the GMAT get these?
Good question. I wouldn’t place too much stock in these congratulatory notes. The schools will send them out to far more applicants than they plan to admit for the year. Chances are strong that everyone who took the GMAT and received similar scores within a similar time period received the same notes.
Thank you for your time!
No problem! 
Jeffrey
Best of luck with your applications!
Sincerely,
David Petersam
President
AdmissionsConsultants, Inc.
DPetersam@admissionsconsultants.com
AdmissionsConsultants
703.242.5885 |
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luckyduck
Underclassman
2 Posts |
Posted - 09/28/2004 : 09:55:53
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[font=Arial]Dear David,
I would also like to thank you for your time and thoughts. You bring some clarity to this process which is refreshing.
My question might be some what unusual and a little bit complicated but perhaps not. In any case here goes.
First, I am learning disabled, more specifically dysgraphic and dyslexic, to the point that I had serious difficulties in elementary and high school. I did however receive the needed tutoring and went on to complete my BA in Biology / minor Econ. at the University of San Diego...actually I had to transfer from U. Colorado due to not being able to complete their foreign language requirement - GPA 2.91... O-chem was HARD.
Strangely enough I have now been working for the United Nations for the past 4 years (based in Europe) - though I have worked in Asia, Africa, S. America. I gone up through the ranks - managing some of my own projects - very quickly to the point that it is forcing me to get an Masters.
Prior to working for the UN I also worked on Wall St. in Intern type positions (New York Stock Exchange, High Yield trading desk), and also briefly in a formal position as a M&A analysit for a financial ".com".
Last year I took the GMAT without any additional time - ETS would not give me additional time without a new psycoeducation evaluation that was less than 5 years old - which I did not have (at that point my last evaluation was in the year of my undergraduate matriculation). I was not in a position (geographic) to have a new evaluation so I took the exam and received a 14% on quant. and 94% on verbal for 550. Having majored in Bio, and taken years of such things like physics, calc etc I knew my quant skills were higher than 14% so I contacted some of the top schools - as far as I am concerned if you cant get in a top 20 forget it - and asked what they thought of my situation. They of course said apply (send us your money) which I did. And of course I did not get in.
This year with a lot of effort and money I had a new evaluation and ETS granted me some additional time on the exam. The result was a 710 - 73% math and 98% verbal.
So with all of that background (sorry) now I get to the question part.
1) while the GMAT does not report that i was given additional time it is possible to interpret from the changes in my test scores that I did - do schools look negatively / lower their value of the score on this fact (extra time) ?
2) in the schools that i applied to last year i specifically declared that i was dyslexic this year in applying to new schools do you think I should ? and if I were to apply again to the schools I applied last year should I bring up the fact I had a new psycoeducation evaluation and received the extra time , hence, the change in my scores ?
3) I have found that my job / life with the UN does not give me the kind of answers to extra curricular questions that applications tend to ask (for example I can be sent to Chad for weeks at a time which makes having a "normal" life hard), also the career progress is much harder to show in terms that they use.... generally describing my life does not fit very well into the boxes they give... meaning that i think i can end up with sounding like I don't do much.
4) I know a 2.9 in Biology from University of San Diego is not very impressive but all that I have written (sorry again so long) do you think it is worth applying to the top 5-7 schools ?
Thank you very much for all of your time. I look forward to your thoughts.
Best, |
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AdmissionsConsultants
Admissions Expert
USA
2119 Posts |
Posted - 09/28/2004 : 21:31:06
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Hi and thanks for your inquiry.
[font=Arial]Dear David,
I would also like to thank you for your time and thoughts. You bring some clarity to this process which is refreshing.
Thanks! I don’t know nearly as much as our consultants and I don’t share everything I know here, but if it helps and provides a glimpse of the expertise that has led to our >95% independently verified success rate, than I guess there is nothing wrong with that!
My question might be some what unusual and a little bit complicated but perhaps not. In any case here goes.
First, I am learning disabled, more specifically dysgraphic and dyslexic, to the point that I had serious difficulties in elementary and high school. I did however receive the needed tutoring and went on to complete my BA in Biology / minor Econ. at the University of San Diego...actually I had to transfer from U. Colorado due to not being able to complete their foreign language requirement - GPA 2.91... O-chem was HARD.
Strangely enough I have now been working for the United Nations for the past 4 years (based in Europe) - though I have worked in Asia, Africa, S. America. I gone up through the ranks - managing some of my own projects - very quickly to the point that it is forcing me to get an Masters.
Prior to working for the UN I also worked on Wall St. in Intern type positions (New York Stock Exchange, High Yield trading desk), and also briefly in a formal position as a M&A analysit for a financial ".com".
Last year I took the GMAT without any additional time - ETS would not give me additional time without a new psycoeducation evaluation that was less than 5 years old - which I did not have (at that point my last evaluation was in the year of my undergraduate matriculation). I was not in a position (geographic) to have a new evaluation so I took the exam and received a 14% on quant. and 94% on verbal for 550. Having majored in Bio, and taken years of such things like physics, calc etc I knew my quant skills were higher than 14% so I contacted some of the top schools - as far as I am concerned if you cant get in a top 20 forget it - and asked what they thought of my situation. They of course said apply (send us your money) which I did. And of course I did not get in.
This year with a lot of effort and money I had a new evaluation and ETS granted me some additional time on the exam. The result was a 710 - 73% math and 98% verbal.
So with all of that background (sorry) now I get to the question part.
1) while the GMAT does not report that i was given additional time it is possible to interpret from the changes in my test scores that I did - do schools look negatively / lower their value of the score on this fact (extra time) ?
The good done from the higher score outweighs any possible bad. (Yes, some individual admissions officers are slightly biased against applicants who take the GMAT multiple times. They know they have ‘gamed’ the test and expect even better results from them than those who take it once.)
2) in the schools that i applied to last year i specifically declared that i was dyslexic this year in applying to new schools do you think I should ? and if I were to apply again to the schools I applied last year should I bring up the fact I had a new psycoeducation evaluation and received the extra time , hence, the change in my scores ?
Yes. And I say yes because while you don’t *have* to bring it up, it will likely come up during the interview and it would be better to be able to focus on other issues during the preciously short amount of time your interview will allow.
3) I have found that my job / life with the UN does not give me the kind of answers to extra curricular questions that applications tend to ask (for example I can be sent to Chad for weeks at a time which makes having a "normal" life hard), also the career progress is much harder to show in terms that they use.... generally describing my life does not fit very well into the boxes they give... meaning that i think i can end up with sounding like I don't do much.
That depends on how you spin your story.
4) I know a 2.9 in Biology from University of San Diego is not very impressive but all that I have written (sorry again so long) do you think it is worth applying to the top 5-7 schools ?
With a strong-enough ‘wow’ factor and well-prepared applications, I think these schools might be legitimate stretch targets, i.e. I would not be very surprised to see you gain admission into at least one 5-7 rank b-school. I’ve certainly seen 700+ GMATs compensate for GPAs in your range.
Thank you very much for all of your time. I look forward to your thoughts.
Best,
Best of luck with your applications!
Sincerely,
David Petersam
President
AdmissionsConsultants, Inc.
DPetersam@admissionsconsultants.com
AdmissionsConsultants
703.242.5885 |
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justchillin
Underclassman
USA
1 Posts |
Posted - 10/05/2004 : 12:31:43
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Hi David,
I have truly enjoyed reading through this board, and I feel it might be appropriate to ask a question pertaining to my own admission at a top tier business school.
I have a 3.5 GPA from an Ivy League school, majoring in Chemistry, and a 750 GMAT (44V, 49Q, 5AWA). I also have internship experience with two biotech companies and a biotech venture capital firm. However, the most interesting learning experience I had during college was when I founded a new organization at the university that grew to include about 3% of the undergraduate student body (~200 members). As President of the group, I was responsible for implementing my vision, making contacts in industry and academia, coordinating events, obtaining funding, and seeing that the organization would remain sustainable after my graduation. I absolutely loved the challenge.
After graduation just a few months ago (June 2004) I began working in biodefense science and technology analysis for the government. The work is important and relevant, and I've been given a lot of responsibility relative to my education and experience level, but I really long for my entrepeneurial days as the leader of an organization. After a heart-to-heart with myself and reflection upon my experiences, I now know that I want to pursue entrepeneurship and management.
Now my questions: Do you think I will have trouble gaining admission to a top tier school since my full-time work experience is not extensive (by the time I apply, about 6 months and only 1 year by the time I matriculate) and is not in a traditional "business" field? Can you forsee trouble for other reasons? Also, since I'm very interested in the biotech/pharma arena, would you recommend a dual-degree in biology or medicine?
Thanks very much for your time and consideration!
Best regards,
Brian |
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AdmissionsConsultants
Admissions Expert
USA
2119 Posts |
Posted - 10/05/2004 : 20:52:56
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Hi Brian and thanks for your inquiry.
Hi David,
I have truly enjoyed reading through this board, and I feel it might be appropriate to ask a question pertaining to my own admission at a top tier business school.
I have a 3.5 GPA from an Ivy League school, majoring in Chemistry, and a 750 GMAT (44V, 49Q, 5AWA). I also have internship experience with two biotech companies and a biotech venture capital firm. However, the most interesting learning experience I had during college was when I founded a new organization at the university that grew to include about 3% of the undergraduate student body (~200 members). As President of the group, I was responsible for implementing my vision, making contacts in industry and academia, coordinating events, obtaining funding, and seeing that the organization would remain sustainable after my graduation. I absolutely loved the challenge.
After graduation just a few months ago (June 2004) I began working in biodefense science and technology analysis for the government. The work is important and relevant, and I've been given a lot of responsibility relative to my education and experience level, but I really long for my entrepeneurial days as the leader of an organization. After a heart-to-heart with myself and reflection upon my experiences, I now know that I want to pursue entrepeneurship and management.
Now my questions: Do you think I will have trouble gaining admission to a top tier school since my full-time work experience is not extensive (by the time I apply, about 6 months and only 1 year by the time I matriculate) and is not in a traditional "business" field? Can you forsee trouble for other reasons? Also, since I'm very interested in the biotech/pharma arena, would you recommend a dual-degree in biology or medicine?
You are going to have a bit of difficulty spinning a theme around why you need an MBA now and why additional work experience will not benefit you. The fact that your work experience is outside of a traditional business field is not a concern. A good number of b-school students come from such backgrounds.
If you are truly excited about the dual degree and you believe both degrees will further your degree, go for it. I would like to make on caution about dual degrees. Dual-degree applicants usually learn they are far more comfortable in one of their programs than the other. If this happens to you, you may discover you wasted some time and tuition money when it is too late.
Thanks very much for your time and consideration!
Best regards,
Brian
Best of luck with your applications!
Sincerely,
David Petersam
President
AdmissionsConsultants, Inc.
DPetersam@admissionsconsultants.com
AdmissionsConsultants
703.242.5885 |
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AdmissionsConsultants
Admissions Expert
USA
2119 Posts |
Posted - 10/11/2004 : 19:44:43
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We know that there are some important deadlines this week and that there will be some applicants who will want a very quick sanity check on their applications so they know whether they should submit them now or rework them and submit them in R2.
We are very pleased to announce a brand-new service for such applicants: AdmissionsConsultants Express. Within 8 hours of submitting a complete application, we can:
1. Review your complete set of essays, letters of reference, and resume for one school
2. State if you should submit your current application now or wait, improve your candidacy, and submit the application in the following round
3. Identify any red flags in your application
4. Offer strategies on how to correct any application 'red flags'
Best of luck with your applications!
Sincerely,
David Petersam
703.242.5885
AdmissionsConsultants
Admissions committee experience from the top b-schools
AdmissionsConsultants
703.242.5885 |
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applying
Underclassman
5 Posts |
Posted - 10/12/2004 : 13:07:18
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sorry - I posted this as it's own thread. I meant to post it here.
Thanks!
http://www.admissionsboards.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=835
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Hi -
I am currently applying for R2 deadline for HBS.
They require 3 recs - I have two solid ones from work, however I am having trouble deciding who my third rec will be.
Some background- I graduated May 2002 and have been working full time since for in an IT division of an investment bank in NY.
My choice is between:
1) Undergraduate Professor
2) Current co-worker/colleague
My concern with (1) is that we do not currently have frequent interaction, considering I graduated 2 years ago. However, I do feel he could advocate for me very effectively. We have discussed career goals and getting an MBA. (He has one from Stern and has provided very sound advice for me during college) Again, my reservation comes from the fact that he is from my undergraduate experience.
My concern with (2) is that I have only known him for 3.5 months. (I recently transferred groups within my IT division.) A positive is that he interacts with me daily & we have a good relationship. I feel this interaction would give the admissions committee a more current assessment of my skills and abilities. However, my other two recs are from work (former manager from my previous group, and a mentor from the bank).
Lastly, (2) would make all 3 recs from one place.
I see positives and negatives in both, and was hoping you could provide advice on which person I should choose as my 3rd rec. I want to be very careful in this decision, as I realize how important it is to have people who can effectively advocate on my behalf.
Thank you for taking the time to answer my question.
Regards,
<applying> |
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AdmissionsConsultants
Admissions Expert
USA
2119 Posts |
Posted - 10/13/2004 : 09:04:53
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Hi and thanks for your inquiry.
sorry - I posted this as it's own thread. I meant to post it here.
Thanks!
http://www.admissionsboards.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=835
--------------------------------------------------------------
Hi -
I am currently applying for R2 deadline for HBS.
They require 3 recs - I have two solid ones from work, however I am having trouble deciding who my third rec will be.
Some background- I graduated May 2002 and have been working full time since for in an IT division of an investment bank in NY.
My choice is between:
1) Undergraduate Professor
2) Current co-worker/colleague
My concern with (1) is that we do not currently have frequent interaction, considering I graduated 2 years ago. However, I do feel he could advocate for me very effectively. We have discussed career goals and getting an MBA. (He has one from Stern and has provided very sound advice for me during college) Again, my reservation comes from the fact that he is from my undergraduate experience.
My concern with (2) is that I have only known him for 3.5 months. (I recently transferred groups within my IT division.) A positive is that he interacts with me daily & we have a good relationship. I feel this interaction would give the admissions committee a more current assessment of my skills and abilities. However, my other two recs are from work (former manager from my previous group, and a mentor from the bank).
Lastly, (2) would make all 3 recs from one place.
I see positives and negatives in both, and was hoping you could provide advice on which person I should choose as my 3rd rec. I want to be very careful in this decision, as I realize how important it is to have people who can effectively advocate on my behalf.
I don’t have enough information here to conduct a thorough analysis, but based on what I read above, I would advocate, from amongst these two, going with the professor. That would provide a more well-rounded picture of your candidacy and I doubt there is much more that the colleague can add that would not have already been well documented by your first two recommenders.
About 95% of applications will contain strong letters of reference. (They are self selected after all and, additionally, the vast majority of applicants to top b-schools are type 1A over achievers.) It is important that your recommenders substantiate your story, highlight your strengths, mitigate your weaknesses, and/or introduce some additional ‘wow’ factors. If they are not doing these things, then they are not “great reccos”.
Thank you for taking the time to answer my question.
Regards,
<applying>
Best of luck with your applications!
Sincerely,
David Petersam
DPetersam@admissionsconsultants.com
703.242.5885
Admissions committee experience from the top b-schools
AdmissionsConsultants
703.242.5885 |
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eire1130
Underclassman
USA
1 Posts |
Posted - 10/16/2004 : 17:12:03
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Hello David,
I’m currently an undergrad student at Bard and am currently looking at B-schools. I expect to graduate in the spring of 2006, so I have a little time to think this out.
To begin with, I was in the military for 6 years. I did very well while I was in the military and both my close out evaluations and my last regular cycle before getting out are extremely good. I was advanced to E-6 in 5.5 years (which is as fast as you can possibly do it in the Navy in my technical rating) and I was awarded two Navy Achievement Medals during the time I was in, among other lesser awards. I was both a technician and a leader at different points and, as my evals reflect, often spearheaded evolutions where I was in a leadership role and always did the task ahead of schedule and with little to no discrepancies. In a roll as a technician I would improvise new ways of doing things, such as a different method of collecting data on ships in the Persian Gulf pre-gulf war. I consider this my largest “bullet” for a B-school application.
Before joining the Navy I worked on my father’s dairy farm. Where I was I at times ran it by myself so my father could take vacations or occasionally take a weekend off. I’ve also spent some time traveling, before I was in the Navy, during, and after. All total I’ve visited around 20 countries and territories. Do these things matter, as in, something to bring up in an essay? I know the flip answer is - anything matters, I'm more curious then anything.
Secondly, as mentioned I’m an undergrad. I’m majoring in Economics. While I am doing OK, I am by far not a 4.0 student either; it’s probably closer to 3.0. I tend to learn from my mistakes as I go, but I am not as “academically” profound as some of the younger students. I do not strugle in my classes; I am consistent however.
I have not taken the GMAT yet, it is impossible for me to predict how well I will do, since I am not accustomed to taking standardized tests; standardized testing is non-existent at Bard. But, I can write a strong essay, I feel I have a strong command of the English language, I interview well, and my mathematics are improving as my Economics background grows.
Lastly, the schools I am looking at so far are NYU, Colorado @ Boulder, Yale, Wisconsin @ Madison, Oregon, Washington, OSU.
The questions are: How much a factor will my military experience carry, if any at all? I do plan on going directly from undergrad to grad school, will this effect me in a negative way, or will my 6 year Naval career count as work experience? I know that some schools specify post undergrad work while others are more ambiguous. While I understand it is something which is important, does having a GPA as low as mine so adversely affect my prospects to applying to grad school where I should not bother with the very top end schools on my list?
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AdmissionsConsultants
Admissions Expert
USA
2119 Posts |
Posted - 10/16/2004 : 18:57:28
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Hi and thanks for your inquiry.
Hello David,
I’m currently an undergrad student at Bard and am currently looking at B-schools. I expect to graduate in the spring of 2006, so I have a little time to think this out.
To begin with, I was in the military for 6 years. I did very well while I was in the military and both my close out evaluations and my last regular cycle before getting out are extremely good. I was advanced to E-6 in 5.5 years (which is as fast as you can possibly do it in the Navy in my technical rating) and I was awarded two Navy Achievement Medals during the time I was in, among other lesser awards. I was both a technician and a leader at different points and, as my evals reflect, often spearheaded evolutions where I was in a leadership role and always did the task ahead of schedule and with little to no discrepancies. In a roll as a technician I would improvise new ways of doing things, such as a different method of collecting data on ships in the Persian Gulf pre-gulf war. I consider this my largest “bullet” for a B-school application.
Before joining the Navy I worked on my father’s dairy farm. Where I was I at times ran it by myself so my father could take vacations or occasionally take a weekend off. I’ve also spent some time traveling, before I was in the Navy, during, and after. All total I’ve visited around 20 countries and territories. Do these things matter, as in, something to bring up in an essay? I know the flip answer is - anything matters, I'm more curious then anything.
I’ll admit we are very busy this time of year and I am skimming this rather lengthy post. Travel makes a bigger difference if it was work related.
Secondly, as mentioned I’m an undergrad. I’m majoring in Economics. While I am doing OK, I am by far not a 4.0 student either; it’s probably closer to 3.0. I tend to learn from my mistakes as I go, but I am not as “academically” profound as some of the younger students. I do not strugle in my classes; I am consistent however.
I have not taken the GMAT yet, it is impossible for me to predict how well I will do, since I am not accustomed to taking standardized tests; standardized testing is non-existent at Bard. But, I can write a strong essay, I feel I have a strong command of the English language, I interview well, and my mathematics are improving as my Economics background grows.
Lastly, the schools I am looking at so far are NYU, Colorado @ Boulder, Yale, Wisconsin @ Madison, Oregon, Washington, OSU.
The questions are: How much a factor will my military experience carry, if any at all? I do plan on going directly from undergrad to grad school, will this effect me in a negative way, or will my 6 year Naval career count as work experience? I know that some schools specify post undergrad work while others are more ambiguous. While I understand it is something which is important, does having a GPA as low as mine so adversely affect my prospects to applying to grad school where I should not bother with the very top end schools on my list?
The military experience is good, but I’m not sure how convincing a story you can write that it has prepared you for a post-MBA career at the top-ranked schools. It’s going to be a tough spin.
If you apply right out of school, the “what have you done for me lately?” answer will be a low GPA. Therefore, it will hurt you more than other applicants your age who completed school years ago.
You are going to be a big stretch at Yale and NYU. The other schools should be attainable.
Best of luck with your applications!
Sincerely,
David Petersam
President
AdmissionsConsultants, Inc.
DPetersam@admissionsconsultants.com
AdmissionsConsultants
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