Alex,
I am a Florida State graduate, where I maintained an esteemed 2.8 GPA. I currently work as an analyst at a boutique investment bank. With a bad GPA from a very subpar school, I was hoping that you could provide me with some guidance as to what chances I have at top 10-25 schools.
1) What GMAT score do I need to have a chance at a 10-25 school?
2) If I score 700-720 on the GMAT, what is the best possible school
that I will have a shot at getting in to?
3) If I were to work for a larger bank (may switch in the next 6
months) will that improve my chances?
4) I am planning to apply to B-school with 3-4 years of experience.
Do you think that the timing is right or should I wait longer/shorter?
Thank you for all of your help.
GMAT Forum
2 postsPage 1 of 1
- FSUGradIB
- MBAApply
To answer your questions:
(1) To balance out your low GPA, you realistically need at least a 700 or greater to stand a real chance at a top school. Otherwise it's a lottery ticket.
(2) As for which schools, it really depends. Schools below the top 16 (i.e. Georgetown, Texas, UNC, etc.) you should be competitive for assuming your application is well executed.
(3) Hard to say. It's not just about brand, but about how well rounded you are - especially as a banker. If you don't have a lot of extracurriculars in college (they understand that you have no life in banking given the hours), then you are rolling the dice. Again, don't switch banks simply to game your application - do it for your career first. If it's good for your career, it's good for your application. Don't let b-school applications dictate your life choices - do what's best for you first, and then the rest should take care of itself. So if moving to another bank is a good career move, then do it. If it's not, then don't do it. That should have nothing to do with b-school applications. I've said this a million times before, but it's worth repeating -- b-school is a nice to have, but it's not something you should be rearranging your life for. B-school isn't a golden ticket.
(4) Apply when you're ready. Although as a banker, you do have a window before you start to get past your "best before" date -- usually that's after 4 years experience or so, particularly at the top schools. The reason for this is the longer you stay in banking (or the longer you're at a post-IB analyst bus dev/corp dev role in industry), the harder it is for you to justify why you need an MBA other than purely for a vacation and for the brand given your salary and career progress (i.e. you will be at a post-MBA level already).
Alex Chu
alex@mbaapply.com
www.mbaapply.com
http://mbaapply.blogspot.com
(1) To balance out your low GPA, you realistically need at least a 700 or greater to stand a real chance at a top school. Otherwise it's a lottery ticket.
(2) As for which schools, it really depends. Schools below the top 16 (i.e. Georgetown, Texas, UNC, etc.) you should be competitive for assuming your application is well executed.
(3) Hard to say. It's not just about brand, but about how well rounded you are - especially as a banker. If you don't have a lot of extracurriculars in college (they understand that you have no life in banking given the hours), then you are rolling the dice. Again, don't switch banks simply to game your application - do it for your career first. If it's good for your career, it's good for your application. Don't let b-school applications dictate your life choices - do what's best for you first, and then the rest should take care of itself. So if moving to another bank is a good career move, then do it. If it's not, then don't do it. That should have nothing to do with b-school applications. I've said this a million times before, but it's worth repeating -- b-school is a nice to have, but it's not something you should be rearranging your life for. B-school isn't a golden ticket.
(4) Apply when you're ready. Although as a banker, you do have a window before you start to get past your "best before" date -- usually that's after 4 years experience or so, particularly at the top schools. The reason for this is the longer you stay in banking (or the longer you're at a post-IB analyst bus dev/corp dev role in industry), the harder it is for you to justify why you need an MBA other than purely for a vacation and for the brand given your salary and career progress (i.e. you will be at a post-MBA level already).
Alex Chu
alex@mbaapply.com
www.mbaapply.com
http://mbaapply.blogspot.com
2 posts Page 1 of 1