Please Evaluate Profile

[JohnR806]

Hey! I am currently thinking about applying to MBA programs for the class of 2019 and am curious how I fare thus far. I would love to attend a top 10 school and would appreciate any recommendations to help me get there as well as any program suggestions !

Ideal Schools
Michigan, Northwestern, Virginia, UT-Austin, NYU (maybe)

General
Age: 24
Ethnicity: White
Sex: Male

Education
School: University of Michigan - Ann Abor
Major: Political Science
GPA: 3.1 / Major GPA: 3.6

I had a rough go the first two years of college starting off with a 2.4 my freshman year. Michigan also requires 4 semesters of a foreign language (biggest weakness) which definitely hurt my GPA. My GPA trended up significantly my junior and senior years as I became more focused on my major and enjoyed the more intense classes.

GMAT
680 (40V 43Q)

I am most definitely going to retake the GMAT as I scored a 730 a week before on the GMAT Prep test and I know I can improve the score. My quant score is usually around 47/48 and I know this will give my profile a big time boost.

Profile
I currently work in NYC within the insurance industry as an underwriter for one of the world's largest corporate insurers and have been working with the company for the past 2 years. I interned with the company between my junior and senior year receiving the full time offer (I think this looks strong on a resume).

I am a front office employee that goes on many marketing trips throughout the year across the US. I also take on tasks such as improving operational procedures and helping transform the company to become more acclimated in the 21st century.

Not sure if I plan to stay in the industry post MBA as I can see myself in a role more along the lines of consulting.

Your help is much appreciated!

[mbaMissionKate]

Hi there!
Good for you for thinking ahead!

Overall I think that is a good list of schools to be targeting. Definitely visit and engage with the schools between now and when you apply.

Your overall GPA definitely is low so that's a weakness you cannot change. But you can address it and the best way to do so is to have a high GMAT, so I would definitely retake to get closer to the practice scores you were getting. Schools will always take your highest score so multiple attempts are totally fine. I'd love to see your Quant in particular 3-4 raw points higher. You could also take a few pre-MBA courses for credit to further boost your transcript, I would recommend this in particular if you haven't taken a lot of business or quant type courses already. But the upward trend is great and will not go unnoticed!

Your work experience sounds strong and I like the long tenure and exposure you're getting. Any leadership / project management experience? Involvement with other functions at the company? Exposure to executives? If not, those would be great accomplishments to further enhance your work profile. Also, is a promotion possible? I know that's out of your control mostly but would also look great to show progression.

Other than GPA the only concern I see is that you don't say anything about activities outside of work -- any leadership or community work there? If not, that is definitely something to add now since you've got time. It doesn't need to be traditional volunteer work (though certainly can be); it can be any community involvement (e.g., alumni activities, helping advise startups, helping a family business, pursuing a hobby you're passionate about, etc.).

Good luck, and certainly keep us posted if we can help with other questions along the way!
Kate

Hey! I am currently thinking about applying to MBA programs for the class of 2019 and am curious how I fare thus far. I would love to attend a top 10 school and would appreciate any recommendations to help me get there as well as any program suggestions !

Ideal Schools
Michigan, Northwestern, Virginia, UT-Austin, NYU (maybe)

General
Age: 24
Ethnicity: White
Sex: Male

Education
School: University of Michigan - Ann Abor
Major: Political Science
GPA: 3.1 / Major GPA: 3.6

I had a rough go the first two years of college starting off with a 2.4 my freshman year. Michigan also requires 4 semesters of a foreign language (biggest weakness) which definitely hurt my GPA. My GPA trended up significantly my junior and senior years as I became more focused on my major and enjoyed the more intense classes.

GMAT
680 (40V 43Q)

I am most definitely going to retake the GMAT as I scored a 730 a week before on the GMAT Prep test and I know I can improve the score. My quant score is usually around 47/48 and I know this will give my profile a big time boost.

Profile
I currently work in NYC within the insurance industry as an underwriter for one of the world's largest corporate insurers and have been working with the company for the past 2 years. I interned with the company between my junior and senior year receiving the full time offer (I think this looks strong on a resume).

I am a front office employee that goes on many marketing trips throughout the year across the US. I also take on tasks such as improving operational procedures and helping transform the company to become more acclimated in the 21st century.

Not sure if I plan to stay in the industry post MBA as I can see myself in a role more along the lines of consulting.

Your help is much appreciated!

[JohnR806]

Thanks for the response.

I retook the GMAT recently and scored the same overall score, 680. However, there were changes please see below.

1st Time
680 Overall
Quant: 43
Verbal 40:
IR: 8
AWA: 5.5

2nd Time
680 Overall
Quant: 47
Verbal 36
IR: 7
AWA: don't know yet but expect around the 5.5 area


Now my question is what score should I put on my applications? Improving the math was a important to me but I wasn't looking to decrease in the verbal as much as I did.

On another note should I take the test a 3rd time?

Appreciate your help!

[mbaMissionKate]

Hi, good to hear back from you!

I would submit the 2nd score. Quant is usually more important to b-schools and your 35 verbal is still high enough in my view. Plus, since you went to Michigan and are a native English speaker (I assume), they won't put your verbal score under much scrutiny.

Do you still have a year til you apply or are you applying this season? If you have time, sure, give it a 3rd shot, can't hurt. Especially if you are still considering top schools like Kellogg.

-Kate

Thanks for the response.

I retook the GMAT recently and scored the same overall score, 680. However, there were changes please see below.

1st Time
680 Overall
Quant: 43
Verbal 40:
IR: 8
AWA: 5.5

2nd Time
680 Overall
Quant: 47
Verbal 36
IR: 7
AWA: don't know yet but expect around the 5.5 area


Now my question is what score should I put on my applications? Improving the math was a important to me but I wasn't looking to decrease in the verbal as much as I did.

On another note should I take the test a 3rd time?

Appreciate your help!

[JohnR806]

I am only applying to one school round one (Michigan) because I want to put together one A+ application and not just a bunch of B applications.

With that said do I need to write an optional essay about my gpa?

I am not entirely sure how to approach writing about my 3.1 gpa and explain something in the past that was in my control at the time. I've heard from others that not writing about it may be a better choice as I don't necessarily need to acknowledge/make excuses about past mistakes (see foreign language require mentioned above).

Any insight you have would be great or an example of how I would twist the past to show a positive light (gpa trended upwards, focused on major which is reflected in the 3.6 major gpa).

Thanks!

[mbaMissionKate]

Check out this interview on our blog with Michigan's admissions director: https://www.mbamission.com/blog/2016/08 ... -business/

She says re. optional essay:

For the Ross application, the optional essay is less of an “optional essay” and more of a place to briefly explain anything within the application that might require more context. For example, maybe someone has a gap in their employment history, which we would see in the resume, or they didn’t have their current direct supervisor write their rec letter. The optional essay is a place to explain those things. It’s not a place to explain why they love Ross or to copy and paste an essay they wrote for another school because they think it sheds more light on who they are. Or to say, and this is something we often see, “I’m a really bad standardized test taker” or “I was immature in college and partied too much, and hence my grades were bad.” It’s not a space for that.

So given that, if there's really not much to explain about your GPA, I would lean towards skipping the optional essay on that topic. They will see the upward trend from your transcript.

Hope this helps!
Kate

I am only applying to one school round one (Michigan) because I want to put together one A+ application and not just a bunch of B applications.

With that said do I need to write an optional essay about my gpa?

I am not entirely sure how to approach writing about my 3.1 gpa and explain something in the past that was in my control at the time. I've heard from others that not writing about it may be a better choice as I don't necessarily need to acknowledge/make excuses about past mistakes (see foreign language require mentioned above).

Any insight you have would be great or an example of how I would twist the past to show a positive light (gpa trended upwards, focused on major which is reflected in the 3.6 major gpa).

Thanks!