Profile Evaluation - 2009

[hit]

28 year old Korean American (will be 29 when applying fall 09)

GMAT:
710

College:
B.A. Economics 2007
3.78 GPA (community college - 63 credits in 1 year (spring, summer, and fall semesters)
3.14 GPA (University of Michigan - 1.5 years. Worked 30+ hrs a week during my time here - not an excuse by any means, but working did adversely impact my grades.)

Work Experience:
Pre-college:
2 years in East Asia - 1 year teaching SATs and 1 year working in operational/strategic roles at private academies (SAT, AP subject exams, etc).
Post-college: (will have 3 total years by 09 MBA matriculation)
1 year at Accenture (operational consulting not IT implementation: business case, NPV analysis)
2 years in an internal corporate strategy role at a company with $500M annual revenue (corporate growth strategy, metrics analysis, data driven analysis, financial modeling)

Extracurricular Activities:
Strategy engagement for nonprofit organization. Final deliverables and recommendations include 5 year growth strategy (new services, joint ventures and mergers), competitive intelligence, and industry research/benchmarking. Currently leading one of these work streams.

MBA schools:
I'm planning on applying to CBS, Stern, Hass, Darden, and Tuck.

[hit]

I forgot to mention that I've considered building an alternative transcript but wasn't sure if it was necessary. I thought about taking 1 or 2 corporate finance classes at berkeley extension or at a local university.

I'd really appreciate any candid thoughts or suggestions from the admission consultants here.

Thanks in advance.

[MBAApply]

If you can take 1-2 courses to build up an alternate transcript, that would be ideal.

Anyhow, you've chosen a good list of schools where you have a reasonable shot at - you're not a shoe in, but they're not out of your league either. You're right in the mix. Obviously you can't expect to get into all of them, but assuming you put in well executed applications and you interview reasonably well, you should be able to get into a few of them.

Alex Chu
alex@mbaapply.com
www.mbaapply.com
http://mbaapply.blogspot.com

[hit]

Thanks for the prompt response.

I had one follow up question, how much will a little job hopping hurt me?

Here's my situation...

I'm thinking about taking another job soon, at a larger company, doing similar type work as I'm doing now but with more of a focus on marketing/sales strategy and corporate development, M&A. But I'm concerned about the job hopping stigma.

Pros of taking the job - The new place offers a base salary that's around 50% more than I'm making now and I get a title upgrade (analyst to senior analyst). I'd also get closer interaction with senior executives.
Cons - can only really think of one. I'm concerned that I'd be viewed as a job hopper, hurting my MBA candidacy. If I leave and take this job, I'll only have 1 year at my first job, 5 months at my second, and 1 year and 7 months (at time of matriculation) at this third job. But I'm thinking the job hopping factor might be negated given current economic conditions.

I'd also consider working an additional year at this new job, so I'd have 2 years and 7 months (at time of matriculation) there and a total of 4 years post college experience at time of matriculation.

[MBAApply]

Do what's best for you, not what may or may not look good for a b-school application.

If the job pays more, gives you more responsibility, and it seems like a good fit, take it. Job hopping isn't a huge deal these days.

Alex Chu
alex@mbaapply.com
www.mbaapply.com
http://mbaapply.blogspot.com