Profile Evaluation

[JosephD232]

General: I’m a 26 year old white male. I was looking for an assessment on my chances of getting into a top 10 MBA program.

Education: I graduated with a degree in corporate finance and accounting from a top 20 business school GPA 3.6/4.0. I have a CPA and I’m a level 2 CFA candidate.
Work Experience (four years):
• Big 4 (mixed work experience) – One of three associates selected for a management leadership program intended to introduce potential future leaders to various cross-functions of the firm. I essentially participated in a two year rotational program across various service lines.
•Currently, I have a new job in transaction services specializing in implementation of derivative and hedging strategies. I was promoted in my position within the first six months of my start date.

GMAT: I plan on taking the GMAT in August. A month ago, I took a practice test to assess my baseline and scored a 680. I’m hoping to boost my score to the 720 mark. I signed up for a Mgmat prep course and plan on putting in a solid 500 hours of study time.

Extra-Curricular Activities: Former aid of a state rep and campaign volunteer. Volunteer for Cradles to Crayons – nonprofit that helps low income families.

[mbamissionjenK]

Hi there,

Thanks for posting. Sounds like you have the start of a strong profile.... GPA is solid; you have the CPA and CFA demonstrating your quant skills; some progression & recognition at work; some volunteering.

Sure I think a GMAT re-take and improvement to the level of (or ideally above) the average of the schools you are interested in is a good strategy. 500 hours though??!! As someone who taught and tutored GMAT for a good 8+ years, not sure I ever came across anyone who put in that much time! Aren't you working full time too? ;) Depending upon how you did and are doing on practice tests, many people prep for say 4-8 weeks for a GMAT re-take, that is part-time evenings/weekends after work.... with a course and/or tutor and good resources, you should get a good idea on what you need to work on, and strategies you can put into place to get you where you want to be.

Overall I think the biggest challenge is just ensuring you stand out from the crowd admissions-wise, as there are so many competitive applicants, and many with potentially similar profiles... so you'll really want to dig deep and get personal and brainstorm about who YOU are, what makes you different, what you'll bring to the class, why you want the MBA, why you are interested in each school etc. You will likely have better chances outside top 10 or so, but depending on the GMAT you can still apply to a couple of those if determined and see how it goes.

Good luck on the process and the GMAT!