Hi,
I just took GMAT last week and scored 710. I checked schools’ statistics before taking the exam, and I understand that this is either about average or a little bit more than average. However, I have a huge weakness in my profile, and that weakness is my insufficient work experience. Furthermore, even though my post-graduate GPA is quite decent, my undergraduate GPA is not very attractive. I know that I am not an outstanding applicant, but I really want to get into a good B-school that can help me establish a career in consulting. So, judging from my profile below, please tell me whether I have a shot at schools such as University of Michigan (Ross) or UC Berkeley (Haas). Before I decide anything, I would like to learn an honest opinion of my profile.
Age: 25
Nationality: Thai
Post-Graduate Education: Master degree in Engineering in one of the top universities in Japan - GPA 3.90, I was also the valedictorian of my graduating class.
Undergraduate Education: Bachelor degree in Engineering - GPA 3.06
Work Experience: I am working in Japan as an application engineer for almost one and a half year in one of the biggest automotive suppliers in the world. Customers that I am responsible for include big names in Japanese automotive industry such as Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki or even European companies such as BMW or Ducati. My main responsibilities are product design and providing technical support and consultation for sales branch. So far, I have assisted the company in generating at least 2 million US dollars in sales amount.
Language proficiency: English (fluent), Thai (native), Japanese (moderately fluent, enough for me to work with Japanese colleagues purely in Japanese)
Extracurricular Activities: I was president of robot club and member of a basketball varsity team in my bachelor faculty. Currently, I am doing some community service by participating in activities of Thai students’ organization in Japan by assisting in organizing events and festivals.
Scholarships: I earned three scholarships for my master degree and also a scholarship to do internship in Germany.
GMAT: Quant&Verbal 710, AWA 4.5
Goals: I want to make a career transition to management consulting, and then I hope to move on to non-profit organization and utilize experience earned from consulting to assist the economic development in my home country.
Thank you in advance
Tanet
GMAT Forum
4 postsPage 1 of 1
- MBAApply
Your biggest hurdle isn't your work experience -- it's your lack of confidence.
You have a decent profile, and if you feel you are ready to go, by all means apply. Your chances are zero if you don't apply at all. Plus, you're a woman working in a very male-oriented industry (automotives) in a very chauvinistic and ethnocentric culture (Japan) as an Asian woman. You should have plenty of material for your essays about what you learned about yourself dealing with these challenges.
Again, I think you have enough of a chance that it's worth at least given these schools a shot. Worst case is that you have to reapply the following year (where you'll have an additional year of experience).
Alex Chu
alex@mbaapply.com
www.mbaapply.com
http://mbaapply.blogspot.com
You have a decent profile, and if you feel you are ready to go, by all means apply. Your chances are zero if you don't apply at all. Plus, you're a woman working in a very male-oriented industry (automotives) in a very chauvinistic and ethnocentric culture (Japan) as an Asian woman. You should have plenty of material for your essays about what you learned about yourself dealing with these challenges.
Again, I think you have enough of a chance that it's worth at least given these schools a shot. Worst case is that you have to reapply the following year (where you'll have an additional year of experience).
Alex Chu
alex@mbaapply.com
www.mbaapply.com
http://mbaapply.blogspot.com
- Tanet
Hi Alex,
Thank you for your straightforwardness and honest assessment. I admit that you're right about my lack of confidence, and I think that lack of confidence made you assumed that I am a woman... but I'm not, and this is both embarrassing and funny at the same time... I did start out with optimistic attitude; however, as I read more applicant profiles, I became less confident of my chance (I think other applicants are going through this as well). Well, I guess that the Asian woman card you suggested does not work for me, but thanks for that anyway. I hope I can use background diversity and experience in Japan as my strong points.
By the way, I get the impression that B-schools don't really give much consideration to post-graduate studies. For instance, Ross's application only asks for undergraduate GPA but not post-graduate GPA. I did a huge turnaround during my senior year of undergraduate study, but it was kind of late to pull anything up. Then, I studied really hard for my master degree, and it will be a shame if adcom would not take my post-graduate GPA and honors into account. Can you please shed some light on this issue for me about this?
Tanet
Thank you for your straightforwardness and honest assessment. I admit that you're right about my lack of confidence, and I think that lack of confidence made you assumed that I am a woman... but I'm not, and this is both embarrassing and funny at the same time... I did start out with optimistic attitude; however, as I read more applicant profiles, I became less confident of my chance (I think other applicants are going through this as well). Well, I guess that the Asian woman card you suggested does not work for me, but thanks for that anyway. I hope I can use background diversity and experience in Japan as my strong points.
By the way, I get the impression that B-schools don't really give much consideration to post-graduate studies. For instance, Ross's application only asks for undergraduate GPA but not post-graduate GPA. I did a huge turnaround during my senior year of undergraduate study, but it was kind of late to pull anything up. Then, I studied really hard for my master degree, and it will be a shame if adcom would not take my post-graduate GPA and honors into account. Can you please shed some light on this issue for me about this?
Tanet
- MBAApply
Haha I don't know where that came from either. I
Anyhow, whether you're male or female, your GPA isn't an issue -- you were in engineering, so they will cut you some slack on the GPA.
B-school isn't like law or med school -- the academic standards are lower and the ranges are much wider -- it's simply not as important as it would be for any other graduate school frankly. A lot of it comes down to a combination of the quality of your work experience (a subjective assessment), leadership potential (a subjective assessment), career focus (are your work history and goals all over the place - a subjective assessment) and your academic profile (a semi-objective assessment -- the GMAT is comparable across everyone, but then it's hard to really compare GPAs of one discipline vs another let alone one country's universities vs another). As you can see, it is a very subjective process where there isn't a highly defined standard -- adcoms can reject or accept you for any reason or no reason at all.
Just focus on your applications, and hope for the best.
Alex Chu
alex@mbaapply.com
www.mbaapply.com
http://mbaapply.blogspot.com
Anyhow, whether you're male or female, your GPA isn't an issue -- you were in engineering, so they will cut you some slack on the GPA.
B-school isn't like law or med school -- the academic standards are lower and the ranges are much wider -- it's simply not as important as it would be for any other graduate school frankly. A lot of it comes down to a combination of the quality of your work experience (a subjective assessment), leadership potential (a subjective assessment), career focus (are your work history and goals all over the place - a subjective assessment) and your academic profile (a semi-objective assessment -- the GMAT is comparable across everyone, but then it's hard to really compare GPAs of one discipline vs another let alone one country's universities vs another). As you can see, it is a very subjective process where there isn't a highly defined standard -- adcoms can reject or accept you for any reason or no reason at all.
Just focus on your applications, and hope for the best.
Alex Chu
alex@mbaapply.com
www.mbaapply.com
http://mbaapply.blogspot.com
4 posts Page 1 of 1