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MBA application season has begun! Get the ball rolling with Linda Abraham’s kickoff episode with invaluable advice for 2016 applicants.
Have high stats? Linda has a warning for you. Think you can fill out the boxes on your app on the day you submit? Think again.
If you have any other questions about getting your applications started, just leave us a note in the comments section of this post.
00:01:54 – The risks of a high GMAT score.
00:07:16 – A strategic approach to the boxes and the essays on an MBA application
00:12:00 – What you can do before the essay questions come out.
00:12:25 – How to make the most of your resume and job history.
*Theme music is courtesy of podcastthemes.com.
Related links:
• Get Accepted to Columbia Business School webinar
• Resume 101
• MBA Essay 101
Related shows:
• The Admissions Team At The Very Center Of Business
• Exploring the Part-Time MBA Options at NYU Stern
• Bruce DelMonico on The Yale School of Management
• The Tuck School of Business and the Global Insight Requirement
Hi Linda,
Hope you’re well. I’ve seen you impart a lot of wisdom on other applicants and wanted to see if you could evaluate my application also!
I’m a ex MBB female consultant who have transitioned into retail. I’ve done the GMAT twice – 640(Q44 V34) and 700 (Q45 V40). My quant is only about 60th percentile which is a concern but I do quite a quant-heavy role and know that my manager will write about that. I am scarce on extra-curricular outside of work settings but have a keen interest in fashion (did summer school in design, takes sewing lessons as a hobby and comes from a family business in apparel).
I am looking to move into marketing in retail (currently in merchandising) and would like to apply to the top tier schools – Stanford, HBS, Wharton and Columbia. Am I aiming too high?
Many thanks,
Retailer
Retailer,
I responded on the podcast and forgot to respond here. Sorry.
In any case, the short answer is “yes. I think you are aiming too high. ” I went into more detail in my response to you on the podcast. Please see/listen to https://blog.accepted.com/2015/06/10/its-mba-season-do-you-know-where-your-applications-are/ .
Best,
Linda
Hi Linda,
I always find your inputs to be very helpful in critically evaluating how I position my application. I’m a top-performing analyst (I only mention this because my boss will write me a solid reco) covering the US banking sector at a large global consulting firm, the only one in the team in both my jobs who doesn’t have an MBA. I am a CFA charter holder and intend to apply to US MBA programs beginning in the Fall of 2016.
I gave the GMAT a couple of weeks ago, and got a slightly underwhelming score of 700 (Q 58th percentile, V 96th percentile). I have trouble with the quant section and despite spending endless hours, keep making silly errors. I’m reappearing again in June, but I wanted your thoughts on whether a low quant score torpedoes my application to the top schools? If yes, which ones should i knock off my list? Is there a way I can position the CFA and the fact that I got great scores in finance and stats course in my undergrad programs as a countervailing factor?
Thank you,
Bank Analyst
P.S. – I have also taken a Duke University graduate level program on statistics through a Coursera MOOC. I have a verified certificate for the same.
Bank Analyst,
Your low quant score doesn’t torpedo your application if it’s followed by a competitive score. Did you take the test a while ago? Was there a reason you didn’t cancel it? If you don’t raise it, then you have a hurdle to overcome.
Yes your CFA and good grades will mitigate, but that quant score is still there — if you don’t raise it.
FYI Toronto Rotman will waive the GMAT for those who have passed all three levels of the CFA. http://inside.rotman.utoronto.ca/admissions/2013/06/20/cfa/ . (Since it’s from 2015, confirm. )
Thanks for the reply. I was taking the test for the first time and reported scores as 700 is a decent overall score well within the middle 80% bands of most schools.
I am retaking the test in mid-June and hoping to get something better.
Bank Analyst,
You’re right that 700 isn’t “low,” but it is below average for the top programs. And that 58% on quant is a problem. Schools look at the individual scores as well as the total. You are also correct that good grades in quant classes and the CFA will mitigate if you choose not to retake.
Since you are intending to retake and probably will do better, it shouldn’t be an issue at all. Good luck!