Will the MBA's Please Step Up

propanol Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I went to Stanford. You are borderline, at best, > with solid references and essays. > > Then again, everyone applying to the top schools > have solid references and essays and most who are > admitted have impeccable ones. Your GPA looks > good, but being from a lesser-known school is not > going to help. A 3.5 from Berkeley is probably > going to look better than a 3.8 from Cal state, if > you know what i mean. Plus you did not mention > anything “special”, like spending 2 years in South > Africa building aquaducts and teaching, or being a > grandmaster in chese, or ran the boston marathon, > or conquered mount everest. the working experience > is good, but if that is about it, you basically > don’t sound like an “interesting” person, MBA > admission wise. > > I suggest you beef up your GMAT (720 will probably > put you in better light) and CV. Otherwise, > there’s always plenty of backup schools to apply. agreed with propanol – well, maybe you didn’t have to do all those marathons and conquering mount everest and whatnot, but you do have to have a “special” quality to you and you have to stand out. i would say this is characteristic not only of the GSB but also of undergrad, law, and med school admissions there. if you’re nearby, spend some time on campus and talk to the people there to get a flavor of what it’s really like - and you’ll see for yourself that stanford just isn’t like “the rest.”

ryguy904 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I’m really appreciative of the responses so far!!! > Hopefully, I can get some more input, as I > imagine I’m not the only one on the cusp. > > It seems curious that the average (and often > median) GMAT reported for these schools is around > 700/710. I’m no statistics genius, but wouldn’t > that mean that there are many people (not > necessarily 1/2, but let’s be conservative and say > 30%) that are scoring below 710, probably in the > 660-690 range? > > > Again- - - many, many thanks. 20% of students at Wharton have 670 or less. Thats a fact.

Everyone has done something special… it is just a matter of capturing it and selling it to the admissions board.

how much would undergrad grades weight?

Danteshek Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > > 20% of students at Wharton have 670 or less. > Thats a fact. D- What’s your source?

> It seems curious that the average (and often > median) GMAT reported for these schools is around > 700/710. I’m no statistics genius, but wouldn’t > that mean that there are many people (not > necessarily 1/2, but let’s be conservative and say > 30%) that are scoring below 710, probably in the > 660-690 range? Remember that schools really pride themselves on creating a unique class with a diversity of experiences. If they only cared about scores and grades, the classes would be full of Indian software engineers. So obviously, there’s some segmentation going on (even though the schools won’t admit it). So there will be some people who get in with lower scores, say maybe someone who was a newspaper reporter, teacher, NOLS instructor, etc. Probably not someone with a hot-shot finance job. So think about the segment you will be compared to, and think about what their scores will be.

Danteshek Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > > 20% of students at Wharton have 670 or less. > Thats a fact. D- What’s your source? i don’t know what danteshek’s source is, but on the businessweek website, they say that the middle 80% is 660-760. that means that 10% score below and 10% score above. so what he said sounds reasonable at least. http://www.businessweek.com/bschools/rankings/full_time_mba_profiles/wharton.html i also thought this was funny from the school’s profile: GMAT Score: important Resume/Work Experience: important Application Essays: important Interviews: important Recommendations: important Undergraduate Transcripts: important like they’re going to say something isn’t important. i’d like to know how many, if any of the schools they profile said anything other than important for each of these. EDIT: check that. i just looked at chicago’s profile. all of these items are very important to them. not just important. who’d of thunk? and i agree with whoever it was that said most people have a story; its just knowing how to tell it in a way that sounds cool. its why the admissions consultants have jobs. they know how to spin things to make them sound cooler than you would think to tell them on your own.

ryguy904 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Danteshek Wrote: > -------------------------------------------------- > ----- > > > > > 20% of students at Wharton have 670 or less. > > Thats a fact. > > > D- > What’s your source? Sorry. I misspoke. 20% of students have 660 or less http://www.wharton.upenn.edu/mba/community/classprofile/ The middle 80% is 660 to 760.

Is there any chance in hell of someone w/o completing an undergrad, but passing the CFA “obtainng charter” and getting 700+ on GMAT with good work experience and some compelling story to tell getting into a decent B-school. I see the top schools don’t “require” and undergrad for admissions on their site but perhaps it’s just an unspoken given… Thanks,

T-Agent see: http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=513563

you can get in without undergrad or GMAT’s if you’re related to Prince Alaweed Bin Talal… You hear he’s buying an A380?

those “special” accomplishments are stupid, especially because I don’t have any. but seriously, isn’t it possible that half the candidates just lie about things like…“travelling the world and discovering new lands” or conquering Mount Everest or sparring with Oscar De La Hoya? I mean, outside of verifiable work experience, GMAT scores, and undergrad grades, there isn’t really much else.

“but seriously, isn’t it possible that half the candidates just lie about things like…“travelling the world and discovering new lands” or conquering Mount Everest or sparring with Oscar De La Hoya?” frank, everyday I thank my personal god that you registered for analystforum…awesome stuff! “discovering new lands”…i’m rolling around on the floor, you’re killing me.

I was able to find this data on Kellogg: 34% of the enrolled students are 690 or below: http://www.kellogg.northwestern.edu/admissions/images/FactsFigures-07_web.pdf I get the sense from this board that Kellogg is not in the same league as H/W/S/Chi (despite some popular rankings, showing they are up “there”). Also, I wonder if the schools publish all these GMAT stats to torture us, or is it simply because the GMAT is THAT important?

hueion, Thanks for the link, although I’m a lamo w/o an undergrad I’m confident I’ll do well on the GMAT with some devoted study. I’m going with the “proof’s in the ___” earn the return, pass the CFA and an MBA would just be a nice bonus for someone with the right work experience. And I that cat can get all the Airbus’s he wants…still a toilet stock, I’d bet on BA anyday. Thks

My thoughts: - CFA is probably a differentiator to some extent, but just part of the overall puzzle. - 5-years of work experience probably puts you at the average - 3.8 GPA and 680 GMAT are probably below the mean, but still in the range. So basically, it sounds like you have a shot but you aren’t a shoe-in. You will need a strong CV (i.e. not just the job you had, but what you accomplished), excellent recommendations, and coherent essays that fit with whatever admissions is seeking. Given that it’s November already and you are probably trying to apply to all 6 schools in Round 2, I would recommend concentrating on these aspects of your application rather than re-taking the GMAT. If you don’t get in this year, you can always re-take the GMAT over the summer. Good luck! Oh, one other thing. I think that having to do something “special” to get into business school is over-emphasized on here. Most people at the schools you mentioned (I’m one of them) are quite accomplished, but basically did normal stuff. You don’t have to cure cancer or anything and I wouldn’t try to set up a list minute trip to volunteer in Africa purely for the sake of your application. Just think about the things you have done in the past and I’m sure you can construct a good story for why belong at each of the schools.

Danteshek Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > ryguy904 Wrote: > -------------------------------------------------- > ----- > > Danteshek Wrote: > > > -------------------------------------------------- > > > ----- > > > > > > > > 20% of students at Wharton have 670 or less. > > > Thats a fact. > > > > > > D- > > What’s your source? > > > Sorry. I misspoke. 20% of students have 660 or > less > > http://www.wharton.upenn.edu/mba/community/classpr > ofile/ > > The middle 80% is 660 to 760. Might want to check your math again there, chief.

most those averages at teh Ivey leagues have GMATs averaging 700. i would suspect 15 is the std. deviation.

Frank, you’re probably right on with that - the top 10 schools seem to cluster right around 710 or so.

FrankArabia Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > most those averages at teh Ivey leagues have GMATs > averaging 700. i would suspect 15 is the std. > deviation. Might want to check your math again there, chief.