Tech Consulting -> MBA
I'm a senior at a target school with a 3.4 gpa and I ended up taking a job in the Big 4 doing IT consulting work. I realized I fucked up but I'm not looking to get into MBB or anything prestigious like that. If I work for 4 years and go back for an MBA what are my chances of getting something that actually has upside?
MBB or bust.
Agreed with above you can get into t15 with those stats so I wouldn't give up on MBB.
Can you actually get into a good B-school doing IT consulting work? I have like no extracurriculars in college and no internship experience. The only significant thing I did over my summers was research work for the accounting department.
dude just kick ass as a Deloitte BTA or whatever you're doing, ace the GMATs, and try to get some meaningful leadership activities in once you graduate.
time and time again you will hear from MBA admissions consultants that it's far more important to do a great job at what you are doing than working in a great job (usually defined as "prestigious.")
Just a friendly piece of advise: I am an executive recruiter in Boston who looks through this site for some talented individuals. I would suggest not swearing in your question, it turned me off automatically. Not being judge mental, just my opinion.
Thanks for the "advise", but maybe you didn't notice that this site gives users the ability to "throw monkey shit" at another user if they don't like what they have to say. You seem to have misjudged the purpose and general tone of WSO, and frankly I judge that you come off as a little mental.
Perhaps you meant "advice", and "judgmental". If you're going to be critical of someone else's post, let me suggest that you be spot on with yours.
Tech Consultant Considering B School (Originally Posted: 10/10/2017)
Hello all,
I've been dealing/agonizing with this choice for months and thought you monkeys can help.
College Class of 2012-Top 25 Undergrad GMAT: 680 (~40 Q, 40 V) Will retake. GPA-2.7 (No excuses, but was pre-med in college) Took some business courses at a CC after college( made As)
I've been working as a tech consultant for a few years now with a few big name firms in mainly the financial services industry. I've even worked for one of the Big 4 in the federal space. I've mainly worked on tech implementation which isn't too sexy or exciting, but it's still a good area to be in. I've gotten some great experience along the way and a few good leadership opportunities.
I've been thinking of going to business school to get into management consulting for a few years and then hopefully get into tech product management/e commerce.
I've been thinking whether to do a full-time MBA now or do a part time MBA later on in a few years. I am currently 27 so not ready to settle down now, but will do so soon. I need to decide if I should apply this year because this is the last year I would consider applying to a full-time MBA.
I'm only considering the top 20 schools with hopefully some scholarship. I might consider the likes of Vandy/USC if they give a substantial scholarship. I'm mainly concerned with how much it would cost to go. I'm making a pretty good salary already and can achieve most of my goals with a part time degree program. (But of course it wouldn't be as "sexy" as a full time MBA.) I'm having a hard time processing how I can justify to myself on spending $200K+ for a grad degree (actual + opportunity cost). However, I know that a full time MBA will put me at a different league in a company.
Any advice on whether or not I should apply will be greatly appreciated!
Thanks all!
Definitely try to get the GMAT up. You'll need as much help as you can get with that GPA.
Does your current firm provide the possibility of transitioning to management consulting without an MBA?
Thanks for the reply!
Yes I am currently studying for the GMAT. Aiming for a 700+. My Q was somewhat low so am trying to work on that for the most part.
My firm does not really work with or relate to MC in any way. However, I might be able to work up in tech/ops to manager in a few years. Or I can try to get into another tech consulting firm.
MBA Prospects with Tech Consulting Background? (Originally Posted: 11/13/2017)
Hey guys, it's been a while since I've posted.
I'm finishing up my degree in Industrial Engineering at a top 5 engineering school and will be doing Tech Consulting at one of the Big 4 firms. More specifically, I'm working in Block Chain and Machine Learning Implementation for our clients - these are pretty exciting fields, which I'm hoping will be in high demand in the coming years. I was wondering if getting an MBA four or five years into my career would be feasible, as I'd love to use an MBA to transition into an MBB firm while continuing to do the same work. Do y'all have any insights into which programs would be in my wheelhouse? My GPA is ~3.3 if that helps.
Thanks for any responses and insights into my potential career path!
M7 should be within reach assuming a strong GMAT (730+)
What are the chances to go from GT ISyE --> Tech Consulting --> M7 MBA? Is strategy consulting better?
How Well Does Tech Experience Look for MBA Admissions? (Originally Posted: 03/21/2017)
Title says it all, how well would experience at a "new tech" firm (Snap/Airbnb/Uber/Evernote) in city level strategy & operations look on MBA applications?
Do MBA programs prefer traditional consulting/IB/finance roles when screening for MBA candidates? Or would a role as mentioned above also be advantageous when it comes time for MBA applications?
Thanks in advance.
If you came from any of the companies you listed, I think you'd be a great applicant assuming everything else is in order (GPA, GMAT, extracurriculars). Just be sure to make your application reflects your management experience. The one thing you want to avoid is coming across as too technical, which other applicants probably don't need to worry about as much.
Thanks for the input!
It wouldn't hurt you unless you're not the best in it! Do your best while keeping MBA in mind would give you a healthier outcome.
GMAT - Tech looking for MBA switch (Originally Posted: 08/16/2012)
Any advice for the GMAT in 20 days?
I know there are threads on this, but I'd love to hear from somebody who has taken the exam recently.
Tech looking for MBA switch into finance.
What a great thread title!
Native speaker? Gifted @ math? Any prep so far?
my advice: study for more than 20 days if you need to.
FYI normal prep time is 2-3 months for 700+ scores...
Take practice tests, assess your weaknesses, study those weaknesses for a few days, take more practice tests. Worked for me. Also if you have time read up on some strategies for eliminating answers. Those can be pretty helpful.
This is probably the best advice. Of course, if you don't score well, then the follow up would be to apply the same process, figure out where you need to do better, study for that particular problem type and then retake.
Regards
Take the whole time off from work and only study for 20 days
How Would a Background in Tech Affect MBA Admission Chances? (Originally Posted: 12/28/2013)
I'm a Program Manager at Microsoft and MBA-hopeful, looking to apply to HBS/GSB in the coming years. A friend of mine mentioned that I'll have a tough time gaining a spot in the class given that MBA classes usually consist of consulting folk.
Would I better my chances at a top business school (HBS/GSB) if I were to reroute my career into consulting? Would McKinsey / Bain / BCG even consider someone coming from my background as a potential candidate? Not sure what good experience would be for that sort of job.
Any comments at all are much appreciated. Thanks.
You need to think about what you want out of the MBA and figure out how the story of your pre-MBA experience ties into that. How long have you been a Program Manager at Microsoft? Starting over as an entry level consultant may be seen as taking a step backward after several years in your current role. Do people in tech roles make it to H/S? Yes, on occasion. Is it rare? Yes. Do you need remarkable extra curriculars and amazing (maybe newsworthy) accomplishments in the role? Certainly.
Why only H/S? It will be a crapshoot with these two schools regardless of whether you tack on MBB experience. If you're looking for a strong school that will help you as a career switcher, any of the M7 schools will do the same for you.
source: I have a similar background and got in a handful of M7 schools this round.
MM Tech Boutique-> MBA? (Originally Posted: 02/05/2015)
Hey All,
I was wondering type of MBA program analysts from boutique MM tech investment banks like JMP /GCA Savvian/FT Partners/Pacific Crest etc generally go on to. Obviously factors like the GMAT and GPA play a significant role, but holding those factors constant, would an analyst from these banks have a reasonable shot at a top program?
I appreciate any insight you guys might have! (Also if this belongs in a different forum please let me know)
Thanks.
.
check out linkedin for previous analysts from these firms
people move around in banking all the time. just because you start at one firm, doesn't mean you'll be there for the rest of your career.
if you don't think the brand at your current shop is good enough, consider lateral.
Whiskey5 - I absolutely agree. I was just curious to see how these banks were perceived by MBA programs. There is quite a lot of info on the site about going from EBs to MBAs and I was hoping to get some info on this tier of bank. Thanks for the input though, I do appreciate it.
Tech industry to business school (Originally Posted: 01/11/2014)
I've been thinking about going to business school for the opportunity to shift out of the engineering and into strategy world (in the tech industry or somewhere else) or entrepreneurship. I've already recognized that from a cost perspective getting a MBA isn't worth it but I think I can get a lot of other non-financial benefits from going to business school.
I haven't taken the GMAT yet but I'm a good test taker and expect I can get somewhere between a 680 and 720.
My question to you guys is how much work experience should I have by the time I apply? What schools are within my range? Right now, MIT, Stanford, Penn, & Northwestern seem like places I wouldn't mind going to.
My education - Bachelors in Computer Science & Economics - 3.4 or 3.5 GPA (depending on how you calculate it) at a consistently top 15 (according to USNWR) school known for low grade inflation - Teaching Assistant for 3 semesters including one grad class - upward trend in GPA
My work experience - 2+ years of experience as a PM at a big name tech company (think: Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Google) - high promotion velocity (promoted twice within 30 months) - leadership experience through work - volunteer teacher CS weekly at a local high school (teaching, curriculum planning, etc.)
you'd be quite competitive at the top 10 schools, depending on GMAT (big diff between 720 and 680 in terms of admissions). GSB and HBS are crapshoots, even for top candidates. But for everything else, I think you're looking pretty solid.
I'd plan to matriculate when you have 3-5 years of experience with the sweet-spot at the 4-5 range. Get that GMAT above 700 (and preferably 720) and you have a great shot at all of those schools.
Tech to M7 (Originally Posted: 06/10/2015)
Hi all,
Would like to hear input on my chances for M7:
Gender: Male Nationality: British Ethnicity: Mixed (black+caucasian) Age:24 Matriculation: 2017 (Class of 2019)
Work: Current: Sales at top tech firm (think Google/Microsoft/Salesforce). Consultative sales for large clients involving elements of data analysis, relationship building and presenting to C-level
Current performance: approx.. 1 year tenure, moved to more senior position after 8 months. Consistently hit targets (1st to target in team in first quarter, highest win-rate in team throughout tenure). ‘Product expert’ for newest beta product for team of 140 people within 6 months of joining firm.
Previous: non-profit consulting, startup sales, hedge fund intern, oil supermajor intern
Education: MSc in MIS from top UK school (think LSE/Imperial/UCL). Grade: Distinction. Sole recipient of departmental scholarship.
New Product Development advanced certificate from Ivy League school
BSc in Business from top UK UG b-school (think Bath/Warwick/St. Andrews) Grade: 1st
Study abroad: US ‘Public Ivy’, GPA: 4.0, Dean’s List
GMAT: none taken so far but shouldn’t be an issue getting mid-700s based on practices I’ve done.
Extracurriculars: - About to launch a site with advice for students looking for grad jobs in tech or consulting - Fitness (half marathons, Tough Mudder, etc). - In school: boxing, skiing, departmental committee member
Goal: - Unsure. I want some time out to reconsider where I’m at/going, and it’s always been a dream to attend an Ivy League school for MBA. I know this is weak but it’s the truth.
Any comments/advice appreciated.
Thanks!
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