Carnegie Mellon Admissions Advice

Hey gang - I'm hoping to get some advice from the WSO community. I am attempting to gauge if my aspirations of attending Tepper are realistic. I'll outline my credentials (or lack thereof) below:

I graduated from a large state university (Tennessee, Iowa, etc) in 2009. Unfortunately my undergrad GPA was abysmal - around 2.2. To put it simply, I was young, dumb, and immature.

After graduation, i spent a a year working for a start up then managed to get an offer at a BB (JPM, Citi, BoA, etc) as a Financial Analyst. My work received high praise and I made a name for myself.

Now I am hopeful to continue my progression with an MBA (a la Tepper) but I won't bother if I can't get into a Top 20 program. I have not yet taken the GMAT.

So my question pretty much boils down to: can my work experience combined with a solid GMAT cancel out my undergrad performance? If so, what score on the GMAT do you think i need? Please be honest if you think I dont have a shot.

Thanks!

 
Best Response
Angus Macgyver:
I'm no admissions consultant, but I'd say that based on the fact that you're at Deloitte S&O now and can presumably get some solid recommendations, you could certainly get into Tepper. Hell, it seems to me like if you had a good enough set of recommendations, GMAT, etc., even a top (i.e. M7) school isn't necessarily out of the question.

Thanks. Appreciate the feedback. In order to maximize my chances, I'd want to make sure I do my best on the GMAT (which still might not be great haha) -- but I'd hate to "waste" my time preparing if I'm setting myself up for failure. At this point, I'm tempted to give it a shot. We shall see.

 

Aspernatur et voluptas dolores aperiam quo aliquam sit. Veniam esse doloribus repudiandae cum et. Dolorum perferendis non alias sint corporis nostrum tempore. Non assumenda porro repudiandae. Id earum eum laboriosam ipsam. Nemo rerum velit placeat ut omnis iure veritatis. A inventore velit rem fugit delectus et illo.

Career Advancement Opportunities

May 2024 Investment Banking

  • Jefferies & Company 02 99.4%
  • Lazard Freres No 98.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 18 98.3%
  • Harris Williams & Co. New 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 04 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

May 2024 Investment Banking

  • Harris Williams & Co. 18 99.4%
  • JPMorgan Chase 10 98.8%
  • Lazard Freres 05 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.7%
  • William Blair 03 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

May 2024 Investment Banking

  • Lazard Freres 01 99.4%
  • Jefferies & Company 02 98.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 17 98.3%
  • Moelis & Company 07 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 05 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

May 2024 Investment Banking

  • Director/MD (5) $648
  • Vice President (20) $385
  • Associates (91) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (14) $181
  • Intern/Summer Associate (33) $170
  • 2nd Year Analyst (68) $168
  • 1st Year Analyst (205) $159
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (146) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
99.0
5
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
kanon's picture
kanon
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.8
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”