non-traditional candidate for b-school chances
I wanted to know my chances of attending a top b-school. My path is everything but traditional so it's hard finding decent advice. I'm currently in a non target undergrad Math Econ program with 1.5 years left and a 3.63 GPA. After high school i did 4 years in the military and then did 3 years of college as a chemistry major. Did well in school but left for personal reasons. I networked and got a job as a financial adviser at a small never heard of before firm, passed Series 7 and 66, and built a solid book of business in 1 year. Took that experience and got hired as an adviser with a big firm (Fidelity/ML/Schwab) and worked there for 2.5 years and did very well. I'm interested in portfolio/fund management so now I'm 30 y/o and back in school finishing my undergrad in hopes of going to grad school. I plan on applying/attending grad schools straight out of undergrad. Is pre-undergrad experience looked at in the same fashion as post-undergrad experience? Just wanted to know my chances given my GPA, 4 years military, and 3.5 years financial experience. I have not taken GRE/GMAT yet. I appreciate any insight you can provide. First time post so hopefully this wasn't too long. Thanks again.
You're basically a "wild card" in the sense that your admissions results can be even more random than others (i.e. you get into Stanford, but get dinged at Georgetown).
Because you have a relatively unique path for a b-school applicant, the one thing that the will look at as a first hurdle is your GMAT. It has to be strong, or else you're too much of an unknown quantity to them. Keep in mind that if you were an adcom looking at your case, it's very hard to benchmark you against any other applicants, so they need at least something as a starting point. For non-traditionals like yourself, that is the GMAT and GPA as a super important hurdle.
Without the GMAT, it's hard to say what you'd be competitive for. Yes, given your history most adcoms will account for your military service and work experience as "real" experience, so I wouldn't worry about that.
At this point, the most important thing to focus on before even thinking about b-schools is the GMAT. Your GPA is solid thus far, so make sure that your GMAT is strong (if you are aiming for schools in the top 16, you will need a 700+ given your profile, and to be safe probably at least a 720 or greater). That may or may not be a big hurdle for you, but nonetheless you're going to have to do the best you can on the GMAT no matter what.
I appreciate your response. When is a good time to begin prep for the GMAT? I have 1.5 years left with undergrad so should I be starting now? My plan was to finish up Calculus IV next semester and then start GMAT prep with a year left in school.
You have a unique background. You seem like a great fit for schools ranked 10-20, assuming a somewhat competitive GMAT. You don't have to go to Harvard to get a job in asset management or sell side equity research.
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