Hey WSO,
With recession looming, I wanted to offer myself as an MBA application resource for interested candidates. It is a myth that you need to be perfect to get into a great program. I will be attending Booth. Learned a lot along the way and think members of this community can position themselves well to get in whether they want to throw in a quick R3 app right now, or are going to hit the ground running in R1.
Upon reflection, the biggest lesson I learned is that every applicant will have weaknesses. Low GPA maybe, low GMAT maybe, no promotions or no name company. What is key is the confidence and your why the adcomm should over look those.
About me:
-730 GMAT: studied for a year (not very efficiently if I am being honest with myself)
-Lowish GPA with a liberal arts degree from semi target
-Started in BO at nonbank, moved to MO at a BB
-Always raised my hand for growth projects and stretch opportunities in my early career
-Spent way more time than I originally expected on my applications in R1 this year
-Nothing super impressive, but I had regular community service experience while I was working, which helped
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imsurance congratulations on your acceptance. You could not have timed it better with COVID-19 clearing up right around when you would be looking for internships.
Any other interviews other than the M7 acceptance? Was there a hard choice to make?
What do you see yourself recruiting for?
How do you see COVID-19 impacting your Fall 2020 / Spring 2021 semester?
Hey @dedline good to hear from you.
1) No other admits. Very surprising bc I thought Booth was a reach and I would get into a near-M7 like a Yale or Tuck. It goes to show how you need to caste a wide net and build a thoughtful school list based on your goals. I applied to W, B and C in the M7 and then 2 in the T15
2) leaning IB, has been my goal since UG. I think MBB is doing a great job of committing to MBAs during covid though and should not be overlooked.
3) We are expecting some type of social distancing in the fall but hopefully we can still be in class some times, with a blent of in person and online learning. By spring we are optimistic it will be normal.
While the timing is great, I am ready for intern recruiting to be a bloodbath. I am trying to do some earlier networking within my already existing circle in IB and MBB (reconnecting w my Fraternity bros in these fields since UG and such) to mitigate this.
Sure. Let me know if this is what you were looking for might be biased where I did and did not get in. Trying to mostly include differentiators and leave out things like Grade Non Disclosure that are common across many schools.
Wharton: Class participation is medium, not particularly impressive. The students I talked to were all very confident and had elite backgrounds across the board. Mostly extroverted. Seems like everyone coming from a finance background was in IB VC or PE beforehand. The class is huge @ 800+ so you really form more of the bond with your cohort not the entire student body. I had trouble connecting with a few students I was recommended because they were too busy and eventually just let it go. Team Based Discussion interview is an interesting dynamic. The main draw is extremely exclusive recruiting opportunities that are not available at other schools or only available at Harvard/Stanford.
Booth: Engaged classroom with the best professors. Students have more varied work experience ( a lot from MBB, IB, and PE sure, but also a lot of corporate finance, risk management, even ops). Also nice and helpful. I asked one friend of mind for tips wit the interview, and he passed me onto his other friend who passed me onto his others, they really took significant time to help me that Wharton did not bother with. Class size of 600 without cohorts means you don't know everyone, but everyone is connected by at least 1 degree. You can still do PE and VC from here which is a huge plus and don't necessarily need prior experience but it affects the quality of the experience you get post degree if that makes sense. Some students here are introverted but not all. Coolest thing about Booth is the flexible core, where multiple different courses can be selected from to fulfill the gen ed requirements. Strong communities for vets, partners, and/or parents.
Columbia: You need to show the school a lot of love and investment if you want to get in and I didn't so can't say much here. Never visited and the one student I talked to didn't really vibe with me. Perception is the students from NY don't interact with everyone else and it feels fragmented as a result. Great videos on CBS Follies tho, very funny. IB recruiting is a grind bc you are always visiting the banks at their main offices and not on campus.
The three schools above are considered the best for IB recruiting. Adding a few others below
Tuck: Likes to brand themselves as nice. So the students you meet on campus are all very nice to you. The class I attended in Stats was a joke, so easy and still required by all students. The core is very structured and specific so that all first years pretty much go through the same program. Small at ~250 so everyone knows everyone. Its a pain in the ass to get to campus but you have to visit them if you want to get in. Strong communities for vets, partners, and/or parents. Slipping in ranking which kind of sucks, but recruiters at MBB and BB banks still love this place. Self initiated interview puts you in control
Yale: Rising and overtaken Tuck in prestige. Global nature so students really pursue a variety of random things. Also very nice students but I did not really reach out to them. Don't know much more I decided not to consider further early in the process.
Sloan: More IB alums and recruiting than I expected. Students were also not as nerdy as I expected. Take any bias you have against MIT and throw it out the window for B school. I think they are known for experiential labs. App is way different in requirements than the others. They only want one rec, but also want you to make an org chart and the essay is a cover letter! Super selective I think bc of international reputation.
Kellogg: Focuses on teamwork. Might be the best school for MBB recruiting, but boutiques and BBs still go as well. New facility is gorgeous. Evanston is a suburb, but it is what it is they do a lot of socials and happy hours in the building/auditorium I think. Interviews 70% of applicants and weighs it strongly so apply here if your stats are low.