750 GMAT!!! Advice Needed!! Which MBA top 15 MBA should I apply to, to Maximize my chances!
Longtime Lurker here, going to be Applying to business school soon. I need help evaluating my profile for which Programs I can apply to, to increase my chances of gaining admission with a good amount $$$
My Profile
Non Target Unranked undergraduate 3.95 GPA
GMAT 750
3.5yrs WE in FLDP for Top Aerospace & Defense Company
URM African-American Male
Extracurriculars: very good EC's. I lead a community service group at my company with over 500 hours of CS and I also started a non-profit to help underprivileged kids. I tutor on the side at my local Salvation Army for an Afterschool Program.
Post MBA Career Path: Corp Dev or Corp Strat.
Which schools do I stand a chance at getting accepted with a significant $$.
Any Feedback is greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance
Probably anywhere that you apply to.
Maybe refine your career goal for essays and interviews. And by that I mean just pick one of the things you listed.
Thank you, I appreciate the feed back
Please learn the difference between Advice and Advise
not sure if you are tying to be helpful or just looking for mistakes to point out but either ways thanks!
if your goal is to maximize scholarships i'd aim for T15 schools - Darden, Tuck, etc. You should be competitive at all programs though.
I had the same thoughts and I definitely have no problem with T15 schools as long as there is a fit. what do you think about my chances at MBA business schools">m7 schools? although I have very little intention of going into over 200k in debt, would you say they are still worth a shot? Thank you for the feedback
you should be solid at all of the MBA business schools">M7 with a good shot at H/S with proper execution. H/S don't give scholarships but you'll likely receive money at some of the other MBA business schools">M7 (Booth and Kellogg tend to be the most generous)
A GMAT score of 750 as an AA URM Male puts you in the top 0.1% of AA test takers. You also have brandname work experience (Boeing/Raytheon,etc) and are on a leadership track being in an FLDP.
You'll get in everywhere assuming you don't screw up your essays, and will get some decent $$ being over the GPA and GMAT medians most places, as an AA at that. Apply broadly and rack 'em up.
I appreciate the words of encouragement. I would say I was unsure how competitive my profile would be being that I attended an unranked undergrad. Not sure how much this matters to Adcom.
It doesn't for the most part (Stanford might care). If anything it's probably a net positive- makes for a great success story.
Hope you keep us posted on your cycle. I've seen people with lesser profiles and a great story run the table before. So just make sure your "Why MBA?" story makes sense, and that you can carry a conversation for more than 20 minutes for interview purposes.
Go to Harvard. Maybe consider Stanford. Congrats. Now focus on your essays (be sure to highlight race).
Those two are always a crapshoot for anyone but I am definitely going to apply and see how it goes, Thank you
Had a few questions about your GMAT experience. Shot over a PM
This post reads like a humble brag. You have a target profile, and you know it. Apply to your dream schools at the MBA business schools">M7 and 2-3 between 8-15 to get some scholarship money to leverage.
Honestly it isn't. I know this forum has a lot of people that have either gone to top MBA's or have experience applying to and receiving $$. $$ probably is what I'll say is important to me and obviously some prestige but that's not the end all be all. The post was mainly to get feedback from people who might have applied to schools and received generous $$ so i can know which schools to better channel my focus towards.
As a white guy at a T15 MBA I got a full ride with a 760 GMAT. You'll do a lot better, OP.
Targeting schools for anticipated scholarships is silly. Apply and then see who gives you money. Your sample size will be too small from responses to get the real story and you don't know where you'll be surprised. Admissions is more of a crapshoot on this stuff than you realize.
You'll definitely get money at some but maybe not all schools. For you, I think the key is dropping a few extra apps at $250 a pop to maximize potential for getting a scholarship. It will pay off long run.
You’re dead center in the target profile for orgs like MLT and Toigo, and those networks are crazy good in terms of support and reach. DMs are open if you want specifics.
You should do extremely well at any top 15 schools. More money is likely at the bottom, but possible at any of them.
Best, Linda
When you say money is likely at the bottom are you saying aroind 10-15ish?
Look into The Consortium. It's a collective of schools in the 10-20 range that offer full rides to qualified URMs through a (mostly) common app. Of course with your stats it'd be silly not to aim higher, but if the $$ is your biggest priority, worth doing.
Yes, but don't be afraid to apply in the top 10. You could get significant money there too. Go for it!
If you have solid essays and recs, you should get in almost everywhere (I say that vs. everywhere because flukes happen and you might get a random ding).
Food for thought: you may go into a better corporate development/strategy role if you spend a little time in investment banking or management consulting (1-3 years) post MBA compared to if you go directly into industry right away. I saw this because not every place readily recruits MBA students for these corporate roles, but every place will recruit former bankers/consultants.
My advice: after you decide which school you're going to, reach out to alums of that school working in positions you might be interested in at companies you might be interested in, and see what they have to say.
Thank you for the Insight. in regards to my essays, I am thinking it would be better to tie my essays short and long terms goals to much more reasonable/conservative path like FLDP => MBA => Senior Finance Manager =>Long Term: CFO, or Director. I was hoping this would show that what i need my MBA for is both attainable and reasonable. obviously what i end up doing post MBA can still change. or what do you think of this strategy?
Fantastic stats! This alone is going to help you with this process. I had a guy like you (but different) with a lower GMAT get a full ride at CBS. As others have mentioned, please take advantage of The Consortium. And please also talk to a few admissions consultants now while you're just hanging out, waiting for applications to open later this summer. Collect tips and advice! Because for you, this is about application execution.
Thank you. I have not had the opportunity to speak with any quite yet but i am definitely willing to do that in order to maximize my chances. based on my previous work exp, do you think a my goals of FLDP => MBA => Senior Finance Manager =>Long Term: CFO, will make sense when it comes to adcoms when it comes to "why MBA" question?
Yes, I think the goals are plausible and something the b-school can deliver on. What you might want to do is talk to a few current students and get a sense of which companies are coming to campus and what roles they are recruiting for. This will just confirm for you what's possible. Please feel free to set up a free consultation if you have other questions!
I just finished my application process. I only applied to 4 schools (all M7's) and was accepted into two of them. My stats were lower than yours: much lower GPA and 740 GMAT, but I do have considerable international work experience and went to a semi-target school.
I'd say go for gold. With your stats, background, and EC, I wouldn't accept anything less than HSW. Maybe Kellogg if none of those pan out. Good luck!
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