I’ve been working in Transaction Services in the Big 4 for nearly 2 years now, after leaving audit (where 3 coworkers from my largest client engagement team went on to top 10 MBA programs). My goal is to gain admission to an elite program, with the intention to either leverage connections I build in school to start a company and get funded, or join a startup on the operations/strategy side upon graduation. I already run two (very small) profitable businesses in my (very limited) spare time, but I think going back to school would enable me to gain sufficient credibility to attain funding and build a great founding team, if I can get into a strong enough program.
If it matters, I went to a top 20 school known for its accounting program, and graduated a year early while managing to attain 150 credit hours required for CPA licensure, which I obtained in my first year in audit.
Another potentially important detail is that for 6 months now I’ve been on a rotation with a sort of skunkworks technology/innovation group that regularly meets with F500 executives. My role was to basically build and deliver small parts of these presentations- which I feel could be a differentiator on my application.
My main two questions:
- Assuming I can score in the 700 neighborhood on the GMAT, how far of a reach is my goal? Haas would be absolutely ideal as far as I can tell, and is my favorite program as I start this process.
- Would I significantly damage my chances of achieving my goal if I took on a completely different job at a startup with a manager-esque title in order to get more small company experience and potentially more schedule predictability to use for studying? It’s been a huge challenge for me to study consistently because of my crazy work schedule, which requires me to fly for days at a time at a monent’s notice, or work 12-14 hour days in several day spurts.
assuming 700+ and a solid gpa, T15 is definitely doable with MBA business schools">M7/T9 upside if you can get above their averages in GMAT and GPA
I had a 3.64 GPA, if that helps. Kind of hoping they factor in the fact that I graduated early and had a couple semesters of nothing but major classes, I probably took a bit of a hit as a result of that. Thanks for the response!
3.64 should be fine if by top 20 you mean a school in the washu/notre dame/emory tier
You'll definitely get into Darden, Ross, Fuqua and maybe Tuck if you get above 700 score and your GPA is great. Aim for 720+ just to be on the safe side.
ND/WashU/Emory tie? Really? Stop selling yourself so short. You can definitely get into T10/MBA business schools">M7 from Big 4 deals/tas. Check LinkedIn, dozens of students have done it. Some even got into Booth with just 3 years WE at big 4 deals.
Do you think it would significantly hurt my chances if I took a sabbatical, or worked on my side company full-time while studying and getting my app ready for September?
How important are letters of recommendation, and where would I look to find out more about that?
Thanks so much for the encouragement and feedback.
Hey @Maximos I am not a huge fan of sabbaticals unless you can really prove that your side gig is a legitimate concern. (3rd party validation via funding, incubators/accelerators, revenue etc helps a lot!) This is a super competitive process and most people do not take significant time off to study and work on apps, so being that person who does can be really tough. Letters of recommendation are super-important. B-schools want that 3rd party validation about you and your skill set and what your resume seems to suggest. Lastly, to address something you say later on...full-time study mode feels like perhaps overkill. Study a few hours a night for a month. Take the GMAT. See how you do. Then course-correct from there... Hope that helps! Krista
Hey Krista, really appreciate your in-depth response. Few details that might help- my side gig is currently running about $1,500 in profit per month, with significant room to grow (I've had to keep my marketing down because I can't find the time or enough part-time help to service the business). Additionally, I've been put on a few projects in a row that required 70-90 hour weeks, allowing little time for studying outside of work. I feel kind of trapped because I want a good recommendation from my current employer, but also don't feel like I can get quality GMAT time in to have a go at a strong application this year. Would love to get your perspective in terms of options...
So one thing that some clients have done is use vacation time to study for the GMAT. So take two weeks off and really commit to studying and take it at the end of your vacation. Then at least you have a stake in the ground and know where you stand, score-wise.
Here's the thing...at this level, there are many candidates like you that are working crazy hours. They still make time for the GMAT. I asked one of my PE clients a few years ago how he did it and what I should recommend to others and he said I should tell people to make time for the GMAT every night and to give up your social life for a few months. He gave up alcohol and going out on Friday and Saturday nights and just studied, studied, studied. He went from 650 to 750 and recently graduated from Wharton. This is the "Type A" candidate you are up against! (He also had he extended score report from the 650 that helped him focus his studying efforts to get to 750.)
One thing I find a lot of people do is build the GMAT up way too much...taking all summer to study for it. Remember if you wait til August to take the exam and get a 650, you don't have a lot of time to course-correct. I recommend completing a few full-length practice exams and taking the GMAT maybe at the end of June. See how you do and then build out your strategy from there.
Hope that helps...
Friend of mine did TS -> MM IB -> MM Research -> HBS.
Anything is possible
Granted, he was always super smart (Top 10 in the class level), but he went to kind of a no name school in a no name city. Future is only bright from here though.
What was he trying to do after school, do you know?
No idea. I'd guess buy side / HF though, given his school choice.
I did B4 audit -> large international (one notch below B4) TAS and am headed to Columbia this fall. Your work experience definitely won't be a hindrance if everything else in your application is solid. I'll caveat that I scored a 780 on the GMAT but my UG GPA was pretty low compared to the top schools' averages so I needed a big score to balance that out. In terms of studying, fit it in wherever you can. I copied pages of my GMAT books and took them on all my trips to work on the plane and in the hotel. I'd generally wake up early to study for a couple hours because I was too burned out at night.
As far as taking the other job, I wouldn't make the decision based on business school chances or study time. If you want more startup experience and think you would gain personally from it, then go for it. I don't think it would do much to help or hurt your chances. Maybe a slight help in telling your story of how you want to work in the startup space. But that would be offset by having a tough time getting a solid letter of recommendation from someone you've been working with for three months and plan to leave at the end of the summer. If you do take the other job, your best bet may be to delay applying for a year.
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