Preperation for B-school admissions

Hey guys, would appreciate your answers and opinions to the following questions:

1.) I have my heart set on a particular B-school. However, I was accepted into that university as an undergrad, but choose to go elsewhere (absolutely loved the school even back then, but wasn't a good academic fit since I decided to do engineering). Will this show up when I apply for an MBA, and if so, will it have any effect at all? I know this might seem a bit paranoid, but just want to make sure about it.

2.) I'm a senior in college right now. Is it advisable to initiate contact with the adcoms at the B-school now itself? Would you advise visiting the school for an open session this early, or wait till the year I actually apply?

3.) Exactly how common is it for analysts to do some kind of volunteer work? I know it'll be uncommon in IBD due to the hours, but what about AM/HF/trading?

2 Comments
 
Best Response

1.) If anything you are more appealing for having gone to a different school. The number one goal of an admissions committee is to put together a varied class and students who spent 4 years in the proximity of the program are hardly unique.

2.) Making contact now would make you look like a psychopath. You shouldn't even think about applying for another 2 years. If you want to go to an info session knock yourself out but dont be weird undergrad guy harassing the reps.

3.) I'm not even sure what that means. It is completely up to you as an individual how you spend your free time. Personally I would allocate no more or less time to volunteerism whether I was working 90 or 9 hours a week. If we pretend that those who work less do more volunteering (which isn't at all true), then it would go IB, AM/HF..................................trading, in ascending order of volunteerism (or descending order of hours working).

hth

 

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