Led one of these in the consulting forum, figured I would do one with a bschool slant for application specific questions. Background: Recently accepted to several M7 bschools. Worked several years in management consulting before transitioning to a strategy position at a F500 company. Working on a side project called AYA, which curates the best advice for 20somethings and makes it actionable. http://ayainsight.co/ - welcome any thoughts there as well Ask away
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how many years WE will you have upon enrolling?
4 years total - average/slightly below average for most schools.
thanks, adding to frontpage tomorrow, you'll see more q's roll in
Cool, thanks bud. I post at weird, late times :)
I work at a very large, well known F500 company in the healthcare industry as a Financial Analyst.
I like my job, but the company is very large and bureaucratic - and there is no set schedule for promotion to Sr. Analyst, and even the title varies by the specific dept (i.e. Treasury vs Investor Relations.)
Compared to my peers in Banking or Consulting who have very structured programs, promotions schedules and nomenclature, I feel like I am at a significant disadvantage.
I am especially worried about the nomenclature. My firm doesn't even use "Financial Analyst" - I just wrote that to explain my position. In light of this situation, how can I best position myself for an M7 school?
Thank you.
Emphasize a couple of things:
+scope of responsibility and how that's changed over time (e.g., managing more analysts, driving analyses for a larger group within your company, etc.) +diversity of projects and skills utilized/developed in each project
Have your recommendations speak to this as well. I could give you more but you'll need to further clarify your question.
How many years of exp do you have?
Why did you decide to do bschool at this point? How do you think it compares to staying longer at the F500 or trying to go directly after your 2 years in consulting?
This was good timing for me.
I outlined my main reasons for going to bschool in this thread: http://www.wallstreetoasis.com/forums/ama-consulting-f500-bschoolstartu…
Though I always knew that bschool was on the horizon, I didn't consider applying until 3 years post grad. There were a lot of non-school things (working with some key nonprofits, getting some interesting & diverse work experience, enjoying post-grad life) I wanted to do before jumping right back into school.
That being said, I've had a very solid career trajectory and knew that the opportunity cost would be too high if I delayed further. So the timing (4 years out) was optimal.
Thanks for doing this AMA. 2(ish) questions -
1) did spending time in industry make you a more competitive applicant? if so, was this worth foregoing the tuition sponsorship you could have gotten?
2) Did you study for and take the GMAT while you were in consulting, or after once you achieved a better W/L balance in industry?
I'm approximately 1 year into my stint at a top non-MBB firm, and I'm trying to decide my next move if any prior to b school.
Probably, but being a more qualified bschool applicant is only one (very small) aspect of working in industry. I got into the internals of how a top F500 company is run, worked on some incredibly impactful projects, and made great contacts/friends. Sponsorship wasn't a big deal because I knew I wouldn't be going back to the industry directly after my MBA.
I took it a while ago, while I was still in consulting. Really not that hard - get the MGMAT books.
(retracted)
I'll answer this in two parts. First, I'll talk about how you can holistically improve your application strength. Secondly, I'll specifically address the GPA/academic record issue.
There's one trait I see that really sells a profile: initiative. Show that you're a self starter, and that you've put new, important things into the world. This could be anything from running a conference/event to starting a new recruiting initiative at your firm to leading a growth initiative/fundraiser as a board member in a nonprofit (which seems to be in your lane).
That being said, if you want to address a specific concern about your academic record (say, you got a D in Microeconomics), then just take a class from a well-respected institution and get a good grade.
Did your compensation decrease when you went from consulting to industry? Do you think that your post b-school compensation will be higher than if you had continued on your career path?
Minor raise. If I intended have an uninterrupted path in industry, then probably. But I see a more varied journey for myself - we'll see.
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