Can I get into a top 10 MBA with this profile (Haas is my #1 choice school)
3.45 GPA at small public state school
BS in Computer Science
720 GMAT
4 years with one promotion at Amazon as a software developer
Teacher assistant during college, research experience in artificial intelligence for automobiles
100+ community service hours, awarded community service leadership award
First generation college student
Goal: Either product management or corporate development at a silicon valley tech firm
You're competitive at a top-10, but not assured acceptance. With a below average GPA from a non-top school, you could use a few more points on the GMAT. Being a first generation college student will help you though, as will working for a hot tech company. "Software developer" has some negative biases, so you need to show both leadership and inter-personal skills - if your story is that you program all day, you're going to probably strike out.
Haas in particular really likes high GPAs, but you're certainly in the range: http://poetsandquants.com/2013/08/07/those-pesky-gpa-GMAT-averages/2/
i was under the impression that first generation college students were not given advantages in MBA programs, but rather only undergrad genuinely curious- do you have any evidence to back the claim?
The majority of first generation college students grew up in low income households, which is quite a struggle. From my personal experience I grew up in a poverty-stricken area with a single, ill mother and couldn't afford to go to a top undergrad school far away from her, which is why I went to my no-name undergrad. I had to work night shifts in order to pay the bills. But I still managed to get a position at Amazon. I'd venture to guess that b-schools understand the struggles and missed opportunities that first gens face even after their undergrad years compared to their non-first gen counterparts. I'm not sure how things would have been had I gone to a target school, but I'm sure my profile would have been better off.
intuitively i follow you're logic perfectly what im asking for though is if there's any proof of this
undergraduate colleges make a point of publishing this kind of info, but i have not seen business schools do so as well, which is why i'm asking if theres any evidence of this
You got Amazon from a non-target school, are a first generation college grad, and knocked out a 720 GMAT? I like it. This is one of those profiles that can be interpreted as "scrappy"-one always finds a way to stay "in the game".
Your stats would place you smack in the middle of the middle 80% of most top 10-15 programs so you'll at least get some interview invites and Berkeley is a very reasonable choice for your profile. Just don't screw up your apps- AdCom tend to be harder on techie folks; it's a "hot" field, there are doubts about leadership potential and interpersonal skills, and they expect to see super high GMAT from this category. Just broaden your reach a bit to be safe (Yale SOM routinely sends a few people with your profile to places like Google, for example) and you should be good money.
ad coms dont care about applicants mommy and daddy for grad school - unless they are well connected.
most applicants are approaching 30 years old...
Nostrum quia laudantium ipsa dolore omnis. Nam modi id omnis sint laborum rem doloribus. Eos labore qui et inventore repellat esse.
Voluptatum facere nemo nostrum. Quas eos enim labore reprehenderit adipisci. Corrupti optio veritatis ut quia aspernatur nemo id pariatur.
Natus ducimus facere molestiae eos. Eius deleniti sint molestias quo quasi aperiam et. Provident vero tempore sit.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...