Looking for some guidance

Albertchat

2 4

Posted Sep 17, 2012 08:02

Hello all. I am a potential MBA candidate but I'm not quite sure how to determine where to apply based on my situation. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
BA in Psychology, Cal State Long Beach, 2009
Undergraduate GPA: 3.4
Major GPA: 3.8
Upper division GPA: 3.8
GMAT: 750, V42, Q50
I feel that my application will be weak in terms of work experience. I worked as an intern for 9 months and have been employed as a soil technician for about a year. I am motivated more by the prospect of always having a decent job as opposed to making a lot of money. I would like to become a CPA in the future and I have looked into the requirements, noting the changes to the California requirements starting in 2014. My family is primarily blue collar and I don't have very many contacts in the business world, so I can use any advice I can get. Any suggestions as to where I should apply? I would like to get in to a program as soon as possible and I would like to keep from wasting time applying to schools that I'm not likely to get accepted to. Thanks!

quote

Duncan

14.013 15.475

Posted Sep 17, 2012 11:53

There are some great books about MBAs and which MBA to apply to. You have a great GMAT, If you;re still around LA, then UCLA and USC are great schools with the most CPA & MBA alumni around there. On a national basis, I would also look at NYU, Northwestern, Chicago and Indiana.

quote

ralph

692 1.074

Posted Sep 18, 2012 11:55

There are some great books about MBAs and which MBA to apply to. You have a great GMAT, If you;re still around LA, then UCLA and USC are great schools with the most CPA & MBA alumni around there. On a national basis, I would also look at NYU, Northwestern, Chicago and Indiana.

Duncan has recommended some really good schools - the problem is that the average work experience of accepted applicants at these programs is around 4-5 years. I doubt you'd be competitive.

You might have more luck at a school like Rutgers - they generally admit students with less work experience - and the Professional Accounting MBA program is actually pretty good, and only 14 months long.

In general, for you to be competitive at top tier schools, you probably would need to get at least two years of work experience under your belt before you apply.

<blockquote>There are some great books about MBAs and which MBA to apply to. You have a great GMAT, If you;re still around LA, then UCLA and USC are great schools with the most CPA & MBA alumni around there. On a national basis, I would also look at NYU, Northwestern, Chicago and Indiana.</blockquote>
Duncan has recommended some really good schools - the problem is that the average work experience of accepted applicants at these programs is around 4-5 years. I doubt you'd be competitive.

You might have more luck at a school like Rutgers - they generally admit students with less work experience - and the Professional Accounting MBA program is actually pretty good, and only 14 months long.

In general, for you to be competitive at top tier schools, you probably would need to get at least two years of work experience under your belt before you apply.

quote

Albertchat

2 4

Posted Sep 18, 2012 17:23

Duncan,

Thanks for the info, it is very encouraging to hear that I may be considered at some of the top schools around the country.

Ralph,
Thank you very much for your input. I agree that my profile is lacking in terms of work experience and I am actually unsure what type of experience business schools count when considering candidates. I have been employed for 61 of the past 71 months but mostly in a part-time setting. I have had a relatively low level of responsibility for the most part until recently.

How would I determine which experience I should consider when gauging my competitiveness relative to others?

quote

donho199

422 503

Posted Sep 18, 2012 18:38

One of the schools i highly recommend is Rochester Simon a school with a long tradition prestigious enough to brag about but not so much spoiled with rich kids.

Their MBA is among the top 25 in the nations. Being located in upstate New York is quite interesting and very cheap.

The Finance faculty is extremely strong academically as well as Economics and Accounting. They have a CPA MBA and if you do that stream you also have a lot of coverage of Finance in fact you earn the finance concentration as well.

They also have a sizable group of young talents which you do look like a perfect candidate.

Networking is also very good. You can build your network on the west coast, a large number of the class is from Japan India and China which makes the group vibrant.

Tuition is high but some generous scholarship could offset the difference

quote

Duncan

14.013 15.475

Posted Sep 18, 2012 23:49

Simon is a great suggestion. I had a client with a similarly uneven background get a scholarship offer there. It's a great school.

quote

ralph

692 1.074

Posted Sep 19, 2012 11:58

I have been employed for 61 of the past 71 months but mostly in a part-time setting. I have had a relatively low level of responsibility for the most part until recently.

How would I determine which experience I should consider when gauging my competitiveness relative to others?

Oh, OK - I was under the impression that your only experience was the one year you mentioned earlier.

I think that adds a bit more weight to your profile. Your challenge when preparing your admissions essays will be to present that work experience in terms of an arc, where an MBA is your next step. Full-time work experience is going to carry more weight, so I'm still not entirely sure you'd be competitive at top-tier schools.

On the other hand, adcomms are becoming used to the idea that millennials' goals tend to be more experiential (rather than purely professional) - so maybe play on that when you frame your work experience.

I think Rochester/Simon is also a good suggestion.

<blockquote>I have been employed for 61 of the past 71 months but mostly in a part-time setting. I have had a relatively low level of responsibility for the most part until recently.

How would I determine which experience I should consider when gauging my competitiveness relative to others?</blockquote>
Oh, OK - I was under the impression that your only experience was the one year you mentioned earlier.

I think that adds a bit more weight to your profile. Your challenge when preparing your admissions essays will be to present that work experience in terms of an arc, where an MBA is your next step. Full-time work experience is going to carry more weight, so I'm still not entirely sure you'd be competitive at top-tier schools.

On the other hand, adcomms are becoming used to the idea that millennials' goals tend to be more experiential (rather than purely professional) - so maybe play on that when you frame your work experience.

I think Rochester/Simon is also a good suggestion.

quote

Albertchat

2 4

Posted Oct 12, 2012 22:11

Hey it's been a while but thanks again for the help. I have checked out all the schools you guys suggested and I have a much better idea of what to do now. I really appreciate it!

quote

Albertchat

2 4

Posted Feb 26, 2013 20:52

Just wanted to update everyone, I have been accepted to Rochester with a pretty generous scholarship and the chance to earn an increased scholarship in April at their Scholarship Weekend event. That was a fantastic suggestion, I visited the campus in January and had a great time. I may not have even considered Simon without your input so thank you very much, this was incredibly helpful!

quote

ralph

692 1.074

Posted Feb 27, 2013 11:25

Congrats!

Be sure to stop in from time to time to let us know how the program is going. Good luck!

quote