Am I a good candidate for a Tier 1 business school?

[jakebaur]

Hi everyone,

I am a 25 year old German, who aims to get into a top MBA program. In March 2010 I graduated from one of the most renowned universities for business administration in Germany after 5 semesters (2.5 years), while studying one semester abroad in Seoul, South Korea, receiving a B.Sc. in Business Administration. The standard period of study is 6 semesters (3 years). My GPA corresponds to a 3.7 in the US grading system. For my semester in Korea I received a GPA of 95.1/100.

After graduation I did an internship at the investment bank Société Générale in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. I worked in the Global Equities and Derivatives Solutions department for five months.

Then I joined a high potential program at KPMG Germany. Instead of just starting working in the advisory department, the participants received 8 weeks of extensive training in the fields of accounting, risk-management, work related topics and soft skills. Afterwards we were assigned to two different advisory assignments and two audit projects. I gained experience auditing funds of a very large investment company. My first advisory assignment was in the sub-department Strategy and Operations. I worked on energy related topics, created a concept in order to conduct an asset-light study and I supported the acquisition of a major contract from one of the world's largest non-governmental energy companies. My next assignment took place in the Finance Advisory department. There I assisted in a global shared service center project. Subsequently I was assigned to an audit assignment in Luxembourg, where I audited a private bank and a few funds.
At the moment I am working in the Finance Advisory department, but I think I will switch to Forensic (fraud investigations, economic crime, etc.).

I am planning to enter an MBA program in 2013. By then I will have a 3 years of work experience. I recently took the GMAT and achieved a score of 610 (Q:44, V:31). It's not a bad score, but it's not great either. It would be very nice to get accepted to a top MBA program. Do you think I have to/ should retake GMAT? Of course, a higher GMAT score will increase my chances of getting accepted, but I don't know by how much I can increase my score. I also don't have much time to prepare, because I am very busy throughout the weeks. Maybe it would be better to focus on other aspects of my application?

The reason why I want to pursue an MBA is to switch my focus. I am finance guy and I don't regret my decisions. But I also enjoyed operations, logistics and marketing. Hence I would rather focus on these areas. I would prefer to work in the high tech industry, having a job which requires strategic thinking, maybe in terms of marketing and operations, supply chain, etc. Consulting is challenging and fun, but I don't feel like I am contributing to society. I hope working at a company which creates real value, respectively products, might give me more satisfaction.

So, what do you think are my chances of getting into a good MBA program? And do I need to retake GMAT or should I focus on other aspects?

Thank you in advance for your suggestion.

Kind regards
Jake

[rachel]

Hi! It sounds like you have some strong work experience, which will be an important component of your business school applications. I encourage you to highlight your professional accomplishments, not responsibilities, and showcase your leadership potential by writing about instances where you have taken risks or initiative, or made decisions. As for the GMAT, your 610 score is outside of the lower-end range for the top schools. I strongly encourage you to take the GMAT again if you are interested in applying to a top 20 school. That doesn't mean that applicants with your score aren't accepted at top schools, but it's very rare. Lastly, two other important pieces to your application are your recommendation and your outside activities, including community work. Business schools look at applicants holistically, and you need to make sure you are a strong candidate on all fronts.

Best of luck,

Rachel Beck


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[jakebaur]

Thank you very much for your feedback, Rachel!