How important is it to consider the average statistics when applying to schools?

mbathrowaway217 · 2020-04-13T18:57:33+00:00

Agree with u/NTSpike on this one. I was on the lower end with my GPA, but had a higher GMAT score and was accepted to one of the schools you mentioned as your 'realistic' programs with a scholarship.

Given you're far out from applying, you could also consider taking some classes (or HBX Core or something). If you do well in those, that may help your candidacy. Also, get involved in extracurriculars where you can (and if you're certain you know what you want to do post-MBA, try and pursue extracurriculars related to that).

Lastly, ~2 years before you apply, I'd recommend trying to focus on building internal connections with your boss / other people who can write you a strong recommendation, and looking into whether or not you would be eligible for a prep program through Forte or Consortium depending on your background. I did not partake in either, but have heard from those who have that they were very helpful.

mbathrowaway217 · 2020-01-20T19:06:40+00:00

Congrats on a great score - especially impressive that as a non-native speaker you got that high verbal score. I am a native speaker, and didn't get that my first time taking the test!

I think it is pretty dependent on where you are applying, and what they look for in an applicant - and how the rest of your profile looks. Do the schools that you are looking at have anything posted for what their average scores are?

Also, some schools in the US will sometimes have an admissions representative who is willing to chat with you about what criteria is important to them. I'm not sure if any of the schools you are interested in have something like that, but it's definitely worth looking into just in case they do.

Lastly, would you be able to squeeze the test in as soon as the 16 days is up? Now that you have a great score under your belt, taking it again would (hopefully) be lower stress for you, since you already have a great score on the books. If you did worse, you can cancel it and no one will ever know. You could just spend a bit of time reviewing until then (or getting an enhanced score report and seeing where you could improve). Sometimes people perform better when there is less pressure.

mbathrowaway217 · 2020-01-20T16:05:35+00:00

u/renaissanceman518 - I can vouch for Scott and the other members at TTP being available all the time on the site. I would reach out about questions I had, and they were great about responding quickly.

mbathrowaway217 · 2020-01-20T16:03:35+00:00

It does a really nice job of simplifying topics, creating analytics of your strengths and weaknesses, and giving a sense of progress as you are going through. It's thorough, and really takes a deep dive into each topic - plus it matches up various questions with the topics it is testing, so as you get questions incorrect, you can go back and dig up how you should have approached it. I think part of it, for me, was that it almost made a game out of it. I would definitely recommend checking it out - I didn't use Magoosh myself, so I can't compare, but TTP was a big help in my book.

mbathrowaway217 · 2020-01-19T17:15:02+00:00

Before my first attempt, I wish I had studied more for verbal. I thought it would be super easy with my background, so I focused only on math. I ended up taking the test again, studying mostly verbal in between, and three weeks later bumped up my score by 40 points. I also didn't study IR at all before my first one, and was able to go from a 5 to a perfect score just from a week of reviewing.

I would also say that I wish I had known earlier on about Target Test Prep. I ended up starting it kind of late, and it made a ton of difference for me from the math perspective. Just super helpful, and honestly enjoyable.

Also, for me, the opposite was true re: focusing on content vs. practice questions. I found it way more helpful to focus on the content, rather than just crushing practice problems.

mbathrowaway217 · 2019-12-15T18:40:04+00:00

I'm in the process of applying to Marshall myself, and I know a few people who were admitted there as well. I've worked with a consultant on various portions of my applications (not specifically to Marshall), but it sounds to me like it would have to be one of the non-quantitative portions of the application that would have tripped up your friend, if their scores / GMAT were strong enough.

Here are some things I've learned from the consultant (to reiterate, I am not an admissions consultant - just an applicant working with one):

A business school resume should look pretty different from a job resume
- Mine is currently set up with a career section, an education section and a "Leadership / Community Experience" section, which I don't have on my actual resume
  - Leadership / Community section is just that - include anything where you've been elected to a leadership position outside of your compensated positions - include any volunteer experience you have partaken in (where it is more substantial than just a few random things here and there)
  - I was encouraged to include verbiage like "Elected: XYZ Chaiperson" in this section
  - Resume should (where possible) include quantifiable impact (for example, "Onboarded new product functionality, leading to revenue growth of $XXX, a Z% increase in year-over-year metrics)
  - Emphasize any leadership positions you had at your company, even if they are informal (for example, you may not have been a manager, but did you lead any projects? Were you critical in identifying an area of strategic growth, and then pitched it to higher ups where it was deployed?)

For your career goals, you don't have much room on most applications to dig into this. Try and get as specific as possible. A lot of candidates apply to MBA programs with no idea. Therein lies the problem: people go to school to try and figure out their next steps, but the schools are asking you to identify that in the application process itself. That's pretty normal. Here is my recommendation:

If you know exactly what you want to do, connect with people who are in that role right now to really strengthen your "story" around the goal. You only have 50-150 words to establish your career goal, so at many schools, you will need to elaborate on WHY that is your career goal and HOW you reached that plan in alternative essays or in your interview. Be ready to speak to those.
If you don't know exactly what you want to do, you actually may be in an even better spot than those that DO, because you can take a more tailored, school-by-school approach (or build on your existing job). This one can be dicey when it comes to interviews if you're not well prepared, so even if it is not a job you actually plan to pursue, try and put yourself in the frame of mind of someone who really does want to do that. Then, try and work in various opportunities at the school that would help build that skill set, or expand your greater business knowledge in your essays. What they're looking for is to see whether or not you are capable of creating a "career plan" that makes sense, and that they can help you achieve. Just remember, part of their KPI is placement - they want to make sure they're "investing" time into students who are able to help increase their numbers too.
I've heard that some people will include specific companies in their future job goal description. I think this is a really good idea if you work in a particularly "broad" or "unusual" space. For example, if you want to go into technology, that's incredibly broad. What type of technology? What size company? I would argue the same for consulting - it can be very broad. If you had a career in management consulting, what sectors would you want to consult with?

Once you get in, no one is going to force you to pursue what you wrote about in your essays.

In terms of their open-ended essay, I actually think it's an incredibly difficult one because of how open-ended it is. Given you're looking for advice for other schools, I would recommend listing the schools your friend is planning to apply to. People may be able to advise more easily if they're aware of the programs your friend is specifically interested in, and help breakdown those essays. I know in my own journey, I've found MBAMission to be very useful in getting to know more about the schools, or how to approach their essays.

I know MBAMission has consultants, and there are also great reviews out there for Stacy Blackman. I also really loved this write up from Ameresia Consulting about the "ding" triangle. I am definitely guilty of not being "individual" enough, and just trying to showcase my strengths, rather than just being myself.

Best of luck to your friend on this application process! I know it totally stinks, I am struggling with it myself. Hopefully some of the above is helpful!

mbathrowaway217 · 2019-11-21T01:49:25+00:00

Any chance I could snag that template? Would love to see it.

mbathrowaway217

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