Ask AdmissionsConsultants

[fratz]

How important is the undergraduate school you go to when being considered for the Top 20 schools? I went to the John Molson School of Business at Concordia University in Montreal and graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce, Major Accountancy and Minor in Finance. The school is well respected in Montreal as well as the rest of Canada, but how would top business schools in the US view the “quality” of my undergrad education. I ended up graduating with distinction and a 3.8 GPA. Thanks.

[varunc]

In comparing a harder University vs a not so hard university,
would it be better to have gone to a harder University and get a lower gpa than if you went to a easier University and got a higher GPA?

-Varun

[AdmissionsConsultants]

Hi and thanks for your inquiry.

How important is the undergraduate school you go to when being considered for the Top 20 schools? I went to the John Molson School of Business at Concordia University in Montreal and graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce, Major Accountancy and Minor in Finance. The school is well respected in Montreal as well as the rest of Canada, but how would top business schools in the US view the “quality” of my undergrad education. I ended up graduating with distinction and a 3.8 GPA.

Good question. There is, quite sadly, an urban legend that if you do not attend a prestigious undergraduate school, you can not get into a top US b-school. Please see my earlier posts for a more full refutation of this baseless argument. (Or, conversely, you can visit any b-school and sample their students as to where they completed their undergraduate degrees. You’ll find a lot of “blank state university” graduates.)

The importance of the undergraduate school is vastly overstated. Unless you have one of those diplomas based on life experiences and purchased over the Internet without having ever attended any classes, you can get into a top school. The most important thing is that your school be accredited and offer the 4-year equivalent degree that the US schools expect. (Even if it does not match all these criteria, we have still seen exceptions made over the years for many of our past clients.)

It is safe to assume that the admissions committee will recognize that your school carries prestige in Canada and accord you the proper treatment based on that reputation.

Thanks.

Best of luck with your applications!

Sincerely,

David Petersam
DPetersam@admissionsconsultants.com
703.242.5885

Admissions committee experience from the top b-schools

AdmissionsConsultants
703.242.5885

[AdmissionsConsultants]

Hi Varun and thanks for your inquiry.

In comparing a harder University vs a not so hard university,
would it be better to have gone to a harder University and get a lower gpa than if you went to a easier University and got a higher GPA?

The admissions committees have a pretty good idea of which schools have the more competitive students and which schools have the most grade inflation. All these factors are considered when comparing the many well-qualified applicants for the few admission openings.

You have asked a very hypothetical question and the answer will be that it depends on the exact tradeoff between the schools and GPAs of the applicants.

Please don’t hesitate to contact me directly if you are interested in a pre admissions consultation to help select the best undergraduate school for you.

-Varun

Sincerely,

David Petersam
DPetersam@admissionsconsultants.com
703.242.5885

Admissions committee experience from the top b-schools

AdmissionsConsultants
703.242.5885

[AdmissionsConsultants]

I just wanted to share with you, in case you hadn’t heard elsewhere yet, that there was some movement on the UMBS waitlist this past week. This may not be promising news for top 10 b-school waitlistees, but if any of the newly-admitted Michigan students just declined offers from lower-ranked schools, we will see a ‘trickle down’ effect as the b-schools in the 10 to 25 range now pull applicants off their waitlists to balance out their incoming classes.

Best of luck with your applications and congratulations to the newest Michigan admits!

Sincerely,

David Petersam
DPetersam@admissionsconsultants.com
703.242.5885

Admissions committee experience from the top b-schools

AdmissionsConsultants
703.242.5885

[AdmissionsConsultants]

I just caught up on some emails and learned — in case you haven’t heard yet — that NYU is moving on its waitlist and inviting applicants in for interviews. Given Stern’s key location, it is possible some of the applicants removed from the waitlist may now actually decline offers from schools ranked ahead of Stern per BusinessWeek. So, in contrast to the “trickle down” effect that the waitlist movement at UMBS would likely have, this could actually have a “trickle up” effect and may benefit a handful of waitlisted applicants at rural schools such as UMBS, UVA, Tuck, and Cornell.

Sincerely,

David Petersam
DPetersam@admissionsconsultants.com
703.242.5885

Admissions committee experience from the top b-schools

AdmissionsConsultants
703.242.5885

[vivaforw]

I am not sure how schools compare GPAs of schools outside the US. If i were to convert my GPA onto a 4 scale, I guess it would be around 2.8 My first year was not too good though I did improve my performance significantly in my core courses. My institute is fairly well known around the world and does have a rigourous curriculum.I scored 740 in GMAT with Q:95% and V:91%.

I think I have pretty good extra-curriculars (still in touch) and have had a pretty good career so far with 4 years of work experience (5 by the time if and when i get in) working in international markets (NOT IT) and leading various sorts of projects from product management to six sigma cost cutting.

Do you think I stand a chance getting a call from Wharton? What should I do in order to build my case…use the optional essay for my first year low scores? I do intend applying in R1. Other schools on my list are Duke and Michigan.

Why another MBA? Few MBAs in India give you the network, branding and sometimes even the skills to be successful in the international arena unlike an Ivy League MBA.

hope to hear from you soon
cheers

[JamesRobert]

I am currently employed by a consulting firm, in the top 25 as ranked by Vault. 3 years experience. 1 promotion. Total Compensation. 100% increase. I will have good recommendations. GMAT 710, GPA 3.3 (Overall) 3.7 (Major) Double Major from a second tier public university, Interesting Project Work including work for Fortune 500 firms, I was going to shoot for 2-4 top ten schools with 2 in the top 20 and 1 top 30. What are my chances should I focus on middle 10-20 or top 10.

[AdmissionsConsultants]

Hi and thanks for your inquiry.

I am not sure how schools compare GPAs of schools outside the US. If i were to convert my GPA onto a 4 scale, I guess it would be around 2.8 My first year was not too good though I did improve my performance significantly in my core courses. My institute is fairly well known around the world and does have a rigourous curriculum.I scored 740 in GMAT with Q:95% and V:91%.

Most applicants seem to incorrectly translate their GPA. If the school is well known, rigorous and you graduated near the top of your class, you have nothing to fear.

I think I have pretty good extra-curriculars (still in touch) and have had a pretty good career so far with 4 years of work experience (5 by the time if and when i get in) working in international markets (NOT IT) and leading various sorts of projects from product management to six sigma cost cutting.

Sounds good!

Do you think I stand a chance getting a call from Wharton? What should I do in order to build my case…use the optional essay for my first year low scores? I do intend applying in R1. Other schools on my list are Duke and Michigan.

It will depend on your overall story, but given your GMAT and last 3 years of transcripts, I’m not sure you should use an optional essay to highlight a weakness. This is certainly something you can discuss in far greater detail with one of our consultants.

Why another MBA? Few MBAs in India give you the network, branding and sometimes even the skills to be successful in the international arena unlike an Ivy League MBA.

There are some “why an (another) MBA” reasons that are horrendous and will certainly keep any applicant out of Wharton or any other top 10 school. This said, we have helped Indian applicants with Indian MBAs gain admission to top b-schools. We have also conducted numerous pre admissions consultations and warned others against pursuing the Indian MBA in the first place – given their stated career goals, interests, and capabilities.

For purposes of assessments, these are the least of my worries, however, as, unlike GMAT score, years of work experience, etc., these issues are very much within the applicant’s control.

Given what you stated above, I believe you could be competitive at the top 10 schools with well-prepared applications.

hope to hear from you soon
cheers

Best of luck with your applications!

Sincerely,

David Petersam
DPetersam@admissionsconsultants.com
703.242.5885

Admissions committee experience from the top b-schools

AdmissionsConsultants
703.242.5885

[AdmissionsConsultants]

Hi and thanks for your inquiry.

I am currently employed by a consulting firm, in the top 25 as ranked by Vault. 3 years experience. 1 promotion. Total Compensation. 100% increase. I will have good recommendations. GMAT 710, GPA 3.3 (Overall) 3.7 (Major) Double Major from a second tier public university, Interesting Project Work including work for Fortune 500 firms, I was going to shoot for 2-4 top ten schools with 2 in the top 20 and 1 top 30. What are my chances should I focus on middle 10-20 or top 10.

Your work experience looks good and you clear the academic qualifications hurdle at any top MBA program. If you have decent extracurricular activities, a good ‘wow’ factor, and well-prepared applications, there is no reason you can’t be competitive at HBS, Stanford, or one of the other very top MBA programs.

Best of luck with your applications!

Sincerely,

David Petersam
DPetersam@admissionsconsultants.com
703.242.5885

Admissions committee experience from the top b-schools

AdmissionsConsultants
703.242.5885

[JamesRobert]

Thanks for your timely reply. Two questions can you give an example of a good wow factor. I run ultra marathons would that count.

Another question: Should you use footnotes in your essays?

[AdmissionsConsultants]

Hi and thanks for your follow-up inquiry.

Thanks for your timely reply. Two questions can you give an example of a good wow factor. I run ultra marathons would that count.

Wharton’s admissions committee uses ‘wow’ to mean walk on water. Different things will be wow factors for different applicants depending on their stories.

Marathons and ultra marathons are nice, but they are almost cliche. If you are an amputee though, it will definitely be a huge ‘wow’ factor.

Another question: Should you use footnotes in your essays?

I don’t believe I ever encouraged an applicant to use footnotes (my full-time job is to run the company and we have full-time consultants who focus on helping applicants in their full time), but I guess there could be an instance or two where it might be OK.

Sincerely,

David Petersam
DPetersam@admissionsconsultants.com
703.242.5885

Admissions committee experience from the top b-schools

AdmissionsConsultants
703.242.5885

[tnrjck]

I am particularly interested in Wharton and Stanford. However, I only have 2 years of post college work experience, and that experience is not in a business related field.

I would be very curious to learn how big of a problem my lack of work experience would be in applying to Wharton and Stanford. Would it be possible to compensate for this somewhat with strengths in other aspects of the applications?

Though I hope there is still a chance, I would appreciate an honest assessment. Thank you!

[AdmissionsConsultants]

Hi and thanks for your inquiry.

I am particularly interested in Wharton and Stanford. However, I only have 2 years of post college work experience, and that experience is not in a business related field.

I would be very curious to learn how big of a problem my lack of work experience would be in applying to Wharton and Stanford. Would it be possible to compensate for this somewhat with strengths in other aspects of the applications?

With a good career progression and demonstrated interest in business to complement a good story and well-prepared application, you should have no worries. You will find a large number of b-school students from IT, engineering, architecture, education, and other such non-business backgrounds.

Though I hope there is still a chance, I would appreciate an honest assessment. Thank you!

No worries. []

Best of luck with your applications!

Sincerely,

David Petersam
DPetersam@admissionsconsultants.com
703.242.5885

Admissions committee experience from the top b-schools

AdmissionsConsultants
703.242.5885

[Gemma]

Hi David. This site is fantastic.

I’m applying to the Langone program for Spring ’05–specifically, the Entertainment, Media and Technology specialization. I have two questions for you:

1. Undergrad GPA in Marketing from Loyola College in Maryland was 3.66. I have a little over 2 years work experience, but I think it is “quality” experience: I’m in Marketing for a television network and have been promoted twice. On-the-job training programs such as Six Sigma have also fostered my growth. I can’t seem to beat a 600 on the GMAT though. Do I have any chance of being accepted?

2. Should I admit on the application that I am not applying to other schools? No other part-time program offers a specialization like the EMT program. I’m trying to move up within the same company and they will value the coursework in media over the title of “MBA.”

Thank you.

[Author]

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