Handicapping Your Business School Odds: Mr. Real Estate Consulting

Ms. Social Impact

 

• 710 GMAT (44 Q/42 V)
• 3.65 GPA
• Undergraduate degree from New York University in self-created major in social impact
• Work experience totals five years, including current stint in social impact marketing at a top-ranked West Coast public university; previously worked as a strategic consultant in marketing for such clients as a large U.S. media company (think Fox or ABC), the digital arm of a large financial institution, and a notable non-profit (in the realm of the Red Cross); had been a strategist at an ad agency on global accounts
• Created a start-up out of college to employ students during the recession
• Extracurricular involvement as the founder of a fundraising arm of a charity to support an orphanage in a Third World country, a quarterfinalist and winner of two business plan competitions at school, climbed Mount Kilimanjaro (with charity), Machu Picchu, and Everest Base Camp
• Goal: To ramp up on my business acumen to start my own consultancy in social impact marketing
• “My quant score was pretty low, is it going to really hurt me?”
• Young female professional from Hawaii

Odds Of Success:

MIT: 20%

INSEAD: 40% to 50%

Stanford: 10%

Berkeley: 40%

Sandy’s Analysis: This is real solid in having an unbroken (correct me if I am wrong)  employment record in marketing — which acts as a base for your goals in “social  impact marketing.”  Whatever that is.

I take it is marketing for non-profits, given your current work doing marketing for a university and some of your notable extras, viz “created fundraising arm of charity to support orphanage in third world country, garnered community support and press coverage (3+ years) . . . .”

As to your work history here is an important question: How many jobs have you had before current one with the university?

You say: ” . . . worked as a strategic consultant (marketing) [Yes, but where? Was this a freelance gig or at some agency? The difference can be real important to an admissions official.) You say your clients included: a very large US media company  . . ., digital arm of large financial institution, notable non-profit (in the realm of Red Cross), etc. and strategist at an ad agency on global accounts before that.”

Did you have three jobs, ad agency, job No. 2 with all those clients, and now marketing at the university? Or was Job 2 some period of freelancing? If Job 2 was a real job with a marketing agency, how big and how selective was your employer?

I ask because anyone would want to know and because marketing is one of those “soft/hard” fields with gushing dingbats, en route to meeting a spouse, for smooth Ivy types who did not get hired by consulting or banking, or semi-serious quanty types who use data and the Internet to bug us all with ads on Facebook and more.

Hence, prestige counts a lot. It helps to work for blue chip companies, either marketing companies or blue chip clients, as you have.

Your case is complicated by your current job with a “top ranked West Coast public university.” Are you the head of marketing? What is your budget? I ask because it impacts your career trajectory. Doing marketing at a West Coast university does not have a lot of sizzle in marketing circles, but sure, lots of unemployed people would love to do it, as would millions of unhappily employed people.

Hence putting this all together, we got a 3.6 from NYU, with a 710 GMAT, 5 years of work experience (that is high for a top 10 U.S. school but not a deal breaker), three jobs (iffy, depending on exactly what those jobs were), an uncertain upward trend in jobs (as noted above), and lots of great extras. Not sure coming from Hawaii adds much, although it fits with the sunny vibe I am getting off your activities and interests.

It might help for real if you are part of some indigenous population there, similar to being Native American.

Given the five years, three jobs, iffy career trend, OK GPA and low-Q GMAT, I’d say you are a real reach at Stanford and MIT. Why MIT in the first place????

Berkeley is where you belong and that will take solid execution. The fact you are employable (or will make yourself appear that way!!!) is a strong plus.

INSEAD takes lots of applicants from the U.S. and with your okay background. Again, why do you want to go??? You would have a hard time getting a U.S. -based job at a marketing firm coming from out there?

Honestly, this has Kellogg written all over it, and you should think about them. Your chances are good and they will respect your past gigs.

I would not state a goal to “start your own consultancy in social impact marketing . . . .” That hardens your flake edge (which exists already in a good way in all the above but enough is enough). I would say that you are passionate about marketing and you want to work with exciting and impactful companies. This is an exciting time in marketing what with social media, etc. and you want to offer the full package, jingles, big data, FB, Twitter, TV, blogs, and flyers they put under your windshield wiper.

You have a big heart, climbed Mt. Everest, worked with blue chip companies, come from Hawaii, and helped orphanages. Make it real clear you can re-enter the for-profit world and get a job with an agency, consulting shop or blue chip consumer packaged goods company. That is what schools want to hear from marketing admits.

One last word: Kellogg.