Candidate:

Ms. General Motors

About Me:

For the past five years, I’ve worked at General Motors in sales, marketing IT; started as a developer, promoted to requirements analyst and then systems analyst. Iā€™m the ā€˜faceā€™ of our dev team to business stakeholders, constantly translating biz-to-tech and tech-to-biz. Iā€™ve worked with teams in Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Germany, and the UK. Lots of soft skill work getting the ā€˜suitsā€™ and the engineers to play nice. Youngest person in this role by 10+ years, often the youngest person in the room by 20+ years.

Schools:

Target School: Wharton

Considering: Yale, Duke Fuqua, Kellogg SOM, StanfordĀ GSB, MIT Sloan, Tuck

See More Profiles For: Wharton

Application Status: Open

Details:

Undergrad School: Northwestern University

Undergrad Major: Computer Science

GPA: 3.2

GRE: 330

Extracurriculars: Played club ice hockey in college, plus swimming for two years of post-graduate work;, Ran own college admissions counseling business on the side, Guest speaker with girls-in-STEM advocacy groups

Work History:

Title: Systems Analyst

Industry: Automotive

Company: Fortune 100 Top 10

Length of Employment: 5 yrs

Post MBA Goal:

To pivot to product marketing management at a FAANG-level firm, continuing my woman-in-tech representation work, hopefully with company support. I want to sell apps to real people, not just fellow geeks. Longer term, I hope to become a CMO at a FAANG-level firm and ā€œcontinue to lead the way for gender parity in the industry. In a perfect world Iā€™d shake up someplace like Google on this issue.

Odds:

Join in! Click here to assess the odds of Ms. General Motors

The Experts Rate The Odds At: 53%

See what the industry experts have to say:

  • John A. Byrne, P&Q Founder & Editor-In-Chief | Odds Assessment: 32%

    The fact that you are a high-achieving woman at GM makes you a rare and attractive candidate for an elite MBA program. Even if Wharton doesn’t bite, you are sure to get lots of offers from the other schools you are considering.

    4 years ago
  • Odds Assessment: 75%

    Five years in sales, marketing and IT at a company with the scale and visibility of GM gives you a powerhouse MBA candidacy. Engaging with cross-functional stakeholders and international teams — especially at a young age — ensures a knockout resume and abundance of essay topics. The near- and long-term goals you describe are so exciting — and attrainable with a top MBA. Your Northwestern undergrad CS education and impressive GRE leave no doubt about your academic competence. Playing club-level ice hockey rounds out your profile. (I’d be cautious about mentioning your undergrad admissions consulting biz as unfortunately some adcoms are sensitive about that. And you don’t really “need” that activity to impress.) The biggest soft spot I see is in current …

    4 years ago Read the full review
  • mbaMission Odds Assessment: 55%

    While there are many computer science majors and developers applying to business school these days, your profile goes beyond the typical CS candidate. Youā€™ve gained diverse experience at GM, and your promotions will be noted and appreciated by admissions committees. While your 3.2 is below Whartonā€™s typical 3.6 average GPA, the fact that it was in computer science at Northwestern provides additional weight to that GPA. Your GRE provides additional and more recent evidence that you will be prepared academically for the rigor of Wharton (assuming your quant score is solid within that 330, which I expect). Your experience working with diverse groups (with varying backgrounds, seniority levels, and nationalities) will be a plus, and the ability to translate ā€˜technicalā€™ terms for a …

    4 years ago Read the full review
  • Stratus Admissions Counseling Odds Assessment: 50%

    Ms. GM, it’s Lisa Cummings of Stratus Admissions. You seem like a terrific candidate on paper. While your GPA and GMAt may be slightly below Wharton’s average, you make up for it in work experience. I love that fact that you can speak many “languages” at work and translate ideas between the business and tech teams – that is a rare yet valuable skill. How do you get those disparate groups to collaborate? I see good stories of being able to influence others coming out from that. What do you do outside the workplace?
    Where do your passions lie? You will want to flesh that out. While you are working on gender parity in the industry can you also …

    4 years ago Read the full review

The Community Currently Rates The Odds At: 37%

  • 5% | 2 years ago

  • 5% | 2 years ago

  • 25% | 2 years ago

  • 35% | 4 years ago

  • 50% | 4 years ago

  • 75% | 4 years ago

    Good work experience and contact with international.
  • 49% | 4 years ago

    Even if you don't land at Wharton, I think you have a good shot at Kellogg.

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