Candidate:

Mr. Emporio Armani

About Me:

A personal tragedy senior year of undergrad derailed my GPA and career plans. Since then, I’ve been at the brick and mortar level of one of the largest US luxury fashion retailers for 4 years where I’ve earned 3 promotions to work my way up from being a top-selling associate to managing a 10 person sales team responsible for $6M in annual volume.

Schools:

Target School: Cornell Johnson

Considering: Foster School of Business, IU Kelley

See More Profiles For: Cornell Johnson

Application Status: Open

Details:

Undergrad School: University of Puget Sound

Undergrad Major: Business

GPA: 3.03

GMAT: 780

Age: 29,  Ethnicity: Asian or Indian

Extracurriculars: IronMan Triathlete, Co-lead for a running club that raises funds and takes part in an annual race supporting Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, College Soccer Player

Work History:

Title: Department Manager

Industry: Retail

Company: Fortune 500

Length of Employment: 8 mos

Title: Armani Brand Specialist

Industry: Retail

Company: Fortune 500

Length of Employment: 1 yr

Big Life Wins:

As the brand specialist for all Armani products in my store, I led the 2018 launch of the Emporio Armani label while transitioning away from old Armani Collezioni branding. My store ended the year with the highest “sell-thru %” (Armani sales as a % of total Armani inventory) in the company; 5th highest sales volume overall.

Post MBA Goal:

An MBA will help me transition from brick and mortar retail to a corporate position in consumer goods. I’d seek a Brand Manager role at a CPG to develop marketing skills and experience working on various brands before pursuing a long-term goal of being a Marketing Executive at a company that combines my interests in fashion and athletics like Nike.

Odds:

Join in! Click here to assess the odds of Mr. Emporio Armani

The Experts Rate The Odds At: 49%

See what the industry experts have to say:

  • John A. Byrne, P&Q Founder & Editor-In-Chief | Odds Assessment: 50%

    Well, you seem to have a strong justification to nudge aside your low GPA and you clearly offset any concerns about it with a eye-popping 780 GMAT score. In general, the top schools don’t love people in sales but you moved up to manage people at the high end. Your choice of schools is solid and Cornell is your stretch choice. You will be getting in, thanks to that GMAT, in at least two of these targets and any of them will get you where yo want to go. Kelley is especially strong in the CPG space.

    4 years ago
  • Odds Assessment: 45%

    Hi, this is Deepak Punwani from MBA Exchange. You have an interesting and diverse profile for certain “marketing” heavy schools. Having worked your way up is a definite plus point for the companies you want to recruit into post MBA. Likes of P&G, Mondelez, J&J and even Nike and Adidas will love this facet of your profile. If you have a genuine story to justify the low GPA, you should be an attractive candidate. And if you can show leadership skills via your professional roles and via the extra curricular activities (Iron Man is a great achievement btw) you should have a good shot at Cornell. And am just curious, is there a reason Kellogg isn’t your number one school choice ? Good luck

    4 years ago
  • mbaMission Odds Assessment: 50%

    Hello there, Jen Kedrowski, Senior Consultant at mbaMission here. Congrats on the standout GMAT; having worked in the MBA admissions industry for over 18 years I rarely see 780+, so that will certainly be a plus in your application profile. And glad it worked out that way since you struggled with your undergrad GPA. (You can and should include a brief note of explanation regarding your personal challenges during that time by the way.) While retail professionals are less common in top MBA classrooms, that does not have to be a negativeā€¦ it can mean you are competing directly with a slightly smaller applicant group than some applicants in more over-represented groups are, and given that youā€™ve really progressed with your 3 …

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

    Hi, Melisa here from Stratus Admissions. While bricks and mortar retail is not as common a background for MBA programs, I think you can build a compelling case of how you want to grow through an MBA program. And your experiences in retail can add to toolkit as a brand manager. Your GMAT score helps punctuate your dedication to getting an MBA (very few 780ā€™s out there!). You will want to do an optional essay to explain your experience at the end of undergrad and what youā€™ve learned from that experience. As you are working through your stories, you will want to talk about your leadership experience and how you have grown through these experiences. I think youā€™ve chosen good range of schools to consider …

    4 years ago Read the full review

The Community Currently Rates The Odds At: 56%

  • 75% | 4 years ago

  • http://form-1065378.ssr.ias-lab.de% | 4 years ago

  • 100% | 4 years ago

  • 55% | 4 years ago

    Lisa Cummings here. Your GMAT and GPA have been addressed already so I will move on from that. It looks like you have some solid experience and success in retail. So while retail may not be a typical MBA candidate's path, make the most of it! That could actaully help you stand out in the pool. It sounds like you were able to really innovate and shake up the way Armani positioned itself as a brand. These skills are highly transferrable and would be valuable for a brand manager role and other marketing positions. Schools like to see that candidates can innovate in old line companies so you will want to be sure to highlight how you were able to get ...
    Read the full review
  • 40% | 4 years ago

  • 65% | 4 years ago

    Especially for the schools on your list, it's about making personal connections. With a background in sales, you should be able to do that. Plus I mean that GMAT... I think you've got it!

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