Mr. Operational Finance

Given your background in manufacturing and the career transition you have made on your own at a top company, I think you have a strong chance of getting into several of your target schools. Truth is, there aren’t enough candidates who come from manufacturing. Your post-MBA goal to enter consulting will convince admissions people that they can easily get you the job you want. That is also a plus in your candidacy. You already know you need to achieve a GMAT score higher than 710 to improve your chances at some of your reach schools such as Harvard, MIT, Kellogg and Booth. That 710 is just ten points below the latest average at Ross, your first choice. Ross by the way has improved its average class GMATs by 18 points in the past five years. While your 3.0 is below the 3.5 average for Ross, it’s also in a difficult subject–mechanical engineering. So your chances would definitely improve at Ross and put you more in the mix at your reach schools if you can get that GMAT score to 730. I know, it’s ridiculous that 20 points would even make a difference. It pisses me off that it does. I do think you can get an admit at Ross on your current stats if you convince them you want to go there. How do you do that? You vicit the school, attend their admission events, get to know one or two admission officials and make it clear to them that Ross is your first choice. Last year, 2,410 candidate applied for admission to Ross. Some 925 were admitted, 31%, and 422 enrolled. That means that 54% of the candidates admitted by Ross didn’t go to the school. That’s why convicing them you would definitely go if admitted can make a difference. Good luck!

A very articulate profile — especially for an Engineer (just kidding). Seriously, an ME degree confirms your ability to handle quantitative rigor. The 3.0 GPA is a limitation, so I’m glad to see you’ll be retaking the GMAT to beat that 710 score. And a Corporate Finance certificate from Harvard Extension is a big plus, showing your appetite for higher ed and adding a nice brand to your candidacy. Manufacturing experience is definitely beneficial, especially if you can quantify your impact on cost. Being a Financial Planning Analyst doesn’t differentiate you but confirms that you’ll be comfortable in an MBA classroom. Can you quantify your on-the-job impact? You have some very good non-work leadership roles, especially with your undergrad alma mater. With a strong application and recommendations, I’d say you’ll have a good shot at your top target Ross.

Hi, it’s Nisha from mbaMission! I’m intrigued that you carved a niche in finance within manufacturing after studying ME – props to you for following your interests! Having worked with a lot of Ross candidates and being an alumna myself, I really think the program will value your background if you effectively communicate on your application/resume the impact that you’ve made in your organizations, and if your recommender is able to speak to your strengths, accomplishments, and growth (especially vs. your peers) in detail.

Ross’s competitiveness – and GMAT average – really has been climbing over the years. Therefore, I’m glad to see that you’re taking it again. A 730+ will go a long way towards improving your odds, especially given your lower GPA (though the fact that your degree was in ME will certainly be considered). Ross also greatly values community involvement, so keep up the great work in your extracurriculars and be sure to highlight your impact in your essays (the application’s mini-essays, if they keep those this year, lend themselves well to that) and on your resume just like you will your professional impact. And in your career essay, be sure to explain the motivations behind your goal of becoming a management consultant – how did your professional experiences and strengths lead you to this path? Hope that helps – best of luck and Go Blue!

Hi Mr. Operational Finance, this is Donna Bauman, Senior MBA Admissions Counselor at Stratus Admissions. You have a solid background for an MBA program and I have no doubt that you will soon be sitting in a top MBA program. As you recognize by making efforts to retake the GMAT, getting that 710 just a bit higher is going to increase your odds tremendously at Ross. The fact that you have an engineering background makes your quant scores less of a concern—but just given that you have a gpa and GMAT under the Ross averages—anything you can do to improve that score is going to help. Don’t overlook the IR portion of the GMAT also as ross will review that too. What can you to do improve your odds? Demonstrate through the application process that you are a natural collaborator, leader and teammate. I love that you are taking the time to be a middle school running coach and that you give back to your university’s engineering program by sitting on an alumni board. I hope that you shared these experiences in your short responses. I also think it is critical that you engage with Ross to go over the bar on showing your love of all things Maize and Blue. I have seen candidates with backgrounds similar to yours get a wait list decision initially but then be successful with continued engagement with Ross so don’t give up if your first answer is not the one you hoped for. If I were working with you, I’d try to probe more for the motivation to work in management consulting. I think you have an opportunity to share more about what excites you and what motivates you—and the better you do this—the better your odds of breaking through at Ross and other top programs. Best wishes to you!