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I am midwestern who relocated to Southern California upon graduation. I have experience in equity research and big 4 accounting and am looking to bolster my leadership skills and financial breadth of experience in addition to building a network in Southern California.
Target School: UCLA Anderson
Considering: USC Marshall
See More Profiles For: UCLA Anderson
Application Status: Open
Undergrad School: University Of Kansas
Undergrad Major: Finance & Accounting Double Major
GPA: 3.58
GMAT: 710
Age: 28, Ethnicity: White
Other Degree/Certification: CPA, Level 3 CFA Candidate
Extracurriculars: Volunteer at local charity, Teaching Assistant for 3 classes in college, D1 athlete
Title: Big 4 Auditor
Industry: Accounting
Company: Other
Length of Employment: 2 yrs, 4 mos
Title: Senior Equity Research Analyst
Industry: Banking & Finance
Company: Boutique Firm
Length of Employment: 3 yrs, 1 mos
Lead Analyst responsible for drafting all European equity research, spearheaded hedge fund communication, & lead business development. Backpacked to over 25 countries.
I am looking to join an MBA to improve my leadership skills and transition into investment banking with the ultimate goal of becoming a VP of Finance or CFO to a publicly listed REIT.
Join in! Click here to assess the odds of Mr. Southern California
Hi, it’s Nisha from mbaMission. I can certainly understand the draw of sunny Southern California! It sounds like you’ve built a great life for yourself there. Your academics are solid (above average for Marshall) and the CFA progress adds to it, and you have a meaningful track record of extracurricular leadership. I don’t get a lot of information about your career progression here, but it does sound like you have substantial responsibilities.
Assuming you’ve been promoted 1-2 times and can get excellent recommendations for Anderson (Marshall requires none) you’ll be in solid contention for these programs if you are able to: 1. fully communicate your professional and personal impact 2. Dig into the motivations behind your career goals (why banking and what drives …
Assuming you’ve been promoted 1-2 times and can get excellent recommendations for Anderson (Marshall requires none) you’ll be in solid contention for these programs if you are able to: 1. fully communicate your professional and personal impact 2. Dig into the motivations behind your career goals (why banking and what drives your interest in joining a REIT one day?) 3. make a strong case for why each program is a fit for you based on its culture and resources within and outside of the classroom. As you do so, be sure to highlight banks of interest that are located in the LA Area and have ties to the schools you’re applying to – this’ll show that you did your research and understand how an MBA from each program can get you to where you want to go. Best of luck!
Hi Mr. Southern California, Melisa here from Stratus Admissions. As a midwesterner who also spent time in CA – I am not surprised you want to stay! I continue to think about making my way back to sunny skies all the time! I like that youāve got both accounting and financial analyst experience (not to mention CPA and CFA3). Your strong financial background and GPA in a double major shows that you can handle the academic rigor of the program. Your GMAT gives a slight pause, only because you are in the highly competitive group of finance guys. If you were willing to take it again to work to get up above UCLAās 719 average – you would take this concern away. While I donāt …
Hi Mr. Southern California, Melisa here from Stratus Admissions. As a midwesterner who also spent time in CA – I am not surprised you want to stay! I continue to think about making my way back to sunny skies all the time! I like that youāve got both accounting and financial analyst experience (not to mention CPA and CFA3). Your strong financial background and GPA in a double major shows that you can handle the academic rigor of the program. Your GMAT gives a slight pause, only because you are in the highly competitive group of finance guys. If you were willing to take it again to work to get up above UCLAās 719 average – you would take this concern away. While I donāt think it would hold you back exclusively, you will need to have a compelling story to help yourself stand out. You experience as a D1 athlete could contribute here – or your backpacking experience (25 is a lot of countries!) Youāll want to highlight the leadership roles youāve had. And dig into deeper to the connection of working with a REIT – why real estate? And how will an IB role help you get there? With your current GMAT, I put your chances on par with UCLAās average. Higher at USC. If you can get your GMAT up – chances go the same direction. Good luck!
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