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I am a biracial former student-athlete that puts a high value on leadership, resiliency and team synergy. I have worked at both the smallest of firms and seen what it is like to wear many hats and not know when you’ll be paid next, and also the largest of firms where every day is a competition but the work is more stagnant.
Target School: Duke Fuqua
Considering: Stanford GSB, USC Marshall
See More Profiles For: Duke Fuqua
Application Status: Open
Undergrad School: Small Catholic School
Undergrad Major: Economics
GPA: 3.3
GMAT: 680
Age: 28, Ethnicity: Asian or Indian
Extracurriculars: Rugby (2x college national champion and nationally ranked men's club), California fire relief (2015, 2017, present), Undergrad student mentor and Dean's advisory board at alma mater
Title: Account Manager
Industry: Banking & Finance
Company: Top Firm
Length of Employment: 2 yrs, 6 mos
Title: Analyst
Industry: Venture Capital
Company: Boutique Firm
In the Fall of 2017, I raised $10,000 under two weeks to support victims of wild fires in Northern CA. I coordinated with approx. 25 volunteers to purchase, transport, and deliver food/meals, toiletries, and clothes to victims and 1st responders. Recognized as a top 10% performer in my group nationally.
Post-MBA my professional desired outcome is to work in consulting in the Western US to further develop real business decision making and problem solving acumen to then leverage this experience to work in management at a fortune 500 company. Personally I aspire to earn my MBA with the hope of inspiring others from my school to do the same.
Join in! Click here to assess the odds of Mr. Tough Guy
Sandy has a saying that I totally agree with: Admission officers at highly selective and highly ranked MBA programs will blink once but rarely will they blink twice. I say this because in your case you are highly likable, someone I frankly would want as a classmate in an MBA program. And yet, you are asking Duke to blink twice on both your 3.3 GPA (vs. a 3.5 class average at Fuqua) from a “small Catholic school” (translation it is not highly selective) and on your GMAT of 680 which is 25 points below the class average for Fuqua. One thing about Duke that is untrue at many other peer schools is that you will get an honest-to-goodness holistic review of your application. Sure, those …
Sandy has a saying that I totally agree with: Admission officers at highly selective and highly ranked MBA programs will blink once but rarely will they blink twice. I say this because in your case you are highly likable, someone I frankly would want as a classmate in an MBA program. And yet, you are asking Duke to blink twice on both your 3.3 GPA (vs. a 3.5 class average at Fuqua) from a “small Catholic school” (translation it is not highly selective) and on your GMAT of 680 which is 25 points below the class average for Fuqua. One thing about Duke that is untrue at many other peer schools is that you will get an honest-to-goodness holistic review of your application. Sure, those below-average raw scores will be important but your story will have more resonance at Duke. So your experience on a collegiate Rugby team that has been a national champion, your incredibly admirable volunteer service to help families impacted by the awful California fires, your venture capital experience and experience at a top financial services firm all will count for something. The question is whether all that is enough to overcome two blinks. Frankly, I don’t think so. You have no chance at Stanford, by the way. My tough love for you? Retake the GMAT and get a score that is at least 700 or more. That could be the difference between a ding and an admit at Duke, your first choice. It’s worth the agony. My second piece of advice to you is to apply to a broader range of schools. I like you. With a 700 GMAT, more admission officials will like you, too.
GMAT too low.
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