The Brown Guy

Tough love warning: Take the GMAT again to get your score closer to Emory’s average of 684. You’re currently sitting on a score that is more than 100 points below the class average. That is not a comfortable place to sit. I love that you are a first generation college grad and it is admirable that you have a job at a Fortune 10 company. Even though you are an analyst in the banking and finance industry, you’re also a poet, given your undergraduate major in international affairs and political science. But as an analyst in finance I would expect your GMAT to be better than it is. Do yourself a favor: Retake the test and get closer to Emory’s average. It will make a big difference. Otherwise, I would estimate your odds slightly below the school’s current 44% acceptance rate.

Hi Mr. Brown Guy! This is JP from The MBA Exchange. Personally, I believe that you have the right background to achieve MBA admissions success. The GMAT is just a test, so strategy and practice can get you the necessary score. What’s most important is to communicate AND carry out your values and work ethic into your application campaign. I’d be happy to guide you through the process, or at least chat about it. Get in touch with us asap via The MBA Exchange website and ask for ‘JP’, stating that you put your profile here.

Hi, it’s Nisha from mbaMission. I love that you’re a first-generation student who cares so much about your community. Regarding your odds for the MBA programs, one particular weakness that stands out to me (as you might have anticipated) is your GMAT score, which is over 100 points below the average for the programs you’re targeting, so you’ll definitely want to retake it. If you haven’t taken a course yet, I very highly recommend Manhattan Prep.

As for your career, looks like you’ve worked at a couple of top firms. Regarding your current firm: how has your progression and impact been over the last 3 years? Knowing this information, as well as the relationships you have developed with potential recommenders, will enable me to assess the professional part of your profile.

Question regarding your career goals – what drives your desire to enter tech/fintech? Business schools care as much about the why as the what, so make sure that you explain your motivations in your applications and how your experiences and observations to date have led you to your goals.

Finally, are you involved in any extracurriculars or personal pursuits? You’ll definitely want to highlight these as part of your story since I know how much your community is important to you. If you’re not formally involved in an activity and you’re considering something in line with your passions, now is the time to start.

Hello Mr. Brown Guy! Thanks for posting. Susan Cera, Director of MBA Admissions, here. While your undergrad performance, professional experience and commitment to helping communities are all commendable, I suspect that your soft GMAT score could lead to a fast pass to the ding pile, even at Emory. You absolutely need to retake and get within 50 points of the average GMAT score to put yourself into play. I suspect that you have a fantastic story to tell. Regardless of where you end up with your test score, you need to be able to clearly articulate why you need an MBA, why now is the right time and why Emory (or another program) is right for you. Make sure to connect the dots – right now your long term goal in fintech seems disconnected but I don’t have complete information. All the best!