hsWang

以下是引用weirdsu在2005-8-8 0:23:00的发言：

Hi,what kind of shot do I have at schools like HBS, Wharton, Stanford, Kellogg, Sloan with the following -

- 720 GMAT / 3.6 gpa
- bs and ms in engineering at a top university
- 3 years technical work experience at a very well-known tech company (industry leader)
- interesting business related extra-curriculars in college (but that was 3 years ago)
- an internship as a summer i-banking analyst (again, 4 years ago)

Negatives:
- have had very little opportunity to demonstrate leadership in my job.
- not a great interviewer
- recs will probably be mediocre (don't think my superiors/peers at work really have any concept of how to write a good rec and don't think there is much interesting stuff they can say about my work experience)

Any chance at schools like Haas, Anderson, Columbia, if not at the 'top 5'? i am looking to apply in round 1 for these schools and start school in the fall of '06.

Any feedback is appreciated. Thanks!

Hi Weirsun, thanks for your inquiry!

Your academic qualifications are fine and you've cleared the hurdle at any school. The admissions committees are not going to be impressed by your employer's market cap. What they will care about, though, is your career progression. Furthermore, it will be a bit more difficult to differentiate your work experience given the large number of tech applicants b-schools see each year.

You may need to do some quick positioning work to address these issues before the fall arrives. Unless it can be spun properly, your lack of recent extracurriculars will also likely be a strike against you.The lack of leadership experience will hurt you.

Interviews can be practiced and very nearly perfected. It's a matter of knowing what questions they will ask you (questions vary from applicant to applicant given their different backgrounds) and receiving critical feedback on your responses and if and how those responses can be further strengthened.

For the record, the vast majority of recommendations are considered good in so much as they make flattering comments about the applicant. (Of course, these recommenders are selected by the applicant for just these qualities.) The key to getting a truly great recommendation that can help get you into that top 10% to 20% of admitted applicants, though, is to select the applicants who also know you well and substantiate your story and themes.

Even with round 1 applications, you are likely fighting an uphill battle given the partial information I received about you here. In other words, unless there are some good 憌ow?factors to help mitigate some of the concerns you shared, you are not going to be competitive at a top 5 MBA program and you will be a stretch at a top 15.

If you would like a very detailed analysis of your candidacy as well as a detailed action plan to ensure you are properly positioned for your future applications, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Best of luck with your applications!

Sincerely,

HS Wang

hsWang

以下是引用Desiderata在2005-8-8 23:50:00的发言：

Hi, HSWang,

There is one requirement from HBS this year: any applicants with TOEFL lower than 267 (equivalent to 630 of paper-based test) are discouraged from application.

While unfortunately, I got 623 (5.5) this time (I had 637 (5.5) before). Will it really have strong negative impact on my application? PS: my GMAT is 730 (AWA5.0), GPA is above 3.5 with 2-year experience in FMCG giant and more than 1 year experience in a leading consulting firm.

Thanks a lot!

Hi Desiderata,

Thanks for your questions. It's true that HBS discourages any applicant with TOEFL lower than 267. In fact, over the past years, TOEFL score of Chinese admitted into HBS has ranged from 640-660+. So you can see the importance of TOEFL to the application to HBS. One major reason is HBS' overwhelming emphasis on case study method, which requires everyone can freely attend the class discussion.

If you want to apply for HBS, you'd better re-take the TOEFL, in order to mitigate Admission Committee's concerns on your weakness in oral English. In addition, you have excelent qualifications as an MBA candidate, and if you can well distinguish yourself from the same-background peers, you have promising chance to get into HBS and other great schools.

Best of luck with your application!

Sincerely

HS Wang

hsWang

以下是引用Tigerli在2005-8-11 18:39:00的发言：

Hi, this is a great board. I am seriously considering applying to the top 5 business schools for admission in fall 2006. I have yet to take the GMAT but am confident that i'll get a score > 700.

I hold bachelor and master degrees in civil engineering from very reputable schools. My undergrad GPA was 3.0 and my grad GPA was 3.8. During grad school, I took a few courses in the management school. i also joined a professional business association and was active in it during my stay in grad school.

I have been working for a reputed firm, and by Fall of 2006, that would be 3+ years of work experience. By the time I apply in October, it will account for 2.5 years of work experience.

I'm working as a civil engineer. my job typically involves supervision of my team as well as plenty of teamwork. I believe I can demonstrate leadership because of my supervisory roles in the projects my project manager hands to me.

As far as extra curricular activities go, I haven't been very active since graduation but plan to be now. there are some activities that i have been pursuing but I can do much better.

I'd like some input regarding my chances. any feedback is appreciated.

Hi and thanks for your inquiry.

For your GMAT, 700 is good. But as a general rule of thumb, the average GMAT score for an admitted Chinese national is about 30-50 points higher than the overall average GMAT score for an admitted applicant.

For your academic aspect, unfortunately, the undergraduate GPA will count more heavily than the graduate GPA due to the fact that grad GPA inflation is much more rampant than undergrad. The schools are also familiar with which schools have the reputation as the most rampant grad inflators.

For work experience, it’s the quality and not quantity of work experience that the admissions officers most care about. In terms of quantity, that will be measured as the amount of work experience you will have by your planned matriculation.

You’re in a very competitive demographic and will have to work even harder than most other applicants to differentiate your story. Hopefully, there are some good factors in these leadership and teamwork experiences to make your candidacy look extra attractive.

Don’t wait too long. Now is the time to start thinking about your school selection, application strategies, and positioning. All of these can be done concurrently with your GMAT preparations if you have not yet taken the test.

Best of luck with your application!

Sincerely
HS Wang

hsWang

以下是引用leileilou在2005-8-19 2:49:00的发言：

Hi, H.S.W,
I'm interested in Oxford MBA. But I heard that Oxford's program is very quantitative in nature. What US B-school would you compare it to. Also, what how quantitative is Cambridge?

Thanks

Thanks for your inquiry.

I'll stand by the statement that Oxford is very quantitative, but I'm not particularly comfortable comparing it to other schools as (a) all schools are relatively unique, (b) all selective schools have a pretty good amount of quantitative element in their curricula.

Cambridge is also a very challenging and rigorous program. This is very subjective, indeed, but I would venture to say a majority of knowledgeable opinions would agree Oxford's program is a bit more quantitatively focused than Judge/Cambridge.

If you would like to discuss the school selection process or admissions strategies, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Best of luck with your applications!

Sincerely,

H.S.W

hsWang

以下是引用yqzheng在2005-8-23 12:25:00的发言：
Hi, I have one question:

Since I have been with my current company for 6 years, will that hurt my chances for HBS? I have made a nice progression through the ranks thus far, and plan on moving up some more over the next couple of years.

Thanks!

Hi, thanks for your inquiry.

While it's true that HBS tends to prefer younger applicants, your age will in no way work against you given your particular circumstances.

Sincerely,

H.S.W

hsWang

以下是引用watergate在2005-8-31 0:09:00的发言：

I have a question to HSW:

How similar and/or dissimilar is HBS and Wharton in what they look for?

thanks,

Watergate

Hi thanks for your question!

There are certainly some distinct differences between the two schools in seeking applicants. For exampls, HBS looks for applicants with younger age, strong leadership potential, and commitment to changing the world. Wharton looks for those with long years of professional experience, leadership, and innovation etc.

However, a complete discussion of what these schools seek is well beyond the realm of this discussion board thread.

Sincerely,

H.S.W

hsWang

以下是引用leileilou在2005-9-1 21:23:00的发言：

Here is my question:

My first 2 years of undergrad I didn't take too seriously, and had a 2.6 GPA. Since that time, I got my act in gear, and completed my degree in Accounting with a 3.5 GPA. My question is, will my lack of focus on my first 2 years hurt my chances of getting into HBS or Wharton or Magic Seven? I have a 710 on my GMAT, good work experience and really good extra-curricular volunteer work activities. Or, should I set my sights a little lower?

Thanks!

Hi, thanks for your inquiry!

Each year, quite a number of applicants will get into HBS and Wharton with lower GPA and GMAT combinations and the first 2 years of your transcripts can be easily mitigated. Moreover, assuming you have a good career progression, extracurriculars, and other terrific factors, I see no reason why you can't be competitive at these top schools.

Don't hesitate to contact me directly if you would like truly expert assistance with your b-school applications.

Sincerely,
H.S.W

hsWang

以下是引用Mikech在2005-9-5 23:10:00的发言：

I have a few questions regarding the b-school application process and some strategies I can take to improve my candidacy. Here are my "stats" and I've narrowed my B School choices down to Harvard, Wharton, Columbia and Chicago. I'm going to apply for Fall
2006.

GMAT - 740 (96% V, 90% M)

Undergrad GPA - 78 from PKU undergrad, Finance major)

W/E- Consultant in a consulting firm since 2000. Promoted to Senior Analyst and then Associate in 3.5 years.

Xtra Curriculars -A Finance Professionals Association (founding member), Volunteer,Basketball coaching

I'd like to gauge my chances at getting into those schools. I've also seen some advice on building an alternate transcript and wonder if I need to go down that route.

Thanks in advance!

Hi and thanks for your inquiry.

Based on the little information here, I think it will be much easier to argue you are a good fit for Wharton, Columbia and Chicago than HBS. Please note I'm not saying you have no chance at HBS, but I don't see the key factor that successful HBS applicants possess in the limited information presented above.

Your extracurriculars and career progression are probably the strongest parts of your application and your GMAT will go a ways towards mitigating concern about your academic qualifications.

Best of luck with your applications!

Sincerely,
H.S.W

hsWang

以下是引用eilliytia在2005-9-8 22:27:00的发言：

I am about to graduate with a bachelor's degree in computer science at a key national university with a 3.7 gpa. And I am going on to get my masters in computer science at the same university.

I want to one day go to a top business school, the best i can get into I think is magic seven. What should I do now and in the future to get there in a few years? When would be the best time for me to go?

Thanks.

Thanks for your quesiton.

These are some very vague questions and, therefore, very difficult to answer in this type of forum. My first concern is why you are going to get a masters in computer science if you already know you want to get an MBA. Depending on the story you spin in your applications, you may risk coming across as a degree collector/professional student.

Business schools look for a whole host of things including career progression, extracurricular activities, GMAT, etc. I don't know enough about you to tell you anything more detailed than this right now.

You should, quite simply, apply to business school when you feel you are ready. This will depend on your future career goals, career progression, and numerous other factors as well.

Best regards,

H.S.W

hsWang

以下是引用chaidy在2005-9-12 22:15:00的发言：

Dear HSW,

I have a question about international student application. As a Chinese applicant to HBS, am I competing against all applicants or only against other Chinese applicant, or even Asian applicants?

Thank you for your help.

Hi, thanks for your question!

You're competing against all applicants as HBS is trying to assemble the best possible incoming MBA class that it can. If by some strange chance, there were no competitive Chinese applicants in a particular year (however unlikely that may be), then HBS would simply accept very few Chinese applicants that year and admit a few more applicants from the US, India, or some other country with a more competitive applicant pool.

Best of luck with your applications!

Sincerely,
H.S.W