It doesn't have to all be recent. Were you in any leadership roles in college? Sports? Have you done any poker coaching?

And wrt to Chen's point about retaking the GMAT, I think there's no downside to taking one more shot at it. I agree that there's not much of a difference btw 700, 720 and 740, but if you start to get into 770+, it can potentially differentiate you from similar candidates given that you're only looking at top 5 schools.

hello everyone.

I have been considering going for a Masters in finance for about a year now. I have taken the GMAT (scored 630).

Im currently 24 and work as an assistant teller supervisor at a bank. my concern is my school loans are already a pain in the ass, im only making 24K a year and if i did take the plunge got my masters in finance in ~2 years this degree pretty much has to guarantee me the pay I want and need to make it worth it.

My undergrad was in marketing, w/ not a great GPA ~2.8 but I did make Deans list my final 5 semesters.

So basically my decision is all about how well i can advance my career and how much a masters will accelerate the process to make it worth while.

Edit: its not about if i should go but is this a good time in my life to do it?

To be very honest with you, I think you're going to have a tough time getting into a worthwhile MSF program with those stats (the GPA especially; the GMAT is fine). Additionally, your skepticism about jobs after the MSF is well founded. My understanding of the MSF is that you compete for the same jobs undergraduates apply for with little or no salary bump (unlike the MBA where you can enter at a higher rung); plus, a MSF is not going to let you escape your existing undergraduate GPA. Also, be very careful about how the schools you're interested in position the MSF kids for job applications. Some schools offer you next to nothing in terms of OCR opportunities and some lump you in with MBA kids (where you are dead in the water against MBA applicants).

Interesting. I really thought that it would help to have a 750+ and I am pretty sure I can obtain this without much trouble. I only took one practice test 2 days before taking the GMAT and scored a 780, but I found out about a family member being hospitalized the morning I took the test and was extremely distracted while rushing through the test so I could drive home.

How much of a time commitment is something like Boys and Girls Club? I enjoy that type of stuff, but I am out of town at least one weekend a month and don't get off work until 7 or later on weekdays so I always figured I'd be too unreliable for things like this where dedication is very important.

I was the Student Life Chair for my Master's program and those of us oin student government basically built the it from scratch starting with forming a constitution, voting procedures, funding, etc. for our program since it was the first year. Also served on the Treasury Committee.

I tutored elementary students 6-8 hours a week for all 4 years of undergrad. I taught Spanish speaking parents English for one semester. Was 2 year Varsity golf captain in HS. Played Club Golf in college. Member of investment club in college. I just figured nothing as old as college would matter aside from my school, degree, and gpa. I did very minimal poker coaching in like 2008ish.

With all due respect to your level of education and intellect, an mba is not just a few initials on a business card. It's a designation of a business leader, one who chooses to excel in the growth and sustainability of team driven business. A leader goes out and becomes involved, not wait for a position to open up for a resume filler.

Your 60+ hrs/wk and swamped, is a sign you can't manage your time. Everyone is busy doing something 24 hrs a day, everyday of the year. Yet some people manage to create the time to become leaders or enjoy hobbies or play sports or........., how oh how do they find the time.

Think about the field you want to enter, and then what skills you'd need once in that position. Someone with that intent should have no problem establishing a credible track record of taking initiative, for that is what leadership is.

To be successful in business a person doesn't need an mba. All it is is a post grad degree, a masters.

Dude, those are solid extracurriculars and volunteer activities. Stuff from college does matter. I personally had next to nothing after college to mention. Wish I did, but it was not a dealbreaker.

Agreed. Would drop the HS Golf, but everything else looks good.

CalledDown, read this: http://mbaapply.com/advice2.htm#positionformba

Very well written. We can always make time to make the world around us a better place. Just to add on to your statement, don't forget:

An MBA doesn't give you a license to do anything.

Law degree gives you a license to practice law. Medical degree gives you a license to practice medicine. MBA? Just three letters after your name. After that it's really up to you.

I personally am pursuing an MBA because I don't have a formal business background (I used to be a research scientist for GSK, bio major in school) and I'd like to get into health care management (yeah it's a huge mess IMO). I'm really hoping my school experience will be able to help give me the business skills that are necessary in the management field. You really have to ask yourself why you want an MBA. B school is like a gym. How fancy you want it depends on where you choose (or rather, where you get in); how much you want to get out of it depends on how much time and effort effort you put in.

Well, if you really think you can do it with ease, then go for it. I just know from experience and from other's experience, it's extremely hard to try to move into the 99%. Benefits may not be worth the effort. It's like trying to squeeze the last bit of toothpaste out the tube, feel me? lol. If you're gonna do it, just make sure you do it before the changes in 2012, or else you'll have to study for an extra section.

As for time commitment to something like Boys and Girls club, it depends really. I'm a big brother in BBBS, and the commitment is 2-4 times a week. Whenever I hang with my little it's around 3-5 hours at a time, but obviously that can vary a lot depending on the activity. I personally see my little around 2-3 times a month, 2 a month is more often than not, but 10 hours out of my month is not asking for too much in my opinion.


Yeah, that stuff is pretty good right there, although I'm not too familiar with how admissions officers view college activities. Someone else can chime in here.

hey thank you for your advice in the MBA thread. I thought about going after an MBA but my long term goals are not in management. My goals are more geared towards careers in wealth management, financial advisor/planner/analyst, consulting.

I would be applying for admission to the university of cincinnati and as an undergrad there was always plenty of support in terms of career development. I do have an employer that thinks highly of me and has given me opportunities to advance quicker than most.

Another option I considered was getting a second undergrad in econ or finance and would like some insight on how valuable that would be short and long term as opposed to the MS or MBA.

Thank You

I never read the post you quoted, until after I had posted. For all those activities there is a solid showing of leadership.

not so much a brag as much as a chance to use the word "bink" for the first time in my life...

i binked a 770 on the gmat this week.

essay time gogogogoo

thanks for the advice and feedback guys. I really was unaware that the credentials in the leadership and volunteer area need not be post-graduation. I am still considering getting into something in the meantime, but good to know that stuff I have done in the past helps.

Yea I think if u bring something leadership/volunteer related back into your life now you'll be fine. You're pretty young so the college stuff is relevant but if u went 2 years with nothing leading up to applying that would look bad. One of my best friends got into HBS 2 years put of undergrad and talked a lot about collegiate rowing for leadership/teamwork because it was still quite topical. I think you're 09 from your wedding post/my memory and that might not even include the +1 year. I'm rambling. Do stuff now and you'll be a-ok

Nicely done! GL with the next step!

[QUOTE=chendawg;29741491]
[B]Law degree gives you a license to practice law.

Huh?

I am '09 undergrad, '10 master's. If this is in reference to the one random post I made in the middle of a thread asking about gifts for a friend's wedding then wow you have a sick memory.

Lol it's a blessing and a curse. Although your avatar hurts to watch every damn time so u stand out because of it.

man im struggling with the "why MBA?" essay found on every one of my applications

ummm, because I wanna get pay-eeed!...?

[QUOTE=jaschen27;29782042] What's not to get?

In Sweden where I live, (the equivalent of) an MBA is a pretty big deal. Doesn't seem like it is in the states?

Is it true that you guys are allowed to throw in a bunch of **** courses (literature, black history, whatever) into your business exam and still get an MBA? How many years is an MBA?

lol why couldn't you just say "history"

racism itt

No, it's definitely a "big deal" in the states, but it depends on where you get it from. As I've stated before, an MBA isn't a license to do something, so the reputation of where you get it from is a big factor for employers. As far as social class (I'm assuming that's what you're referring to), I think people definitely respect someone with an MBA from a credible program.

I'm not sure how big of a deal you're saying it is in Sweden, but in the US, it's relatively rare to find someone from a top 20 B school (international and US) with an MBA from a full time program (just some simple math here, let's say 750 a class x 20 schools = 15000 graduates a year, around 750,000 grads for the past 50 years). Obviously these grads are clustered around specific parts of the country, but less than a million MBA grads from top programs is less than 1% of the US population (300+million).

There are a ton of accredited for-profit universities in the US that'll give anyone that will pay for their program an MBA, but it's the same thing with PhD and Masters degrees. That's another discussion lol....but for the most part, yes, someone with an MBA from a top school is definitely looked up upon.

I'm not sure what you're referring to in regards to business exam or whatever (maybe you mean undergrad?), but a full time MBA takes 2 years to complete. I'm not well versed with part time and Executive MBA programs, maybe someone can give you more insight on that.

There are history courses that are called black history courses. Not sure why you think that's racist. At my undergrad they're called African American History courses, but I personally don't think calling a course Black History 101 would be racist either.