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Originally Posted by jsnipes28
god, reading this thread is scaring me.
That's probably not a bad thing. If you're like me and thought that you had a chance at going to Harvard/Stanford because of GMAT/undergrad GPA, because you have a unique story and because you know people at HBS/GSB and aren't that impressed with them...forget about it. Make sure your expectations are realistic.
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Originally Posted by Biesterfield
I'm not an expert but I can see the poker thing going both ways. If you've had any significant accomplishments in the game though, I'd play it up to differentiate yourself (note: if I ultimately don't get in I think this would be the reason). Schools love to accept unique applicants. Just make sure that you also "fit in" in the sense that they know you'll be able to handle the rigorous academics.
Obviously my experience suggests that they won't value poker in the slightest. I had lots of experience other than poker, plus a defined career goal for afterwards. Bschools want unique in the sense that they want you to have travelled abroad to work with the poor. Everyone I know who has gotten into a better school than their GMAT suggests has either done TFA or worked at a nonprofit. That probably shouldn't be surprising when you realize that most MBA admissions committees aren't made up of businessmen.
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Originally Posted by chisness
are you sure it will be good to go though? even if you get in getting a job w/out experience will be tough.
He probably won't get into a top10 school unless he has already figured out what he wants to do post-MBA. And if he's at a top 10 MBA, getting a job shouldn't be too much of a problem, especially as the business cycle kicks in.
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Originally Posted by jsnipes28
yea, hopefully i can weave a nice narrative out of poker. i don't have any splashy achievements (i.e. don't play donkaments) but have been a pro for 4 years now and made a decent amount of money
imho, dollar amounts and general descriptions thereof will be very unlikely to impress any MBA admissions committee. I might be wrong of course, but that's my feeling. I was pretty honest that poker was a primary income stream that earned more than my consulting job. Also, as I said before, I had a PhD student in math from a top 5 program write me a rec about poker. That clearly didn't matter to the traditional MBA programs I applied to.
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i do think that it will be good to go. i mean, if i could get into a top 10 school and then can't get a job idk i think i'd just give up at that point lol.
I think the really important part of this is for you to figure out what career you want. You basically start interviewing after a month for your summer job, which frequently determines your post-MBA job. If you go to bschool expecting to figure out what you want to do, then you're in trouble. If you want to go into banking as you seem to indicate, going to bschool is a good call. Random aside: the admissions director at UMich told me that they had admitted a few poker pros and were very bullish on them.
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the problem i have right now is i am basically treated as persona non grata by all of the banks that i have talked to and interviewed with over the past year and a half. i can't apply for any internships and i can't apply to any first year analyst positions. all the hiring is so rigid and determined; only rising seniors for internships and only current/graduating seniors for first year positions. and obviously i can't compete for a position that requires experience bc i have none. it's been very frustrating but i feel this is the best way to sort of 'reset the clock' if you will and start anew.
This was exactly my experience a few years out of undergrad. I found it absurd and really annoying, and although I even found a job at a top 25 Vault consulting firm (hardly BCG) anyway... it definitely weakened my faith in the idea that American big business is a meritocracy. Although I do understand why an ibank wouldn't hire someone for an analyst position who has shown the capacity for independent thinking.
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edit: i should clarify i don't by any means 'expect' to get in anywhere and have no idea what the process would be like. i would obv love to get into a top10 school but if i don't there will be some cutoff where it probably wouldn't be worth it to go.
People who already have careers can go to less prestigious schools, but for a young poker pro I think it's probably fairly important to go to a top 20 school or it's not worth it.
I haven't started Acton yet, but I think you should really take a look at it if you want to do anything other than banking/consulting/big biz. It's a little bit of a leap of faith (it is for me) but they're as selective as a top 10 school and I know of at least one other poker pro who has gone there.
If you are intent on going to the most prestigious program possible, given what little I know about you, I'd do a few things: figure out as much as humanly possible my post-MBA plans, add community service to the max ASAP, plan to apply to lots of schools and write lots of essays, and retake your GMAT if you think you are likely to improve. I didn't end up following my own advice and taking the GMAT again (not on purpose, just got busy with more important projects) and I def think a higher score would have helped. I'm actually really glad I didn't do that, because my first round rejections led me to ask what I really wanted, which led me to Acton. And I think that was easily the best fit for me.
Oh, and hire an admissions consultant. My guess would be that >50% of the marginal admits hire admissions consultants.
Last edited by LozColbert; 03-18-2011 at 03:43 AM.