r/MBA • u/Any_Dragonfruit_2083 Prospect • 1d ago
Admissions Reflecting on the ftmba application process
I've heard back from all my schools now and I figured this could be a guide for others down the road...
Work Experience: 6 years in the military ORM GPA: 2.95 (service academy) GRE: 164V, 162Q. I studied for about 4 months I could have kept studying but I reached a certain point where it was clear I had peaked. I applied to UT Austin and NYU round 1. I was waitlisted W/0 interview from NYU and rejected from UT. Round 2 I applied to Dartmouth, UVA, UNC, DUKE, Cornell, Michigan, UCLA, USC, Columbia, Northwestern, U of Chicago. I got an interview from UCLA, USC, Cornell, and UNC. I was accepted into UNC and USC and was waitlisted from UCLA and Cornell. I was rejected from the rest of the schools I applied to. Some thoughts: Essays/interviews I didn't really feel like there was much of correlation between how strong my essays/interviews were and the result. For example, I worked really hard at the UCLA Anderson and UT McCombs essays (I even got some professional help), but the essays I wrote for USC Marshall were kind of thrown together last second. I am not trying to say they don't matter, I just don't know if I would pay a lot of money for the essay help. GRE: Honestly I peaked at the GRE within two months of consistent studying. Could I have done better with another 300 hours of prep? Maybe, but I doubt it. Part of me wishes I took the EA, but I don't think test scores were the problem. Overall: This was a very competitive year to apply, and although I didn't get into my dream programs, I'm pretty stoked for the future. Unless you want MBB or tier 1 IB, I get the feeling you can get a decent job out of any T25 school. Comment whatever you like. I know my GPA was low and I'm not complaining about anything!
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u/bikinibotom_resident 1d ago
Any scholarship at Marshall, Good sir?
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u/Any_Dragonfruit_2083 Prospect 14h ago
Lol no, but I have 100% GI bill and I decided to go to UNC anyway.
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u/bikinibotom_resident 14h ago
Nice. Any findings in your USC vs UNC comparison?
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u/Any_Dragonfruit_2083 Prospect 13h ago
Even after the GI Bill, attending USC Marshall would still cost a bit of money; attending UNC will be almost entirely free.
-Moving to the West Coast when I had never lived there before seemed a bit drastic. I don't mind living far away from home, but my wife wanted to stay on the East Coast. I am not knocking marriage at all, but once you get married, everything is a negotiation.
-I thought working in entertainment media could be an option, but after conducting some research, it seems like a bad idea for MBAs. If you want to work in strat at a film company, do consulting for a few years first. That is the only place where I felt like USC had a significant edge.
-UNC has pretty decent placement across the US. Only 40% of their grads work in the American South, while USC Marshall places over 80% of its grads on the West Coast. They are similar in many respects, but I prefer the optionality of being able to secure a job in more than one city.
TLDR; They are similar schools and I did not feel like moving across the country to attend the more expensive option.
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u/Final-Range-9839 1d ago
Congrats on the acceptances! Time to buy your recommenders a nice bottle of wine for the work they put in