I'm in the early stages of applying to top level MBA programs for a Fall 2011 start. I graduated from a strong liberal arts college with a degree in English and heavy coursework in French and other humanities departments. The closest things I have to math classes on my transcript are Marco Econ and Logic. I'm concerned that my application will be overlooked or weak because I don't meet the basic quant requirement. I have three questions:

1. I work in communications and plan to concentrate my studies in marketing. Do bschools place any less emphasis on quant coursework for applicants interested in pursuing marketing concentration? If not...
2. Should I take a college math course before applying? Will this do anything to boost my application or am I better off focusing on some other way to show my quantitative abilities?
3. If your suggestion is to take a math course, does it matter which course I take (basic Algebra vs. Stats vs. Calculus) or where I take the course (Harvard extension school vs. Northeastern online)?

I'd appreciate any feedback you have ASAP as I'm considering signing up for a course in mid-April.

Thank you.

- Megan

In case it helps, here's my background: I graduated from a good college in 2006 with an English degree (GPA 3.5; a few leadership roles). For my first job I worked part-time for 9 months as a 'consultant' at a communications firm. I next worked (full time) doing PR at a small non-profit for 16 months (was promoted from assistant to running the dept after 4 months) I've been working at a marketing consulting firm for the past 12 months (will have about 30 months by my planned MBA start date) and have been promoted once. I've been a board member (Communication Chair) of my local alumnae association for the past 2 years and have made solid contributions to the club. (Negatives: 2 month gap between my part time job and my full time job; was laid off from my first full time job after company went out of business - but was hired at my current job within 3 weeks.)

Hello,

To answer your questions:

1) No, schools will still place just as much emphasis on your quant work. An MBA is an MBA no matter what, and schools don't apply a looser or easier standard to someone's quant background/skills because they plan to pursue a less quant-heavy career.

2) Yes, such a course can help a lot! It shows that you 1) care enough about applying to go through the extra work, 2) have the intellectual horsepower to do well (assuming you get a good grade), and 3) have the discipline to do well in those classes.

3) Any school will do... This is one case where brand matters much less than what you study and how well you do. Basic algebra is too easy... If you can do well in stats or calculus, go that route.

Scott

Hi Scott,

Thanks so much for your feedback. Based on your advice I signed up for an online Stats I course at Northeastern, which I've been trudging through for the past few weeks. Unfortunately, the online curriculum is horrible -- the material is 100% self taught with periodic quizzes and the professor refuses to answer any questions. I'm very frustrated with the situation and am concerned that my grade may not reflect my ability to do the work.

My question is, how good of a grade will make the class worth taking. Do I need an A, an A-, a B+? If I anticipate getting a grade lower than that is it worth dropping the class and trying to take another intro Stats class later in the summer? There's only about a week left in the drop period, so I need to make a decision fairly soon.

If I decide to go through with the course and end up with a grade lower than expected, can I just not submit the transcript or do schools have the ability to track all the classes you've taken?

I'm looking to apply round 1 this fall, so I have a limited amount of time to fit in all the 'right' things before applying. I appreciate the feedback.

Megan

Oh no! I'm sorry to hear that the Northeastern class isn't working out. Unfortunately, I feel like I hear that a lot these days. I think even some big, legitimate schools view their distance-learning programs as profit centers more than as opportunities to give more students great training.

I'd say that if you think you're on track to get anything less than a solid B, then drop it and try again with something better. It's just too important to risk getting a so-so grade on top of having not much quant work in your background. I don't believe you have to submit that transcript if you're unhappy with the grade. So, in that respect, it's low-risk. I'm thinking more of the time you may lose with trying to tough it out with the current class. Fortunately, although time will pass quickly, you still have enough time to try again.

Let me know how it turns out!

Scott