Hi please find my specs below:

GMAT history:
530 Q 36(45%) / V 25(35%) AWA 5.5- Fall (2008)
600 Q 40 (58%) / V 32(63%) AWA 5.5-Fall (2009)
650 Q 41 (58%) / V 39 (87%) AWA (still waiting)-Fall (2010)

Bachelor of Science in Commerce (MIS Major/ Econ Minor)- top 25 U.S. undergrad university business school
cumulative GPA 3.02, graduated in 3 years.

All 3 years of college I worked part time during fall, winter and spring and full time in summer for a government entity and financial services firm.

I Held leadership positions in 2 student clubs. (Yes I didnt sleep much in college)

Currently have 6 years of post undergrad work experience in management and technology consulting. Ive been with the same big name company the whole time and have been promoted twice and am currently holding the "Consulting Manager" title. This title is considered as an executive in the firm. Partners are considered senior executives.

Solid managerial/leadership experience (at most Ive had 20 people day to day responsibility)
on shore and offshore experience (cross continent environments)

Ive been the youth director for the last 6 years of my global family non profit foundation that my senior uncle started 10 years ago. I organize and direct the youth donation efforts from physical time and monetary funds.

Short term goal - is to move into more of a general management function in a high tech firm in business development or account management or program/product management)
long term goal - CEO or COO of a high tech company preferably my own company :)

In the spring of 2010 I took two classes (at the same time) at my local community college to fulfill the Berkeley math requirement:
Calculus and Analytic Geometry (differentials and integrals) - I received the letter grade "A"
Elementary Statistics - I received the letter grade "A"

I took these classes while working full time, which Im hoping demonstrates my ability to succeed in a part time program. Also i did poorly in these two classes in undergrad so I wanted shore up my quant abilities since my GMAT quant scores are low and thats because Im historically not a great standardized test taker.

Id like to apply to the following:
Haas - Berkeley weekend program
Stanford - full time program
Wharton Exec MBA - is this a better choice given my desires?

Could you please tell me if the above three programs are legitimate possibilities given my specs and why/why not? (Note if I apply now, I will have 7 years of full time work experience if im accepted for fall 2011)

Also given all my specs, what are some of things I should highlight/call out/ address in my application

Thank so much for your help in advance. I really value your thoughts.

Hello,

Right now, in terms of years of experience (and ignoring everything else for a moment), I'd say you're right on the cusp between "go for full-time programs" and "aim for part-time programs." Seven years is on the "older" side for incoming MBA students at FT programs, but it's certainly not a deal breaker.

In short, I would say aim for FT programs, since you can always get another year or two of experience and aim for PT programs later, if the FT path doesn't work out for you right now. (But aiming for FT programs in another year or two won't be very realistic.)

Judging from the three schools you listed, I assume you're in the Bay Area and want to stay there. (I assume you're looking at Wharton's SF campus. ) If you're willing to branch out from this area, I do think you should cast a wider net and take a shot at some more top-ranked MBA programs (the full-time ones). But, again, that's IF this interests you. If you've truly left your heart in San Francisco (heh heh), then just aim for the programs you really want to attend, knowing that they're obviously very tough schools to get into.

Here's what I recommend: Kudos to you for getting your GMAT score up, but I think the odds that you'll get into one of those programs (or another top-ten program) are low with a 650. Not impossible, but low. I'd love to see you get that score up another 30+ points and apply to multiple full-time programs in Round 2. If that doesn't pan out, then you can take a shot at those PT and EMBA programs next year.

Speaking of waiting until Round 2, we just wrote a blog post about this today:

http://blog.veritasprep.com/2010/09/adm ... -wait.html

Good luck!
Scott

Hi ,
Thanks for the analysis on my profile.
This is helpful, however can you comment specifically on the following:

1) You are correct, Id like to stay in SF. I think stanford FT would be the only school Id be willing to incurr two years of total opportunity cost relative to long term value inherited.
The current class GMAT median at stanford is 730. So even if I get to 700 on the GMAT, wont I still have the same low acceptance odds if everything else remains the same?

2)If the GMAT is used to determine my analytical and academic ability, then doesnt getting an A in calculus and stats alleviate the 30+ point GMAT gap since its my quant and not verbal that is low? If not, then what value do the A's bring to my candidacy?

3) My goal is to stay in high tech, so I feel stanford FT and berkeley PT are the best choices to sustain my goal.
However, given that Im already a manager and on track to be a senior manager in 2 years, would my goals be better served by applying to the wharton SF EMBA in 2 years?
What would I be missing out on if I do PT and not EMBA?

Im just tired of the GMAT, so I just want to fully see how necessary attaining 700 + really is. Im not saying i cant do it, but at the same time Im doubtful.
Again, thanks so much for your thoughts

Sorry for taking so long to get back to you! To answer your questions...

1) You're mostly thinking of it the right way, but there is definitely a big difference in admissions officers' eyes between a 650 and a 700. Yes, they're both below the school's mean GMAT score, but (if you really want to get into means and other stats stuff), a 700 is about within one standard deviation of the mean score, while a 650 is more than two standard deviations away. (I don't know for certain the school's distribution of scores, but am pretty confident that it follows a typical bell-shaped curve.) Sure, adcoms don't sit around and talk about standard deviations, but asking them to accept you despite a 650 is asking a lot more of them than to ask them to overlook a 700 (which is still a very good score, even in Stanford's eyes). If you don't want to take it again, obviously it's your choice, but just be aware that the odds are stacked against you right now. Stanford just gets so many amazing apps that they don't have to take a "risk" on someone with a lower GMAT score, unless that person really brings something amazing to the table.

2) Yes, they do, but remember that even Stanford has to think about its ranking. Accepting someone with a 650 means that their mean GMAT score will get pulled down. The effect of one person on the average is slight, but why accept you when they can accept a similar-looking candidate with a 700?

3) I do get the sense that an EMBA program may be a better fit for you. If you want your work experience to speak more loudly than your "stats" (like your GMAT score0, then I suggest aiming for one of those programs in another couple of years.

Good luck!
Scot