Duke / Fuqua - 07-24-2019 | Clear Admit ApplyWire

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July 23, 2019 9:02pm ET

Applying: Duke / Fuqua, Harvard Business School, Notre Dame / Mendoza, Oxford / Saïd, Stanford GSB, U. Chicago Booth, UNC Kenan-Flagler, UPenn / Wharton

Intake Year: 2020

Pre-MBA Career: Government - US House of Representatives, US Department of Labor, US Department of Commerce

Post-MBA Target Industry: Consulting Companies: Booz Allen Hamilton , McKinsey

GRE: 327

GPA: 3.79

Years of Work Experience: 6

Location: Washington DC

Post MBA Location: US

Notes:

I’ve worked for two Members of Congress and two Cabinet Members, mostly working in legislative affairs and policy. I would like to work to route business investment to newly-created Opportunity Zones post-MBA. My GRE is a 327 (168 V, 159 Q). Am I being reasonable with the schools I’ve chosen or do some or all of my criteria need improving?

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Show Comments (5) Last: September 6, 2019

alexbr4 Verified User. Likes Earned: 1693 What was your undergrad degree? Does it include any quant-related coursework? If not, might be worth taking a couple of classes, in preparation for the transition. Hopefully you can show impact, at work. Your work experience will help differentiate your candidacy, which can be good. Now you want to narrow down your school list, a little. You have a bit of a mixed bag; all good programs, but wonder what is the common theme. Georgetown might also be a good addition to your list, might also look at 1-2 more T16 programs, Yale or Tuck, maybe? (0)

grichmond Verified User. Likes Earned: 1302 Your GPA and GRE combination are pretty stellar - and will ideally convince the adcom of your ability to thrive in the MBA classroom. With that said, Alex makes a good point; as a non-traditional/gov't background candidate, the schools will be looking for evidence of quantitative skill. Did you take calculus, stats, economics, or accounting at any point as an undergraduate? If not, it wouldn't hurt to pursue an online class (or two) get As and really show the adcom that you are ready for this transition. Beyond that minor issue, I truly think you could have a homerun candidact here; with M7 schools easily in reach (I'm more bullish than Alex on this front). You will have a tremendous amount to offer in the classroom - and to the extent that your career plans allow you to work at the intersection of business and government, you should have compelling story to tell. Best of luck!
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alexbr4 Verified User. Likes Earned: 1693 More detailed feedback on this candidate in this episode of Wire Taps: https://www.clearadmit.com/2019/08/episode-43-wire-taps-advice-on-low-gre-re-applying-government-background-and-more/ (0)

anon37259 Likes Earned: 1 OP following up: Original Degree was in Political Science and Anthropology However, I did take Calculus I and II, ending up with an A- in both. Also have microeconomics and two chemistry classes with science majors under my belt (started off pre-med/anthropology and then decided I liked politics better). Earned an online Diploma in Statistics the following year. Mentioned that I would be taking classes this spring in preparation for school in my “additional information” box and can point to number of different pieces of legislation/regulations that were signed into law and/or that I helped with negotiations on. Decided to narrow list to Stanford, Harvard, UPenn, UChicago and Duke. Thank you for all the input - feel more confident now despite what I perceived as a low Q GRE score. (0)

alexbr4 Verified User. Likes Earned: 1693 Best of luck! (0)