Berkeley / Haas - 02-26-2024 | Clear Admit ApplyWire

February 26, 2024 2:03pm ET

Applying: Berkeley / Haas, Carnegie Mellon / Tepper, Harvard Business School, Northwestern / Kellogg, Stanford GSB, UPenn / Wharton

Intake Year: 2024

Pre-MBA Career: Navy

Post-MBA Target Industry: Technology Companies: Amazon , Apple , Facebook , Google , Microsoft

GRE: 320

GPA: 3.64

Years of Work Experience: 5

Post MBA Location: Bay Area

Notes:

Alex and Graham,

Huge fan of the podcast – I listen every day during my commute! Thank you for all the valuable insights you share. I'd love to get your thoughts on my profile:

Background:
First-generation college student, underrepresented minority (URM).
Almost failed out of high school (2.54 GPA) due to a combination of apathy towards education and not realizing what opportunities were available to me if I actually put in a modicum of effort towards my studies.

Education:
Associate Degree in Engineering (Community College, 3.61 GPA)
B.S. in Chemical Engineering (Public State School, 3.64 GPA)
M.S. in Computer Science (MCIT Online, University of Pennsylvania)
Just recently accepted. Started in January

Work Experience:
5 years as a Naval Officer, Currently a Nuclear Power School Instructor.
Lead a team of instructors (20 direct reports) that is responsible for training the next generation nuclear reactor operators and outputs 900 sailors annually.

Extracurriculars & Volunteering:
Undergrad:
Engineering Student Government Senator- impacted 2000+ students through legislation.
Vice President, ChemE club
Recent:
Big Brothers Big Sisters mentor (1.5 years).
Consultant for a non-profit supporting first-time entrepreneurs.

Post-MBA Goals:
Short-term: Pivot into the tech industry, ideally gaining experience in product development at a big tech company.
Long-term: Contribute to the edtech space, leveraging AR/VR to transform education.

Concerns:
GRE score: 320 (163Q/157V) after my second attempt. I'm not the greatest at standardized exams and feel like I'm approaching diminishing returns. Going to retake in a few months. Currently working through a GRE course to hopefully make some incremental gains. Open to feedback on the reasonableness of target schools with my current profile.
Additionally, I'm curious how schools would view my application considering I'm already pursuing a master's degree. I've heard that some schools may take this as a signal that I will not be fully committed to their program? My intent is to pivot into tech, and I wanted to complement the MBA with a technical foundation.

Target Schools (In Order of Preference)

Reach:
Stanford
Harvard
Wharton
Target: Kellogg (MMM or MBAi)
Safety:
Haas
Tepper

Thank you for your time and consideration!

Like (0)

Show Comments (6) Last: March 5, 2024

anon68290 Likes Earned: 1 Oops! Posted for the wrong intake year! Should be 2025 (0)

alexbr4 Verified User. Likes Earned: 1584 Really focus hard on pushing up your GRE score, each additional point will matter. Beyond that, the additional challenge will be to explain your decision to undertake the masters directly prior to your MBA. Is the masters part time as you remain an instructor in the Navy, or have you now left the Navy?

Academic record looks strong re undergrad and MS. Navy career also should be a strong part of your overall profile. Make sure to reach out to the schools’ veterans’ clubs. First gen etc also shows how far you have come.

Really glad you enjoy the podcast!!

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techhopeful2025 Likes Earned: 1 Hey Alex! Really appreciate the feedback - and yes, the master’s is part-time while I remain an instructor in the Navy (I separate in March 2025).   My rationale for applying to Penn’s MCIT before the MBA was to essentially get a head start and knock out the technical degree while in the Navy so that I could focus solely on the MBA program by the time I matriculate in the Fall of 2025. The alternative would have been to apply to joint MBA/MS programs and do them concurrently. Do you think my starting of the MCIT program before the MBA was a bit rash? (1)

alexbr4 Verified User. Likes Earned: 1584 No, now it’s clear and does make good sense, I think. (0)

grichmond Verified User. Likes Earned: 1154 Thanks for the kind words about the podcast! Much appreciated. You have a very compelling profile overall. I'd love to see a higher test score to pull you within range of the very best programs. but aside from that, there is a lot to like.
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alexbr4 Verified User. Likes Earned: 1584 More details on this candidacy in this episode of Wire Taps: https://www.clearadmit.com/2024/03/mba-wire-taps-342/ (0)