Berkeley / Haas - 05-12-2023 | Clear Admit ApplyWire

May 12, 2023 1:12pm ET

Applying: Berkeley / Haas, Columbia, Dartmouth / Tuck, Duke / Fuqua, NYU Stern, UCLA Anderson, UNC Kenan-Flagler, USC / Marshall, UVA / Darden

Intake Year: 2024

Pre-MBA Career: Commercial Real Estate

Post-MBA Target Industry: Venture Capital Companies: Other

GRE: 323

GPA: 3.1

Years of Work Experience: 2.5

Location: Los Angeles

Post MBA Location: LA or NYC

Notes:

I've been with the same company since graduating undergraduate (from a good, but not "top" school) in 2020. I work as a commercial real estate corporate office broker / consultant for one of the major, global commercial real estate firms. All of my internship experience is also with the other global commercial real estate firms. I've realized that brokerage is not the career I want, and I'm looking to pivot into the property tech world (specifically the venture side). I know my undergraduate GPA is on the lower end, and I'm trying to score closer to 326 on my second GRE attempt in a month. I'm quite involved locally including on the board of the local youth basketball league. My current issue is that I plan to leave my firm this fall for a move to NYC, but I am not sure how to go about reference letters.

Side note - I was diagnosed with ADHD post-grad and am now medicated for it. Does not explain / excuse the 3.1 GPA and was not planning on mentioning it in my applications.

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Show Comments (5) Last: May 26, 2023

alexbr4 Verified User. Likes Earned: 1572 What are your plans after you move to New York in the fall? Transitioning to VC can be very difficult without prior VC experience, so it might be worth re-examining your goals? Improving your GRE score will help compensate for the lower GPA. Might also be worth considering MBA Math, or other options? Showing impact and growth at work will be very important. (1)

postjackbear Likes Earned: 0 I'm still working through that. Either transferring internally at my firm to a more financial analysis heavy role, or working at a PropTech startup. I've had multiple calls with current VCs in the proptech world, and those are the most common tips I've received. I've also talked to one specific VC who said they would bring me on as a summer intern for the summer before I enroll in the fall of 2024. I personally feel like my experience makes sense for this path, and the MBA would help a great amount to solidify my resume. I plan to take MBA Math, I appreciate that recommendation. Noted on showing impact and growth at work - maybe I should stay at my current firm then. I was brought on out of school as an "associate" - typically you begin as an "analyst" for a year but my specific internship experience allowed my to bypass that. However, typical promotion cycle from "associate" to "senior associate" is 3.5-4 years and if I leave now I will have never been promoted. Thanks Alex. (0)

alexbr4 Verified User. Likes Earned: 1572 That’s good and more clear. Transferring internally may help resolve the reference issue, too. If you can get VC experience before starting the MBA, that would be super. Could you do that as you transfer to NYC! Better GRE and MBA Math will also help. (0)

postjackbear Likes Earned: 0 Thank you, Alex. Super helpful. Much appreciated! (0)

alexbr4 Verified User. Likes Earned: 1572 More details on this candidacy in this episode of Wire Taps: https://www.clearadmit.com/2023/05/mba-wire-taps-292/ (0)