Forum: Application & Admission (3 Comments)

Profile Evaluation

  • Posted by - mcoaster - on 3 December 2013 - 9:09am

    Hello,

    My name is Josh, and I am a student at the University of Southern California in the US. I'm very interested in several MiM programs, specifically LBS, Duke Fuqua, UCL, and King's College London, and I wanted to get a general sense of where I stand.

    -GMAT: Taking it this January, but I'm hoping for a very strong score.

    -GPA: 3.3 (B+ average)

    I understand this is a low GPA, particularly for LBS (which is my first choice), but I have worked several internships throughout my undergraduate career. My major is Business and the business school at my university is in the top 10 business schools in the US and my overall school is in the top 25 universities in the US. My school does not disclose GPA rankings, but the average grade for all classes is curved to a 3.0 which is a B. Also, we are on a +/- system which also attributes to this GPA deflation.

    • Resume/CV: I am particularly interested in entertainment particularly overseeing sales/finances of international divisions of studios ie. Warner Bros, Paramount, 20th Century Fox, etc.

    I've had 3 prestigious entertainment industry internships ( Talent Agency, Television Network, Creative Advertising Agency).
    I've also had 4 summers worth of internship experience at a law firm previous to these internships, and
    I've also been a student worker at my business school's alumni association for a year.

    -Extracurricular:
    -I've been a producer for several television shows at the university's television network
    -I've been a tutor for young students in the surrounding public schools
    -I'm part of the Black Business Association at my university
    -I've also been on a semester exchange at HKUST

    -Sports:
    -I've been a part of the Distance Running Team
    -Very committed runner (run 8-10 miles every other day)

    • Posted by - frenchstudent - on 3 December 2013 - 10:42pm

      Hi there,

      Focus on scoring 700+ on the gmat IMO. Your profile is really interesting and you've displayed good commitment to the entertainment industry, which should be central to your app. I think that's the main point: tell a story through your app, and make it a whole.

      Cheers

    • Posted by - Thomas Graf - on 3 December 2013 - 9:49am

      Hi Josh,

      thank you for your message. You have a very interesting CV and I suggest to apply everywhere you want to. If a school should really not accept you, just apply at its competitor. ;)

      Honestly, I would make sure to mention some of the information that you posted above in your MIM application. I would not write "I understand this is a low GPA" of course but I would mention the rest of this paragraph: "I have worked several internships throughout my undergraduate career. My major is Business and the business school at my university is in the top 10 business schools in the US and my overall school is in the top 25 universities in the US. My school does not disclose GPA rankings, but the average grade for all classes is curved to a 3.0 which is a B. Also, we are on a +/- system which also attributes to this GPA deflation."

      By this, you give the school some orientation on how to evaluate your achievements (even though the admissions managers may be able to do so based on their experience as well). And of course, you also mention all your other experiences in your CV (e.g., internships).

      One of your strongest assets, in my opinion, is diversity. As a US-American, you bring in diversity to any European school. But even independent of your country of origin, your CV itself expresses many sorts of interesting experiences on top of your good or very good academic achievements at a renowned institution. So, whenever someone asks you "Why should we choose you?" or (a bit more polite) "How would you contribute to the success of our class if we choose you?" - then you can play out that card.

      As for the specific schools you mentioned I would consider studying a MIM program that requires academic pre-experience explicitly. Note that some MIM programs are open for graduates from all academic disciplines while others particularly target graduates from business disciplines like you. Though studying with people from other background may be interesting in terms of diversity in thinking and solving problems, you may profit more from a MIM in terms of learning if you choose a program explicitly for business graduates. Also, the career impact is higher then.

      Good luck and keep me posted!

      Best wishes
      Thomas

      By Thomas Graf