Pre-MBA industry: Non-Profit and Government
Post-MBA industry: Non-Profit and Government
14 Sep 2024 12:09
Hello, I am originally from India and currently residing in the USA. I recently completed my graduate degree in Social Sciences at the University of Chicago, where I achieved a GPA of 3.69. My undergraduate grades were not as strong, as I completed my bachelor's degree through distance learning at Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU). I bring eight years of work experience in the nonprofit sector.
PS. Killer GRE score by the way!
You have a great an interesting profile. I don't know if you had 339 last time you were applying or if it is a new score (sorry for all the questions).
Your score should definitely not keep you out of the programs. At the same time M7's are unpredictable with volume and applications so it is good your applying to a range of them but I also would image in you applying from and going to an NGO background, and M7's do not really place people into Non-profit space. See the non-profit yellow table here https://gmatclub.com/forum/best-mba-pro ... 21312.html and most grads recommend taking the Consulting route to become senior and valuable enough before pivoting back into the non-profit world - here is one such story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YExso7CJYVE
So I would say applying with non-profit as a short term goal is risky. This is a niche space. You are going to be scrutinized a lot more than if you were applying for a consulting job because schools do not want to take risks. They would also, in addition to risk, have to likely offer you a scholarship and that may be a challenge of its own for M7.
The main areas of messaging and concern that the programs may have about your profile that I can't answer with the information here are:
1. Do you have enough of the international NGO brand and momentum to continue driving the change and having MBA impact a lot more
2. Do you really need an MBA degree? If you are going to stay within no-profit, I am sure there are some segments and perhaps 10 jobs in the country per year that may be picky and require a Fresh MBA but most other NGO's will underpay their candidates and perhaps pay $10K more per year if you have an MBA (any kind).
3. If you are looking to stay in non-profit space, I would recommend taking your score and profile to T15 and apply with the consulting goal. You are likely going to get some $$ assistance in funds. Whether you choose to recruit for consulting, that's your choice, but I would recommend as it would make you a stronger and more valuable person for nonprofit to even try the consulting recruiting and going through the ringer of the interviews and networking
Bottom line - hopefully I am wrong and you will convert all of your apps and you will just laugh at me - that would honestly make me happy too. I am not a consultant and can't predict the outcomes perfectly so take it with a grain of salt but if for some reason you are not happy with your R1 results you have option in R2. I would recommend networking with non-profit students/clubs at HBS, Haas, and Yale (those are the only ones that have at least some placements in this sector) and getting their take on your strategy and best way to approach it.
Let me know if you have further questions.
-BB
- Dee
MBA admissions consultant and management consultant
catalysts.success@gmail.com