Dinged by Wharton.. need advice on Columbia application...

Italyer

any suggestion for the career goal? for quan background+ Finance knowledge.... VC was failed...

Whitney

ls, no one can change the age factor.  So focus on how to connect dots in the life.

Whitney

Career goal is your friends current jobs.  

Tell them because you have friends working in quan side of finance; (I think you just mentioned it)
your friends bring your two things - friendships - a life style you want; AND
your friends discuss certain challenges in their jobs; then you showed off your skill (a story to tell your quan skills);
During
the process, blablabla; you started to like finance because it is more challenging
and rewarding and you like the life style ( a story here);

You already have a lot of skills in quan, all you need is a brick (MBA education) to kncok the door.

[此贴子已经被作者于2007-12-21 10:09:27编辑过]

napaway

No affense. But you have great background, it is hard to convince the AdCom that you need a MBA to enter the finance job market (as a quant or trader). However, you are against the idea to be a quant, then they can not be sure that the program can find you the job you fancy.All AdCom cares about is the graduate turn-out-to-be. 

I think selling you as an entrepreneur type may work. Then Stanford and MIT are better fits. Columbia is likely to be highly skeptical about R2 applicants since it is not your first choice.

Italyer

Appreciate your suggestions... .. just want to clarify that make a story on why I want to move to the finance area is better than relating to my strength and experience in pharma? Not sure if adcom will buy such a story. Any similar experience?

Italyer

I guess some small entrepreneurial experience is a must if you would like to apply the entreprenuer direction. So may need to make up a story for that? Already sold my VC story to Stanford and MIT, guess they won't buy it either.

libai9

还有一个问题，你选择waive你的推荐信了吗？我觉得你这样的转业，不知道你的推荐人会怎样写一封很好的推荐信，同样对他们来说也是challenge。很难推荐到位

Whitney

What do you really want to do after MBA?
Even you go to a top MBA, you still have a small chance to go into VC.  So what is your next choice if you cannot go into VC?

Italyer

Waive了,不过有两封是看到了的,另一封是老美写的,没看到是什么内容.

eds

I think your chance at Columbia in R2 is slim. If I were you, I would pick the schools with strong healthcare concentrations and tailor your application towards that direction. Then after getting in, you can always change your mind. Go ahead hire a good admission consultant and they are the expert on this.