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“Jesse — I am sitting here in orientation and I am reflecting on how far we came. I can’t believe I am sitting here at a Top 10 school. I feel like my life is going to change in such a drastic way (positively). Thanks for everything.”
Success Stories Our objective is to maximize your chances for admission. However, our niche is assisting applicants who are “on the bubble.” Our advisory process is proven and below are two examples of our ability to Ignite Success! Success Story #1:Background: Twenty-six year old candidate, 550 GMAT, 2.8 GPA, Liberal Arts major and limited quantitative courses throughout college. Four years work experience for a financial services company. Challenge: The candidate’s undergraduate transcript consisted of semesters with a 3.6 GPA to a 2.0 GPA with no logical reason for such fluctuation in grades with the exception that the candidate was a highly involved campus leader. At work, the candidate took lead roles on several small projects and a supporting role on one large corporate initiative. The candidate had previously applied to four MBA programs and was rejected by all. Approach: MBA Catalyst began working with the applicant a few months prior to Round 1 deadlines for the following year’s incoming class. We helped the candidate repackage their application. The candidate was advised to rewrite the essays and in doing so to place a strong emphasis on work experience. In particular, the candidate highlighted the financial analysis skills employed on a daily basis and how that skill set would benefit the candidate while in the program. In previous essays, the candidate failed to address how the lack of a quantitative background could be overcome. Through the help of the adviser, the revised essays clearly articulated how the basic understanding of accounting, ratio analysis, and managing overhead cost would not only assist the candidate with the MBA coursework, but also help fellow classmates who may possess a similar background. Furthermore, the candidate had a significant track record of leadership in college and at work, but failed to express how goals and objectives were reached. More importantly, the candidate failed to describe the challenges that were overcome in order to achieve those goals. The adviser helped the candidate understand the importance of drawing on examples to best describe the challenges faced in order to reach the objectives on the smaller projects as well as illustrate the importance of being a team player when supporting a colleague in a company wide initiative. After several drafts, the adviser helped capture the candidate’s story, providing ample opportunity to resubmit the application in time for Round 1 deadlines. Result: Through the repacking of the essays and the focus on tangible achievements, the candidate was invited to campus interviews and was offered admission and a partial scholarship to attend a Top 25 MBA program. Success Story #2:Background: Twenty-eight year old Economics major with a 610 GMAT and 3.0 GPA that was placed on academic probation due to plagiarism. Five years work experience in sales. Challenge: The candidate approached MBA Catalyst for assistance on how to structure the essays to submit a competitive application to the top 10 MBA programs. The applicant had limited experience in writing essays and was not able to clearly describe the challenges faced or the accomplishments achieved in the workplace. Furthermore, the candidate was involved in a mentoring program, but also had trouble articulating how the community involvement would bring value to an MBA program. Approach: In order to achieve the candidate’s desired result of attending a Top 10 Business School, the adviser had to truly understand the applicant’s background. The adviser spent several hours getting to know the candidate and discussing the candidate’s strengths, weaknesses, ambitions, and previous academic and corporate obstacles. Over a six week period, the adviser worked closely with the candidate brainstorming, outlining, and editing essays. MBA Catalyst helped the candidate describe why the need to plagiarize existed and the lesson learned from that decision. Furthermore, the adviser highlighted how the incident negatively impacted the candidate’s grade point average, but more importantly, how the overall experience shaped the candidate’s opinion on the importance of ethics. Later in the candidate’s career, the incident proved to be a vital lesson as the candidate was confronted with a difficult situation that bordered on an unethical business practice. The adviser helped the candidate use these experiences to explain how a poor judgment several years earlier in college served as the foundation to confront a dishonest situation at work. Finally, the adviser captured the candidate’s community service involvement and helped bridge the relationship between the volunteer work and the candidate’s long-term goal of becoming a leader in the field of education. Result: The candidate received four invitations from top 25 programs (including two from the Top 10) to interview on campus. MBA Catalyst helped the candidate run through several mock interviews, quizzed the candidate on each school’s unique qualities, and how those qualities would enhance the candidate’s career ambitions. Ultimately, the candidate was accepted to three schools and received full scholarships from each school. The candidate decided to accept the Consortium Fellowship and now attends a Top 10 MBA program. |
