Hi Jon,

Thank you for taking the time to give your advice! I am looking to apply to B-school in the first or second round this year, and I am setting my sights on Wharton or Kellogg. However I'm concerned about the strength of my candidacy, particularly given my work experience. Can you shed a little light on this? Here is my profile:

-23/M/Caucasian American
-3.5 GPA in an advertising/history double major with psychology and marketing minors at a top 50 school
-Undergrad Extra Curriculars: 2 years on the E-board of the advertising club, 1 year on the Board of Directors of the advertising young professional association in my city, history honors society, internship experience in my field (marketing).
-Post Grad ECs: President of my fraternity's alumni chapter (spearheading fundraising efforts), volunteer with a program helping foster children finish high school and transition out of foster program.
-Work Exp: 2.5 years total, one as a copywriter with a regional ad agency (where I won two regional awards), 1.5 as a marketing coordinator/manager (after promotion) with a small, but growing, education company. Also part owner of a small business and a freelance writer.
-Will have Letter of Recommendation from a Wharton grad and former Fortune 500 CEO
-Essays should be strong (writing skills are a strength)
-Taking official GMAT in 5 weeks; target range is 730-750.

Since my field is marketing, Wharton and Kellogg are particularly enticing, but do you think these credentials make for a strong candidate at these schools?

Thank you in advance and I look forward to hearing from you!

Thank you for the quick response. I appreciate your feedback; this will definitely help me anticipate the concerns I might face in the admissions process. I think this is a question I can certainly handle in an interview process. Basically I've found success with smaller businesses that have offered little formal training or mentoring from experienced business (and particularly marketing) professionals, and I truly believe the best way to expand my skill set and hone the skills that I have is to immerse myself in the environment of talented peers, top professors, and successful alumni that a Wharton or Kellogg can offer.

Thank you again for your frank feedback. This was exactly the type of information for which I was looking.