Re: Ask ARINGO MBA Admissions Consulting
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05 Nov 2013, 21:52
Profile: Canadian Male (Mixed heritage, White/East Indian) Not sure if being International helps.
Age: 27
Undergrad: 2nd tier local school
Major: BBA - Entrepreneurial Leadership (Basically small business management)
GPA: This is where things get complicated.
My first and second year grades are atrocious. Basically I dropped out of university. Between 2004-2006 I ran into some pretty unfortunate personal circumstances. Within the first two years of University, my grandfather and mother were diagnosed with cancer, my grandmother had a seizure and was diagnosed with Alzheumers, and my other grandfather passed away. The stress was too much, I cracked up and my academics suffered.
I basically spent the next 3 years taking care of my family (my mom got diagnosed with cancer, again). Eventually, I returned to school part time and went to work full time (see "Work Experience" below). Since I re-enrolled in school, my CGPA has gone from something abyssmal, to a Major GPA of 3.43 and a GPA of 3.46 over my last 60 credits.
GMAT: Practice scores are coming out at about 650 right now.
Work experience: Roles (from oldest to most recent)
2 Years: IT Manager/E-Commerce Strategist for a local consumer products company. Oversaw budget over about $125k not including salaries. My initiatives generated approximately an 1100% ROI in the first year.
6 Months: Co-Founder and Business Strategist of a now defunct technology start-up which focused on integrating patient health profiles and providing a scheduling service for doctors. (Canada is a lot more archaic in this regard).
1 Year 8 months: Systems & Strategy Adviser, of a digital out of home advertising service. Originally brought in as a consultant to help with the start-up my doing due diligence, and develop the overall business strategy, I was given a sweat equity stake in the company. I am in the process of exiting this company right now.
5 Months: Strategic Adviser (helping a company shift from a wholesale oriented business to a consumer oriented business)
Extra Curriculars/Awards:
-Participant in the Model United Nations (VMUN, McGill MUN, Queen's, NHSMUN)
-Volunteer Graphic Designer for QISA (Queen's Indian Students Association)
-Active athlete: Hockey, Tennis, Volleyball
-Clarica Scholars Program participant for students with innovative ideas that can be incorporated into education.
Goals:
I want to take what I do and get it to the next level. I would like to get involved providing more sophisticated services such as (on the buy side) fundraising, project management, or alternatively move over onto the sell side and get into venture capital funding in a very niche market. In order for me to do this, I need to get my MBA to improve my functional skills in certain areas, and would benefit from the cache of a stint with a well regarded vcap/consulting firm or technology firm to help me refine my skills.
I envision this career change taking one of three forms.
1) Working in a specialized field of VCAP finance which targets specifically companies which require seed stage and series A funding (aka a Union Square Ventures, First Round Capital)
2) Going into technology consulting (with an emphasis on entrepreneurship and business development)
3) Getting into project management for a large tech company with an innovative/entrepreneurial spirit.
Given my objectives I've evaluated schools based upon location, strength of tech start-up market, entrepreneurial rankings/emphasis on entrepreneurship within their MBA program, historical employment success in Tech, Finance and Consultancy Firms, lifestyle desirability, strength of alum network.
The schools I am tentatively looking at right now are:
Reach:
UNC
University of Texas
Georgetown
Target:
USC
Boston University
Rice
University of Washington
Boston College
Babson College
Fallback:
UC Irvine
SMU
Basically my concerns focus on my personal background and scattered school history. Will this kill me and put me out of touch with these schools?