Hey joshhowatt:
Wow, quite the profile you have. It seems you have experienced enough already to fill a few lifetimes.
One of the first questions that you have is whether or not "being gay" really matters. The way to think about this is the effect that it is on – in a leadership oriented way of course – on those around you. More specifically, think about the types of roles and responsibilities that have been placed upon your shoulders because of being a member of the LGBT community. So - how have you had to galvanize the community, friends and family around an inclusive cause?
I would not worry too much about being a theater major. It has been a few years since you undertook that curriculum. what I would be concerned about are the types of analytical, and quantitative skills that you have developed– either through the curriculum or during the course of your work experience. This is why it is going to be critical important for you to obtain a solid quantitative score on the GMAT. This is also going to be critical to discuss (your analytical abilities and intellectual horsepower) in your essays. This would probably be most appropriate when describing your leadership examples (in a leadership essay).
With respect to your lower GPA, you need to make sure that the semesters where you had lower grades coincided with the dates that you were experiencing a very profound family tragedy. I hate to seem so mechanical about it, but if you write the optional essay explaining the circumstances, you almost certain to include when it happened – that is, during your freshman or sophomore years, for example. The admissions committee will then reference your transcript to see how consistent the story is. For clarity, the adcom not automatically assume you are making up story – rather, they are simply giving your circumstances a quick smell test.
Do not assume that because you do not have a lot of formal or official leadership experiences, that you will not be an asset in the classroom. Often I have seen that the most compelling leadership experiences are the ones that are more informal or unofficial. You have to talk about it from this perspective – that you were able to get the trains to run on time in your informal management position and more personal professional abilities. You were able to convince a reluctant group or individual using what I call, moral suasion. Put another way – it is using your brain versus inflicting pain.
You seem like an extremely well-rounded person – a bit of a renaissance man. I want to encourage that are more of your personal essays (for example, Columbia's essay 2 from 2011-2012 application season.) I also want to caution against dumping too much emotion or personal pain into any one essay. Basically, avoid any "woe is me" stories as it tends to look like you are throwing yourself upon the mercy of the court.
I do not think that applying to the schools you list is a lost cause. Of course, I think you will a stronger candidate at Columbia and NYU's part-time programs. If you do choose to apply to Columbia, get your application in as early as possible - apply Early Decision.
As much as it behooves me to say this, I really do think that you would benefit from the services of our consultants. If you would like to schedule an initial consultation, please e-mail me at
MBA@amerasiaconsulting.com.
Respectfully,
Paul Lanzillotti
joshhowatt wrote:
Hello everyone,
So here's my MBA story:
White male/32/gay (does this matter?)/GPA 3.005/attended a University of California school/GMAT aiming for at least 700 (practice tests have been around there and still a month and a half before test.
So my story goes that I went off to college, didn't really know what I wanted to do, started in Pre-Med (hated it), did fine first year, then my father passed away (suicide), my grades plummeted, I changed major to Theater, got decent grades, Dean's list quite a few times, ended up graduating with a 3.005 after 5 years (the dad thing REALLy messed me up). I moved to New York (persuing the dream-dream didn't happen). Worked for a Major hotel at the Front Desk for 6 years (the money was suprisrisingly REALLLY good - so didn't take opportunities for advancement, although I was Shift Lead, had highest upsell record and enrollment in loyalty program 4 years in a row-huge deal to the hotel, not sure about Grad Schools), transferred to a Sales position at an even better hotel. Along the way I've cross-trained in several of our sister properties: 2 years in Marketing, 1 year in Copywriting, took Graphic Design/Marketing Courses at NYU (all A's). I have 2 bosses that will no doubt write rave reviews for me. I have quite a few extracurricular going on for me: was published in 6 literary journals, wrote a novel (that never got picked up), an accomplished pianist (creativity and marketing is where I shine), was a gymnastics coach and team captain, was an assistant manager during college, am the first one in my family to graduate from college (let alone grad school), took part in Leadership Development Program at UC. So I'm at a point where I'm sort of trying to spin everything into an example of leadership (ie: holding the family together after father passed away). My question is: clearly my GPA is lacking, and I'm not so sure that schools are going to be thrilled that I was a Theater major. Also I don't really have any official management roles. I wanted to apply to some top schools, but is it a lost cause? I have no doubt I could craft an outstanding essay, I'm just worried about how to phrase/spin the content. I wanted to apply to Columbia and NYU (both close to me), Georgetown, UCLA, USC, and Booth. Boston University and Boston College (both backups). I'm applying first round. Any advice is much appreciated.
Also, I failed to mention that I began this whole application process 3 years ago, but ran into some medical issues. Which are now resolved. (It's been a difficult life to say the least. But hey I'm still here. And that's somehing. )
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