I am an ex-military enlisted NCO who wants to get an idea of what everyone thinks about my application package and what I can do to make mine as strong as possible. I have 7.5 years of work experience, all with some form of technology/IT, in a military or public sector setting.

At my current job I have very few chances to lead others, but I am part of an understaffed four person team that provides technical support in a setting that is larger than 99.9% of the businesses that would be hiring. I have strong leadership skills and experiences from my enlisted time; I had seven direct reports, managed missile defense systems with an operating budget approaching one million dollars, and led non-compliant boarding missions off of the coast of Somalia.

While my G.P.A. is high (3.9), I have taken courses from five different schools and my degree is ultimately from DeVry. I have taken seven courses and received great marks while enrolled in the Master's in Public Administration program at The Ohio State University, and I was accepted into the part-time M.B.A. program at The Ohio State University (Fisher). I am a first generation college student who was very naive about the entire college prestige issue, but I do excel in the classroom.

In discussions with the admissions team at Fisher, their only hangup is my current GMAT score (560 32Q/35V). I was unprepared the first time I took the test and I am currently shooting for a late March/early April retake. I plan on applying in the fall of 2011 to the full-time program at Fisher, and depending on my GMAT score, apply at a couple of other schools. I have been scoring in the 660 range on my recent practice tests. Any idea if I could get into Indiana (Kelley), Texas (McCombs), or UCLA (Anderson) with my undergrad institution?

My plans post-M.B.A. are to get into IT project management (infrastructure and new installations/upgrades) and ultimately start my own consulting firm providing the same services. I will have my PMP by the time I start my studies in the fall of 2012, but more than likely not prior to submitting my applications.

Thoughts?