holdenpc wrote:
Hi All,
I'm not really sure when to start my school research, as I have some issues with my academic profile.
First, things about me that are OK:
-27/White/M
-690 GMAT (43Q/41V) - 1st attempt
-710 GMAT (49Q/38V) - 2nd attempt
-spent first two years out of college as an equity analyst @ small ($150M AUM) hedge fund.
-spent last two+ years as VP, Business Development at family manufacturing business, 20M Rev/yr, 60 employees (this is probably my main selling point, going to business school to learn skills to take over, become CEO, etc.)
^ This profile looks like it might warrant admittance to some of the schools I want to go to (Sloan, Columbia, Kellogg)
The caveat:
-3.0 undergraduate GPA in Business Administration from small Jesuit university.
-Not only a low GPA, but I started in 2007 and did not have my degree conferred until SPRING 2015!
-For various reasons, none of which are good, I finished "on-time" in May '11 with all but 3 credits (1 course) to take. Unfortunately, I didn't take that course until this past spring.
So this glaring issue with my profile is throwing me for a loop, confusing me as to my "legitimate" chances at some of the top schools. It makes me wonder if I should be looking more in the 15-20 range.
Thoughts?
Thank you for providing an overview of your profile. While the education gap won't help you (nor will the 3.0), these are certainly possible to overcome. The family business will definitely work in your favor. I worked with a number of applicants from family businesses this year and every one was successful getting into top schools (more than a couple with less than stellar profiles). In fact, all schools on your list will appreciate your background. Kellogg has a great amount of family business support as you know. The key is developing a strong pitch that explains the reasons why everything happened as it did.
What are your thoughts on retaking the GMAT? You have a good profile to apply to these schools but you could improve it if you could add a few points. I recommend applying across a range of schools. Definitely go for some in the top 10 as you have but you may want to add 1-2 others to be on the safer side. I may take a more aggressive stance once I learn more about your extra-curricular activities. Feel free to send me an email if you want to talk further about how I can help you with your applications:
scott@personalmbacoach.comBest,
Scott
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22 Feb 2016, 11:05
