Would REALLY appreciate a profile eval...please!

edited post.

I have just found out that my GPA is 3.19 (or 3.33 major GPA.) I don't know how I could have been off on that, but I am.

What does this change? I have given up on HBS, but UChi, Kellogg, Yale & Dartmouth are still my top 4, and preferably full time. Does this force my hand on the GMAT issue, or could it still be overcome with killer essays and volunteer work?

Morepower4me,

What does it change? Well, it makes your profile a bit weaker and, yes, it would put more of an onus on you to raise your GMAT score. But even with a higher GMAT, killer essays, and some volunteer work Chicago, Kellogg, and Dartmouth will be long-shots (especially Kellogg where high-impact community work is almost a must). This is primarily because you don't have unusually strong leadership/impact professionally extracurricularly that I can see. Your odds at Yale would be better, but still longshot I think.

Good luck,

Hi Paul / Jennifer / Accepted.com,

I wanted to follow-up on my above thread (from 2007) with some updates, and a new question.

As predicted... I did not get into the schools I was hoping for. I was fortunate enough to get some insight from an admissions person & they hinted that my overall lack of work experience for the Part Time program (average age is ~29) and lack of analytical work to supplement my poor Quant performance on the GMAT is what did me in.

I took it to heart, and over the last 4 years have made some changes. I moved to Chicago (for better job prospects,) worked 1.5 years as a Business Analyst for pricing at a Fortune 100 company doing heavy quantitative analysis, and have now spent about 1.5 years at the current company, a top provider of email/social campaigns for fortune 500 sized business. I build/deploy the campaigns, interact with the clients & manage the overall projects. I have reason to believe that I will be promoted to a lead/manager position by the time I would be applying & would therefore have *some* people managing skills in addition to the project management ones.

Outside of work, I'd stepped up that leadership, and after serving on the board, and then VP of a good sized conservatory of music, I'd stepped down because of the move, and now remain on the board and help them with social marketing.

My 'stats' still stay the same.
White, 28
690 Gmat, 39Q (59%) 44V (97%)
3.19 GPA overall from WP Carey Business, Degree Marketing

3 Questions:
-How do you feel about my prospects to get into Booth/Kellogg Part time?
-How important is that 'manager' promotion to the application (I can probably push and get it sooner if it matters that much vs possibly not getting it in time to send with the app)
-How much should I mention I've 'changed' with the advice they've given vs not mentioning that?

Thanks so much for your time.

I definitely believe your chances of admission are better now for the Booth and Kellogg part-time programs. I would recommend that you retake the GMAT if you can to boost the Quant section (without a drop in the verbal if you can swing that!) since the MBA program is so quant based. I would recommend a Quant score in the 75th percentile or above. Keep in mind that your previous GMAT score is probably not in the same percentile as it was in 2007 - I'm pretty sure that a new score report issued would show that drop (since international quant scores have gone up).
While the title of "Manager" is nice, equally important in the admissions process is examples of how you have led and motivated people in the past - both as the official manager and without the title to help you. With or without the title, you're going to need to demonstrate that leadership ability.
I'm sure the admissions committee will be please to hear that you took their advice to heart, assessed your goals and what you needed to get there, and then pursued better paths to reach them. It demonstrates a key element of what they are seeking in students: the ability to accept criticism and learn. You may want to mention this in an optional essay.