OasisNYK wrote:
I applied this year with the profile:
5 years work experience, 1 as a paralegal in nyc, 4 working for a commercial real estate company starting as assistant gm, moved to gm, and became double location gm in late november (after most apps were in).
Undergrad GPA 2.55 from Boston University
Taken 2 additional courses at local community college - Intro to business and accounting I - got A's in both. Currently enrolled in accounting II.
GMAT - applied with a 640 - just bumped that up to a 710 in early march.
Schools applied to:
Cornell - dinged w/ interview
Yale - dinged
UVA-Darden - wait listed
USC Marshall - wait listed
Kellogg - dinged
So I am really looking at applying again next year - I know I am on 2 wait lists and Darden happens to be my top choice, but I have a feeling the wait lists wont be utilized this year. I could be wrong but it seems to be going that way.
My question to you is - what would you recommend I do in the off season to better my chances of admission next fall? I plan on taking more course work - probably statistics and something else. What schools do you think I will have a competitive shot at? I would like to stay in the elites if possible but I also want to be realistic.
Thanks in advance for your input.
OasisNYK,
You didn't mention your goals so it's difficult to recommend schools, but certainly you should try reapplying at USC and Darden if they ding you (you should now be waging a vigorous wait-list campaign at both school). If you think you can up your GMAT by 20 point or more without extreme anguish that might help to compensate further for your GPA. Otherwise, you didn't mention community, so perhaps your profile is weak there. In that case, spend the next year in a leadership role with an organization your care about, i.e., one where you are leading teams or having a say in the organization's future (not just tutoring etc.). Perhaps you should be aiming for schools like Cornell, Texas, and UNC.
Good luck,