Hi
Admissionado!
I'm looking to apply this year for the fall intake of 2016. I'm targetting some top 15-30 schools, but my largest concern is my GPA which is well below the average for these schools. Do you have any advice for my profile? Thanks a lot in advance
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Age: 28 (29 at Matriculation)
Nationality: Canadian caucasian male
GPA: 3.0 (transcript shows 2.98 which really hurts) with heavy upwards trend (senior year GPA of 3.7). Major in Electrical Engineering from a Canadian University. This is clearly well below the average for the schools I'm applying, so I'm hoping to compensate elsewhere (mainly the GMAT).
GMAT: Taking in a couple of weeks, but based off of GmatPrep practice tests, I'm currently looking at ~720-730.
WE: Total of 54 months at matriculation: 2 years with a major mining company in the sub-arctic in a technical role. Acted as project lead on a couple of projects and instructed others during project commissioning. I was also the Co-Radiation Safety Officer for the entire site and was in charge of making sure Nuclear devices were in proper safe conditions and helped offer training to floor level employees. I'm Currently 1.5 years into a role as an engineering consultant with a small firm in Atlantic Canada. Basically doing automation projects for multiple industries and interacting with both major multi-national companies and small startups. I handle my own hours, time and material budgeting, cost estimates, instructing work during commissioning, etc. in addition to design work and I interact with Stakeholders both from my firm and on the client side. Also worth mentioning that during my undergrad. I did 6 work terms that were 4 months in length, where I worked with a large oil and gas company, a multi-national engineering consulting firm with renewable energy R&D and the pulp and paper industry as well. As it stands though, I'll have ~4.5 years post-graduate work experience at matriculation if I applied this year.
Rec: I'm an avid salsa dancer and former competitive powerlifter. Helped teach salsa classes for a year while in university, participated in many volunteer events and was a track athlete for a couple of years in university before studies became too difficult and I needed to focus more on them.
ECs: current Co-Chair of recruitment on a cancer non-profit board (have been for the past year). Helped plan an event that raised $75,000 for cancer research. Worked as a volunteer firefighter for a year while working in the mining company (stopped when I moved for the new job since the opportunity wasn't available to pick it back up). I was an RA in residence at my university for a couple of years before I was taking too much on and school became too stressful.
Target schools: Oxford Said, Cambridge Judge, Cornell, UofT Rotman, Fuqua. The European schools actually really appeal to me since Renewable energy is a much larger industry over there than it is in North America at the moment. Having ties to international business I think would be a very positive aspect for my career. Also Cambridge has an "Energy and Environment" specialization that seems up my alley.
My goal is to pursue renewable energy development opportunities in my home province of Newfoundland (lots of potential development there) in a management role (management consulting or project/operations management). It's worth mentioning that while I was doing my undergrad., I had 2 4 month work terms doing R&D with wind turbine power forecasting with a large multi-national engineering firm. It really sparked my interest in the field and it coincides with the sudden sharp rise in my grades (had 1 work term before my 2nd last senior term and the other in between my 2nd last and final senior term). The region I'm from (Newfoundland in Canada) has an enormous store of potential wind energy development and I want to be involved, although I really just want to get involved in the renewable energy industry in general (completely open to moving to Europe for example).
How are my chances at the schools listed above? (assuming I get the expected 720 on GMAT. gunning for 730+ though) I'm really not sure how competitive I will be.
Thanks so much for your assessment!
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07 Aug 2015, 06:42
