wilrusdar wrote:
Hello there, just looking for an honest evaluation of my situation!
31yo Male
Work Experience:
The last year I have spent at Officer Candidate School/Infantry Officer Leadership Course and Ranger School (the army's premier troop leadership school) for the Army Reserves. As I explain in my essays the Army Reserves isn't exactly jumping from career to career it is actually an "in addition to" thing that was a life long dream that came down to now or never. The previous 3 years were spent as an analyst on a Private Wealth Mgmt team for a national wire house. In addition, thru college I spent 6 years as general manager of a small biz and was instrumental in growing it from 5-50+ employees and increasing revenue exponentially.
GMAT 1: 690 (Q43/V41 - Q65%/V92%)
GMAT 2: 740 (Q48/V42 - Q82%/V95%)
CFA Level III candidate
GPA: 2.65 Biology/Physics minor
State School
I have taken Math for Finance and Biz Calculus through UCLA Extension (A's in both) to try to mitigate the abysmal undergraduate showing. (Hoping that the GMAT, CFA and UCLA classes show I can hack quant subjects at a graduate level.) I also used the essays to highlight the solid leadership experience of running small biz during college was gained at the expense of my gpa.
Pretty good track record of community involvement over the past years by consistently volunteering with the Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity, a local homeless shelter (foot wound care and washing the feet of the homeless) as well as a political campaign.
Solid essays and should get solid recommendations.
I actually took a road trip to get the first hand experience at some of the top schools and here is my application list in order of preference (asterisk denotes visited):
Tuck*
CBS*
Yale SOM*
NYU*
Duke
Darden
Emory*
I also visited HBS and Wharton but I won't be applying; I have a mental stumbling block telling me that there is no way my GPA would be acceptable. (Still holding hope for CBS and especially Tuck, as I absolutely fell in love with Tuck on my visit.)
Thanks so much in advance
I believe you've done a great job of mitigating the low GPA. My one concern is that you are very experienced already and will need to convince the MBA programs why now makes the most sense to purse a traditional, full-time MBA program. I have actually found that Wharton (and Chicago and Ross) are a bit more lenient about age in the class than smaller programs like Tuck (who are very focused on creating a uniquely tight community of peers). I highly recommend showing just how well you'll fit into the class in your essays plus highlighting how you may need to tailor your post-MBA job search because of your age and experience. This will show you are realistic about your future and what the program will help you achieve.
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