Profile Evaluation
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24 Jun 2012, 13:29
Would you please evaluate whether I have a realistic chance of gaining admission to a top 15 school?
27 (28 once applications are received) White Male
GMAT: 700. I would consider retaking because I felt very good during the quant section and was somewhat surprised with the score I actually received (46).
Undergraduate: I graduated from a state university in December 2006 with a degree in Business Economics. My GPA was a low 2.4. In order to mitigate this, last year I began building an alternate transcript at a more respected university and have received all A's in 4 courses (and plan to take a few more this fall/winter). These included both graduate and undergraduate level courses and were largely quantitative (Calculus, advanced Stats, etc.) I'm not familiar with the methodology adcoms use for calculating gpa; however, if these courses are included then it should help bump that ugly 2.4.
Work Exp: 5+ years at an arbitrage consulting firm that I'd arguably consider a startup (in recent years, the IRS has enacted and began to enforce several laws regarding investment compliance. My firm came to fruition to directly satisfy these issues.). Though still relatively small, it has grown considerably and I've achieved the position of Vice President while managing a number of employees/projects.
Extra: I'm active in a couple large leadership organizations in my city and I've separately taken part in home building with 'Habit for Humanity'. I also ran and completed my first full marathon this year. Additionally, I'm also considering the CFA level 1 exam for December, though not just for the sake of looking better on my application. This accreditation, along with an MBA, would be integral to achieving my career goals.
If I sell my story well, along with displaying progression since my undergraduate studies (which feels like ancient history now), is it reasonable to think I might gain acceptance to one of the top schools? Could you estimate my percentage of acceptance to at least one of Wharton/Booth/Sloan/Columbia/Tuck/Yale/Stern/Johnson? Additionally, I believe I could probably gain another 20 points or so on the GMAT. How much would that help my cause?