Senior Manager
Joined: 20 Jun 2010
Posts: 488
Concentration: Strategy, Economics
Schools: Chicago (Booth) - Class of 2014
Profile Evaluation Much Appreciated
[#permalink]
20 Jun 2010, 18:35
Basics:
Male / 24 / USA
Undergrad:
Purdue University / Selling & Sales Management / GPA: 3.58
Not a heavy quant major; however, among the match courses I did take (trig, statistics, finance, accounting) I received A's.
GMAT: 690 (43Q, 41V) [taken ~4 times]
I would feel much more comfortable with a higher GMAT score (esp a higher quant score). However, on my last attempt my score dropped by 10 points to a 680 (Q44, V38). Therefore, unless I spend another month or two to studying, I’m not sure if I can make an improvement—and to be honest, I’m so frustrated that I'm leaning towards calling it finished and keeping my 690. BUT, if it turns out that 10-20 points is what's holding me back from my target schools then I'll force myself to continue the pursuit (but after a decent break). Also, in regards to having taken the GMAT 4 times now, it's worthy to note that during my first attempt I experienced a significant administrative error and was given a chance to take the test again free of charge by the GMAC-however, despite my request, I'm not sure if my first official score (620) was cancelled (though I'm not sure if this even matters).
Work Experience:
Sales & Purchasing (1 year ago-current): B2B sales & purchasing for a small business that designs, manufacturers, and sells industrial equipment and specialized heavy-duty automotive fleets (think car haulers, severe service vehicles, waste/recycling vehicles). Responsible for managing several significant government and commercial accounts. – Without going into a lot of detail, due to the fact that we’re such a small business (<20 employees), I’ve been given quite a lot of freedom & responsibility with my position. This has subsequently provided me with increasing amounts of managerial responsibilities and some leadership opportunities. I'm hoping that I can use the small size of this company to my advantage as so many applicants to top schools seem to come from large organizations.
President (6mo ago-current): Start-up company - we have the exclusive distribution rights to an energy conservation unit designed for industrial and commercial lighting systems. Unit is manufactured and guaranteed by General Electric. It's still a relatively new product and venture, however, we have a handful of prospects lined up that are willing to give it/us a try. We’re just waiting on a few items to materialize over the next 2 months before I’m comfortable with moving forward. At this early stage I'm constantly involved with on-going negotiations with the manufacturer and patent holders (per product & price), handling all clerical & marketing objectives, meeting with prospects, and managing 3 sales people and 2 electrical contractors. At the very least, I hope that I can leverage my leadership role in this position to make up for any lack of it in the rest of my profile.
I graduated last year and therefore only have one year of full time post-grad work experience. However, my game plan is to hold off on applying to B-School for another 2 years (so that I'll have 3 years of solid experience at matriculation).
Community Involvement (post grad):
1.) Instructor of a weekly literacy class at the main jail in my city. Instructing classes consisting of 20-30 inmates per session who want to improve their reading and writing or work towards a GED.
2.) GED tutor at a half-way house for women transitioning from prison back to society while they raise their young children. I tutor groups of 1-3 individuals at a time, helping with homework, answering questions, and explaining difficult topics.
3.) Micro Mentor – Business mentor for two entrepreneurs that are starting their own business. I speak twice per month over phone/e-mail with two separate entrepreneurs—facilitating brainstorming and providing feedback for their marketing, networking, and other general business ideas. I make sure, going into the relationship, that these entrepreneurs don’t think of me as an expert and instead as an outside evaluator. Because, as I have learned from my own entrepreneurship ventures—it's always helpful have someone to bounce your ideas off of.
My Future MBA Plan:
To keep it brief, my reasoning for obtaining an MBA is three fold: 1.) Gain the knowledge necessary to Improve my chances for success as an entrepreneur, 2.) Develop managerial & strategic consulting and analysis skills, 3.) Fulfill my passion for academics (esp in regards to business subjects).
My target schools are:
1. Northwestern (Kellogg)
2. NYU (Stern)
3. Duke (Fuqua)
4. Yale
5. Cornell (Johnson)
Given my undergrad history, my somewhat untraditional work experience (~3 years at matriculation), my community involvement, combined with my mediocre GMAT score—what would be my chances for admittance at the aforementioned schools?
Truly any advice would be very helpful...
And a big thanks in advance to anyone that is willing to read & comment!