Profile review and school advice please
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11 Jun 2007, 20:23
26 year old white american male
GMAT: 760 (q50, v44, AWA 6.0)
Undergrad GPA: 3.25 (far better last 2 years than first 2) in Business Administration (Information Systems and Finance focus)
Work Experience: Almost 5 years of FT work at application. I work in IT. I I have been promoted regularly, starting from the helpdesk and working up to a senior network engineer role. In my last job I was one of 3 senior technical escalations for a NOC of 35 that supports 60k employees. I now mentor the 2 employees who have taken over my old job. I have outstanding performance reviews, and I should be able to get good letters of recommendation.
Extra circulars: Some interesting ones in college, but not much that schools would probably care about since then. I built an entire small business IT infrastructure (server, network, software, desktops), which I still maintain, for a family member (for free). However, since it is IT work, I don't know if it would count for much.
Goals/Reason for MBA: I guess I am a little unusual in that I have no interest in pursuing an IB/MC/PE/VC career. I want to work on the general management, finance, and operations skills necessary to build and lead successful businesses. Not necessarily building a business from the ground up (although that isn't out of the question), but also within the corporate world. I want to work in a company that is technology, communications, or biological sciences focused after my MBA.
I currently live in Seattle and I want to return to the west coast within a few years of obtaining my MBA.
Target schools:
Chicago
Northwestern
Michigan
UCLA
I will probably also take a shot at either Stanford or Harvard, although I know my chances are not great.
Do you think these are reasonable school options? My main worry is that I do not have the unusual/special background that schools seem to be looking for. Is there a school that may be a good fit that I am overlooking? I am only at the beginning of heavy school research, so any recommendations would be appreciated.
Thank You