sm0421 wrote:
Hi Linda,
1) Brief description of your full-time work experience.
2yrs: automotive retail dealer/digital marketing, Boston
1yr: top-3 automotive European tire company, digital marketing, NYC
2yrs(at time of Fall,13): top-1 US trucking company, digital marketing, Philly.
All mid-level manager positions, managing advertising agency, always go above and beyond, consistently promoted, excellent reference from everyone.
2) Your GMAT.
770 (9 in IR, 5.5 AWA)
3) College info: The name of the college, your GPA or grade average, your major, year of graduation. For any graduate degrees, please provide the same info. If you grades are low, please indicate if there were extenuating circumstances.
02-06 BS in Civil Engineering in top engineering school in China, GPA 2.3/4.0, because I hated physics, and there's no way to change major.
07-08 1.5 yrs MS in Marketing Analytics, Bentley University, GPA 3.78/4.0 1/22 in class, because I love marketing and I was the top student at Bentley. Interned at top companies Microsoft and Mazda.
4) Significant college and post-college extra-curricular activities or community service, especially leadership experience.
Leader in climbing/hiking group, I climbed the highest mountain in each of the 48 states in the US, tons of volunteers in outdoor organizations. I'm devoted to outdoor preservation and climbing.
6) Your target programs.
only HBS, Stanford, MIT, Wharton and Columbia, I have visit a class at each school.
7) Your post-MBA goal.
marketing @ automotive manufacturing, linking technology and cars, that's exactly what I wanted to do. I planned my career in automotive retail sales, suppliers, trucking, transportation and automotive rental, which I had done in the past 5 years, my next and ultimate step is working for automotive makers.
I felt in many time without an ivy-league I simply cannot open doors to companies I want to work for. I've worked with many ivy-school people from Google/Mckinsey and felt myself a equal member to them (intellectually, presentation skills, people skills). I'm concerned that my extremely low undergrad GPA/that I did follow the top-undergrade > 3-5 yrs top school formula are going to cost me a chance to go to my dream schools.
Your
low GPA is going to be a major hurdle for any of these programs. However, given the rest of your track record including your recent record at Bentley and your stellar GMAT, You should give a few (perhaps 3) of these schools a try. Then broaden your horizons and apply to three other programs where you chances of acceptance are higher and where you can still pursue your goals. Top of my list would be Ross. It has outstanding connection to the automotive industry and is also strong in marketing and general management. You may also want to consider Duke, Darden, and CMU Tepper.
Best,
Linda