Your thoughts for a frazzled MBA applicant

Paul,

Thanks for the detailed feedback. As I have learned that most people fall between 4-6 years on the W/E scale, I do feel like 2 years is my weakness, adding the fact that it is within a family business. If you do have any more time, I have a few more questions as I've been evaluating where I am and where I want to go:

Although I'm short on the work experience, I feel like this is the best time I will have available for a natural transition. The business is at a point where we just went through a pretty big expansion, selling/acquiring a few properties, so there will be no new major acquisition happening for a couple years, which has been one of my primary duties. Second, I'm getting married here in a couple months, and my to-be-wife will be getting her Master's in Teaching, so she will be at the point of looking for a job. With these factors combined, I feel like making a move to a new area now will fit well, b/c she can work at finding a job and I can establish myself in an MBA program. If we were to stay in Oregon, and find jobs here, we would both essentially go in knowing the jobs are just a temporary holdover.

Still, I understand that getting to the point where I can explain this to the admission people would be a challenge, and even if I do they may well still prefer the person with a high GMAT/GPA and more work experience. But, I suppose my question is, will having such a clear explanation for wanting to pursue an MBA at 24 instead of 27/28 do me any good when I am explaining the situation to the admission officers, or will they be more likely to say "that's all well and good, we still don't want you"?

To add one more question, do you have any programs besides Vanderbilt, North Carolina, Duke, UW that you recommend? I've been looking at University of Virginia and Emory, but don't know too much about the schools.

Thanks again.