Are the target school within reach? Is there a smart way that I should approach my applications that maybe isn't obvious?

GRE Score: 320
- Quant: 156, Verbal: 164
- AWA: Pending

Academic Background:
- Undergrad: University of Houston 2008 - 4.0 GPA, Majored in International Relations, English, with a minor in Entrepreneurship
- Grad: Law School, UCLA 2012, Specialization in Business Law - (have to double check GPA/rank)

Professional Life:
Note: I'm going to share some background that I don't openly discuss. My intention is not to brag here. I want to get a better sense whether what I'm trying to accomplish is within reach, and I think this background will help evaluate that.

Current: in-house counsel at a major energy company. Distinguished as the youngest hire in the company's history. I am thriving in the company and am well regarded at a high level. I primarily focus on the acquisition, registration, and sale of aircraft. I've handled billions in transactions for the company without oversight. I also assist with the company's VC division. I have been practicing for 8 years (I'm currently 35).

Current: Co-founded a business in my last year of law school. The business helps address the food desert issue in the city that I am residing. The business currently has annual sales of 17 million, and we have 90 employees on staff. By next year (when we open our third location), we expect to have 150 employees. The majority of our employees have criminal backgrounds, including several convicted of murder. We provide career opportunities for these men and women. We are also an African American and female-owned business. My partner (I am one of three founders) is African American, and a key motivator for her joining us was the significant amount of community-focused work that we do. This work has been acknowledged by the city, and we are hoping to partner with them on our next location.

Previous: I used to be a professional web developer. I started an attorney referral service during my undergraduate career, and that experience is what made me decide to go to law school. After volunteering on Skid Row during my final year of law school (UCLA has a legal assistance program), I learned about food deserts. I then applied the profits from the attorney referral service and co-founded the business described in the prior bullet point. I handle the technical work for the business (eg, app development, database work, design, etc.), in addition to legal work for the company.

Why business school:
The business is of course something that I am very proud of, and I have been able to nurture it without compromising my work as in-house counsel for the energy company. I see a great deal of potential for the business, as well as the opportunity to do good. Currently, the business is being increasingly confronted by challenges that my partners and I do not have the sophistication or knowledge to address. Business school has always been something that I wanted to attend, but it's only now that it is feeling like something that I could directly apply to my professional life.

That said, considering the work involved and the fact that I will continue juggling my legal work with the energy company (unless I can take a sabbatical), as well as my obligations to the business, I really only want to go to an elite university. The brand-recognition of the university/school is also very important, as it will  help me develop my in-house counsel role into other areas of the company. I recognize that these are reaches:

Target Schools (note, I would prefer not to go the executive MBA route, but I am open to online if available):
- Harvard Business
- Stanford Business
- Columbia
- Yale
- NYU

If you've made it this far, thanks. Your honest thoughts/suggestions are appreciated.

Hi MBAaaaaaa,

Thank you for sharing. We work with many lawyers and know what it takes to make the transition. We also have a lawyer on our team!

I am glad to see that you have articulated your reasoning for “why business school.” Business schools want to know how you will make the business world (and the world more broadly) better when you leave their campuses. They also want to know how you will leave a unique mark. You have clearly put some thought into this already which is a good start.

While not what you want to hear, you will benefit from having closer to a 330 GRE when applying to your target schools (great that you have selected 5 target schools though – we typically advise clients to apply to 5-7 to increase their chances of getting an acceptance).

You have a strong undergrad GPA, but you are certainly older than the average applicant. Thus, because of the non-analytical background and having studied a while ago, it is good to support your quant abilities today.

We can certainly help you get the score you need on the GRE through our customized tutoring services. Personal MBA Coach tutors have scored in the 99th percentile on the GMAT / GRE and are graduates of MIT, Harvard, and UPenn.

As for a “smart way” to approach your applications, successfully articulating your personal story is a big component. Defining your story may be the hardest and the most important part of the application and we advise candidates to start this process months in advance. Here are some tips to get started:

• Make a list of everything you have done in your life and take the time to write it all down. Think carefully about the decisions you have made, activities you enjoy and most importantly, why you made those choices.
• Think about your future goals. What do you want to do after you earn your MBA and again, why?
• Next, look for a theme! What single idea connects these together? This is the hard part, so give it time.

You will also want to successfully explain in your applications why now is the best time for you to pursue a full-time MBA (rather than an EMBA).

Happy to further discuss your profile and target school list: scott@personalmbacoach.com

Regards,
Personal MBA Coach
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