Addressing My Faults and Stressing Myself Out

Question

Hey everybody! Sorry if this is a little long-winded but I could really use some advice. I’m a scientist interested in an MBA (Entrepreneurship). I recently took the GMAT for the first time and scored 6 AWA / 8 IR / 730 T (49 Q / 40 V). I think that puts me in a decent position for applications. I’ve also got experience from a couple of jobs in diagnostic R&D, one managing a small group of 6-8 analysts (including undergraduates and PhDs / MDs) and another in a large diagnostic corporation (40k+ employees). In addition to that, I started a company with friends - we eventually shut it down after 2 profitable (though not by much) years because it just wasn’t something we wanted to pursue, but it was a really fun learning experience.

So that’s the good. Here’s the bad. I graduated with a BS in Microbiology/Immunology with a shoddy GPA of 3.18. In my defense, the major allows 10-12 students out of the entire school of 12-1300 in each year, and it’s not a very easy program to finish (actually took an extra summer of classes even though I took classes literally every summer since I entered college). However, I don’t think that actually holds any weight with the AdCom. Furthermore, due to massive budget cuts in R&D, I was laid off from my last job. As a result, I’ve had a rather significant work gap.

I’ve thought about the work gap, which is really the main source of my stress (Though the GPA doesn’t help much either, but my GMAT might help with that, right?) and I’ve really thought about what I’ve done in the last year. I took cycling more seriously, started leading local group rides and training new riders, and became a self-employed, published professional photographer (always a hobby, never really depended on it until now). I taught myself French and tried to increase my international network. I’ve been in talks with European start ups, but they’ve all come to the conclusion that it’s very difficult to get a E.U. work visa without more than my BS, which is very much my motivation for getting an MBA (I see myself thoroughly entrenched in a boutique biotech startup, as it falls in line with my experience). So it’s not like I’ve been stagnant, but I’m not sure if it’s enough.

I’m really interested in programs like Booth or HEC, that have a lot of opportunities for entrepreneurial application (HEC e-Lab, Booth Entrepreneurial Roundtable). I’ve always tried to create things from the ground up, whether it was a patient analysis tool, or my own company. So to me, it makes sense. To an outside observer, however, I worry that they may see my experience as a bit disjointed, and my GPA as sub-par. I also worry that my work gap might be too much to recover from, even though I’ve been involved in my own personal projects during that time.

Am I overthinking this?   Should I be letting myself get stressed out more than I have been? Do these bad factors carry less weight than I think they do, or should I just accept the meteor that I've called upon myself? I’ve been trying to start my personal statements but I can’t shake this feeling that I might be reaching too far - I’ve been known to do that. What are your thoughts? I’d really, really appreciate it.

Edit: I should also add that I kept in contact with my previous employer, who always told me that if they could afford to bring me back, they would (though they can't, as the assays that I know how to develop are just too expensive and too narrow in scope to be profitable on a large scale). He told me that he'd gladly write me a letter. I also have a mentor from another company I interviewed at, but was never hired for, writing my other letter.

TLDR: Scientist. The good: 730 (49Q/40V), relevant work experience includes management, and founding a company. The bad: 3.18 GPA. Work gap. Stressed out, what do?

Admissionado · Answer

Hey there, Well, actually, the "what to do" part is the easiest: Apply. I mean you know you want to go to Bschool, and believe it will help you out. What can you lose? (I mean other than 200K in tuition

) Yes, it will be harder because you are not employed currently. But overall your work experience and the things you have done look pretty good. (It will also depend on how LONG you have been unemployed). Your unemployment (more than your GPA) will likely be a weakness in your application, so if there is something you can do there (like seek any sort of employment in your area of expertise), it will help. Otherwise, it only means that you may have to make a bit of a compromise in terms of schools. And yes, it DOES matter what you have done this past year - and as much as possible you want to show you have done useful things (you know besides rereading your childhood comic book collection

). So learning French! Cool. As good as a job? Not really. But still, it's something! HEC seems to me like a quite reasonable school, Booth will likely be a bit tougher... But still, I think you can keep things amongst the top schools in the US and Europe. Anyhow, bottom line: Don't stress, apply! Best, JF

vltsai · Answer

Thank you so much for your words of encouragement! The work gap worries me, but I've been in talks with several startups who have told me that they'd take me with that extra degree, which is a big part of why I want to go back to school. I've definitely used the time to think about why an MBA would benefit me over a PhD or any other graduate degree, so I hope that I can communicate that this time has been used in a constructive manner even if it meant that I wasn't doing my typical biotech stuff. It still worries me, but less so after reading what you've said. So thanks again!

Admissionado · Answer

You got it!
One last tip - cast your net a bit wide and apply to lots of schools. If you are unemployed, you have no excuse for not applying to lots of schools and increasing your chances.

Best,
Jon

abdc99 · Answer

I am not an expert of admission, but here are a few things that I know for certain will help you out.

1.  Your GPA is not the biggest problem here. Your GMAT score is a clear evidence that you are academically superb. However, if you have big question marks on some of the courses in your undergrad, you should plan to make that up by taking courses/certifications as relevant and appropriate.
 2.  Your random profile can be turned into a huge advantage if you can layer it up with a clear story of how your past helped get a clear short-term and long-term goals, and how getting an MBA is highly needed to meet your goals. From what I read, you have a story that can make any adcom, while reviewing hundreds of applications, stop and say "Here's an interesting one!". However, if you can't communicate that past/MBA/future story thing in an interesting way, they will think you are just a lost guy.
 3.  For the work gap, it is indeed your weakest point. I think the two best ways to make that up would be  a)  Just like JonAdmissionado said, show that you have been doing many great and constructive things during that time.  b)  Even better, you can do the former and in addition join a company now and work for a year (which means you need to postpone your plans and apply next year in order to do that). Make that work gap part of your history instead of you current status. That should make a difference somehow

In all cases, you should always aim high. Aim high but also keep your feet on the ground. Apply to Booth (top 5) and apply to at least 4-5 other schools across the top 20 list. Booth, Stanford, and HBS have very low acceptance rate, so it's seriously not safe to apply to those schools only without some safety options.

Good luck making the best decision. Let me know if you have any questions

vltsai · Answer

Thank you! I don't think I have any big question marks on my academics, as all of my math classes (physics and calculus) have been great - that's the big thing, right? I mean, overall they want to see you perform well but if there's one subject they stress, it's math, and I think that I should be okay on that one.

I'm trying to clear up my story a bit and it's coming together more and more. The thing about my gap that I'm trying to communicate to the AdCom is that...without it, I never would have had the opportunity to really think about what I wanted going forward. After realizing that I wanted to work in a biotech startup in Europe, I learned French to talk to startups in Switzerland, which would have never happened if I wasn't able to communicate. In the process, I've been able to meet a great deal of entrepreneurs and scientists, and I was told to go get another degree, which set me off on the journey of studying and getting ready for an MBA education in the first place. So in my mind, despite it not being my proudest moment, I like to think that it had its place in motivating me to chase a dream.

That's basically what I'm going to have to communicate in the supplemental portion of my essays, I'm guessing!

Addressing My Faults and Stressing Myself Out

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