Ask MBA and Beyond Admissions Consulting

Hello, I would appreciate your input on my profile and opinion on the most realistic schools for me to apply to.

· Demographics:
Israeli, Male, 30 years old

· Education:
Tel-Aviv University - Political science. My total grade was a 92%, which seems to roughly translate to 3.7 GPA if I am not mistaken. I Finished in the top 15 precent of my class (one point shy of graduating with distinction, unfortunately).

· Other coursework or post-undergraduate education:
I have just finished a Data analysis course and am looking for a job in the field. Part of my reason for choosing this path is to bolster the quantitative side of my application which I feel is lacking.

· GMAT:
720 (V42, Q47, IR 7, still waiting for the AWA score), first attempt.

· Work experience:
*I enlisted into the Israeli army at 18, went through Officers course and released at the rank of First Lieutenant after 4.5 years of service.

*During my time in Uni, I worked for the Tel-Aviv Uni student Union as the foreign relations coordinator, working with foreign students that came to study at the Uni and sending domestic students abroad. A highlight of my work was planning and executing a weeklong international event with visiting students from all over the world, from the ground up.

*After graduation, I Started working abroad for a government Organization, as a delegate at UC Berkeley, CA, for two years. I worked with Berkeley students, faculty, and other organizations such as the Israeli consulate. I Advised and supervised various student groups and individuals, and Managed content, finance, and logistics for projects on campus. That's where I met some MBA students that got me excited about the possibility of getting an MBA myself.

· Extracurricular activities:
*A diplomatic leadership fellowship which was quite selective, in which we focused on issues like geopolitics, public speaking and media training.

*I was also involved in in an organization that promoted international connections between Israel and Jewish diaspora and through that I had was given some interesting opportunities:
-Leadership seminar with students from across the globe.
-Interviewed the former Israeli consul in NY in front of a live audience.
-Was flown to an international convention in Washington D.C.

· Post-MBA goals:
Hoping to Get into Consulting or otherwise develop my business acumen, hopefully so that in the future I'll be able to bring it back and work with under-represented groups and small businesses in Israel and the Palestinian authority.

· Target schools:
Haas, NYU, Yale, Virginia Darden in the US, Oxford and Cambridge in the UK. I am mostly interested in US based schools and I'm very open to advice regarding other better fitting schools to further research.

· Other information relevant to your profile:
* First generation University graduate (in fact, also first high-school graduate, as my parents did not actually graduate from high-school)

* I volunteered for two months in Nepal as an English teacher after my army service.

*North African descent.

·Other questions:
*My university degree is only 3 years, and only recently I realized some American schools do not recognize 3-year degrees, how big of an issue is this? I was pretty stressed when I heard it, and unfortunately it seems that it's an Issue for Berkeley, which is one of my top picks.

*As I said, I am currently looking for work after a Data analytics course I took, how big of an issue is it that I am currently not working?

Thanks in advance!