Overcoming undergrad failures
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27 May 2008, 17:22
Hi there,
I am 29 and would like to do an MBA next fall, but I am concerned about my academic history. When I first started University, I majored in CS from a great school but I flunked really badly and ended up suspended for poor performance. While I had some extenuating circumstances (family problems), it was because I just wasn't ready to put in the effort and I had some very self-destructive tendencies. I showed up to exams late, and barely studied. Instead, I hung around the wrong crowd and made some very poor decisions. Still, I learned some powerful life lessons.
After spending a year out of school, I transferred to another lesser University and majored in MIS. I worked extremely hard and got scholarships and awards every year. I completed an internship program and worked for several blue chip companies and finished my degree very near the top of my class with an 87% GPA. However, my initial failures cost me a total of three extra years, so I started my career very late. Since I graduated two years ago, I have been working as a client-facing IT consultant (SAP), and make a decent salary (80K+). As a consultant, I haven't had a chance to manage many people, but from day one I have pretty much held senior repsonsibilities, such as managing the client relationship and often acting as a team lead.
In terms of extra curricular, I haven't done much lately as I have been focused on my career, but I was a student mentor at University, and also worked for a research lab dedicated to innovating technologies for the disabled. I also plan to volunteer to help troubled youth over the summer for a charitable organization.
Assuming that I can score 680+ on my GMAT, how much weight do you think the adcoms will put on my past academic history? I am realistic, and know my profile won't meet expectations of the very elite schools, but I'd like to aim high as possible. I would like to continue consulting, but move to management consulting, with a focus on ERP so I can leverage my existing skillset and experience. My purpose of pursuing an MBA is to open doors outside of the technical arena, and further develop business/management skills. One day, I'd like to run my own professional services company. I know that I'm not a typical applicant, as I will have only 3+ years experience post undergrad by the time I start (not counting the two years from my internships). I know my profile is not remarkable, but one thing that I learned from my past failures is never to give up.
Thanks for reading. I appreciate any feedback.