Current Student
Joined: 02 Dec 2009
Posts: 219
Given Kudos: 22
Location: Chicago, IL
Concentration: social enterprise
Schools:University of Michigan Ross/SNRE (Erb Institute)
Q44 V47
Re: Am I ready for B-School?
[#permalink]
05 May 2010, 19:18
With this profile, it's going to be all about how you sell it.
You also want to make sure you're applying for the right reasons. Are you applying because you're bored at work? They'll see right through that. You need to clearly describe exactly what you want to do after graduation and how the degree is necessary for that. You also need to explicitly connect the dots between what you've done, what you're doing, and what you will do. And it all has to be believable. It sounds like you're pretty well on your way to doing that. Your work and EC experience can all be used to point an arrow toward where you want to go. You'll just have to convince admissions that an MBA from their school is the only/best way to do that.
With a nontraditional background, you may think about trying to improve your GMAT score as well. It's really good, but it's not incredible, and you'll need to show that you can handle the course load (good GPA helps too).
I've also heard that nonprofit-minded people can benefit from applying to school less known for nonprofit programs. For example, if Yale has a million nonprofit applicants, and Booth has 10 (BIG exaggeration!), it'll be easier to differentiate yourself at Booth.
Don't worry that your company isn't well-known - it's way more about your personal experience within that company than about a name people recognize. That's a sentiment that rings true throughout the application process. The more honest, reflective, personal, and goal-oriented you can be, the more successful you'll be not just at getting accepted, but at getting accepted at the right school.