Identify Schools

Hi Scott and Omari,

This is a long post. I feel that I have to give you as much information as possible to help you answer my questions.

I am not applying for this fall term. I don't want to rush the essay portion of my applications. I am curious if you could recommend some schools that would be a good fit for me. Value is important to me. I would like to get the best education possible for my money. Recruitment is also a big factor since I have a non-business background. With no high end schools in San Antonio, my family is prepared to move just about anywhere in the US.

BACKGROUND

When I graduated from high school I wanted to be a dentist, but I wasn't 100% sure. The commitment is approximately eight years and I decided to go a different route. After speaking with numerous people in the industry, my decision was to start my career in dental hygiene. The plan was to go to dental school after working a few years if dentistry was enjoyable or to reevaluate my options. Interestingly enough I love dentistry but have no desire to be a dentist. I get told by patients, dentists, and coworkers that I would make a great dentist. However, I find myself drawn to the management/consulting side of the business. I'm at a point in my career that I've maximized my practice to the point that our efficiencies are at their peak. Our office outperforms many offices with twice the staff. I'm ready for the next phase and that requires new skills. As soon as I felt that I wanted to enter the business field I when back to school and took some core business courses. I wanted to make sure I enjoyed accounting and finance. I excelled at both subjects and enjoyed the experience.

My goal is to gain the skills to become a medical consultant. I've had offers to join dental consulting groups, but I'm envisioning a broader scope (i.e. insurance). The top dental management group in Texas made me an open offer to join their team as a corporate trainer after evaluating our practice. The evaluation was done by the firm's founder. He said that our practice didn't need intervention and he raved to my boss and his partners that I was the most "raw" talented hygienist that he has evaluated in his fifteen years of experience. My boss told him about my aspirations toward business and he asked her permission to offer me an open ended proposal to work at his company.

EDUCATION

I graduated from the University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio with a 3.9 GPA in dental hygiene. The Dental School has been ranked as the top dental school in the nation for since '91. The program I attended was separate, but classes were taught by faculty from the dental, medical, and dental hygiene faculty. I am unsure if any business schools are familiar with this University (Medical, Dental, and Allied Health only). I ranked 2/36, was awarded the departments outstanding community service award, and was nominated for the outstanding leadership award. I also was one of the three class members invited to Sigma Phi Alpha (DH Honor Society). I represented San Antonio at the state level as the nominee for Texas Dental Hygiene Student of the Year.

OTHER ACTIVITIES

Vice President and President (3yr commitment) of the San Antonio Dental Hygiene Society. This is the "not for profit", political arm of the profession. Currently I am the creator and webmaster for the group’s website. Local community activities include: guest lectures for health classes at high schools, dental sealants for underserved children, numerous visits to elementary schools during dental health month, and health lectures at nursing homes.

My biggest concern with applying to business schools is that they will see me as a risk due to my non-business background.

STATS

GPA 3.9
GMAT 650, Q73%, V72%
Exp 5yrs


Also, should I mention in my application that I built the computers and setup the small office networks in my current and previous positions?