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Apollo13
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Peer Review please 700 GMAT, 3.4GPA, 3.8 Graduate GPA 17 Dec 2010, 10:55
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Hello,

Can you please evaluate my profile and let me know if I'm in the ballpark for a top 5/10/15 program?

1. I'm 29 years old, looking to apply when I'm 30. I'm a white female US citizen.

2. Undergrad - Marine Biology - 3.4 GPA (A's in quant classes Calc I &II, Physics I &II. Not from a prestigious school.
M.S. in Finance - 3.83 GPA. Not from a prestigious school.
700 GMAT (should I retake?)

3. Most currently I was a senior financial analyst at a small private equity firm. I was promoted from Financial Analyst. I worked there for 3 years. My work experience prior to my graduate degree is not impressive. Total work experience is about 5 years.

4. I volunteer for an animal shelter and the local chapter of the Junior Chamber of Commerce. I hold a director position currently. I have been a member for a little over a year.

5. I would like to get into management consulting or work get into management for a fortune 500 company. No geographic preferences.

6. I'd like to get into a top 5 school.

7. I sing opera and play piano as a hobby. Other hobbies include several sports.

8. I'm putting off my application a year so I can get a little stronger recommendations. Is this a bad idea, given my age?

Any help you can provide is greatly appreciated!
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drisss
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Peer Review please 700 GMAT, 3.4GPA, 3.8 Graduate GPA 17 Dec 2010, 11:44
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in my opinion, your age is by no mean a problem. You have an interesting balanced profile (charity is always great to have on a resume), with PE experience which tend to be appreciated by admission staff. You have a clear career plan, which is useful for your essays.
However, the relatively (I insist on the word "relatively, which means they are not "absolute") "weaknesses of your profile might be the fact that your undergrad and grad institutions are not presitgious, and that your GMAT is good, but not outstanding for a top 5 program.

So the advice would be to work very (very very) hard on your essays: it can change everything (I have a friend who went to a top 10 B-school with 650 on the gmat, 2 years of experience in an obscur and little private French company, and a GPA close to 3.2). Try to make the most of your recommendation, even if I am not convinced by the impact on the application.

However, the competition for the top 5 is very tough, so you have to be aware of that before applying. You have some chances to get in, but that is by no mean certainty.

I hope this was helpful, I wish you all the best for your applications.
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drisss
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Peer Review please 700 GMAT, 3.4GPA, 3.8 Graduate GPA 17 Dec 2010, 11:45
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btw: I wouldn't retake the gmat if I were you, 700 is not outstanding, but good enough... assuming you have a "balanced" score between Q and V
cheers
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Apollo13
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Peer Review please 700 GMAT, 3.4GPA, 3.8 Graduate GPA 17 Dec 2010, 12:00
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Thank you, I appreciate the honesty.

My GMAT was balanced, but in my practice tests I was scoring in the 99th percentile in the verbal, and then screwed up the verbal on test day. I basically messed up my strongest area! I mismanaged my time in a big way, so I think having another go at might be helpful.

I come from a blue collar, working-poor family who was just happy to see me go to "a" college. Although I believe I was capable, I was not groomed for attending a prestigious institution while I was in high school. In addition, I've had to deal with drug and alcohol addictions in my family, and things like SAT tutors and college admissions coaches were never a consideration. (I didn't even know they existed at the time.) I've come a long way since then, and this is one of the things I'd like to discuss in my essays, to help explain the lack of prestige associated with my undergrad. Personally I'm proud of the strides of I've made despite my upbringing, and I think it says a lot about me.

Do you think addressing this (without sounding like I'm complaining or blaming others too much) is a good idea?
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drisss
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Peer Review please 700 GMAT, 3.4GPA, 3.8 Graduate GPA 17 Dec 2010, 14:26
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First of all, allow me to express my admiration for your path. I think that you have a lot of merit.

I think that would be something you could hint at , but putting the emphasis on it would not be useful. Admission staff will recognize the value of your path, knowing that you had less money at the beginning. This is my personal and humble opinion, do not take that for granted.

About the gmat, if you are confident you can increase your score by 40 or 50, just go for it, especially if Verbal is your strength.
Cheers
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bschoolnerd
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Peer Review please 700 GMAT, 3.4GPA, 3.8 Graduate GPA 27 Dec 2010, 19:48
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You have a great background that could get you into any top b-school. Recently, HBS has shunned a lot of people with PE backgrounds, but that might be a temporary change. The thing that will make the difference will be whether you can tell a strong diversity 'story' and 'why b-school' story. There are lots of people looking to make a career change, so you need to show why yours is more compelling than theirs. My biggest concern is that you will need to address the question of why you are changing directions (Marine Biology --> Finance --> Consulting/Gen. Mgmt) more frequently than others.

I'll send you a PM with another question.