Hi John! Long time admirer of your thoughtful and dedicated advices.
Sorry for not having taken the GMAT yet as I'm not yet confident I'm ready now. But please excuse me for the temptation to see the feasibility of my application goal for this application season.
So, here it goes...
Background
Work experience: 2.5 years at 1 cosmetics distribution company (very first job, shouldn't have done this as it's quite irrelevant) and 1 major automobile/motorcycle company (think like 30th, Global 500) as product/brand marketing roles. Not any promotion or any significant leadership roles yet, unfortunately; but I've been diligent at work and rewarded with multi-million dollar projects that I hope I can highlight in my application.
Extra curriculars: Events organizing at college clubs
Undergrad school/major: Business & Economics
Other education/coursework: None
Race/nationality: Asian (Vietnamese)
Sex: Male
Stats
GMAT Score (include breakdown!): Not yet taken, aim at 720-730 (I'm not a naturally strong Quant/data guy)
Undergrad GPA: 3.0 at top undergrad business school in my country
MBA Info
Goal of MBA: Continue brand management roles (CPG, B2B...)/ switch to product marketing for tech sector (think Amazon, Apple)/ media industry (think Walt Disney Company). Personally I'm a bit more creative kind of guy (not the typical business guy I think). I'll try my very best to live my American dream after graduation but if the employment picture for H1-B is too doomed, coming back to my country is also not so bad, considering CPG companies abound here too.
Target schools: Anderson, Kelley (stretch); Owen, Foster, Marshall, Carlson, Smeal, Purdue (reach), Fordham (safe - they have 2nd concentration in coms & media). Would like to secure some $ as well.
I think I'll try some schools in R1 and see how is my candicacy; if it doesn't look too good I think I'll hold off for 1-2 years and move to another job to strengthen my professional experience (think CPG marketing/assistant marketing manager role; or consulting - associate, Tier 2 level at my country - I am also looking at dipping into consulting. Tech firms are almost non-existent here)
Thank you very much!
Duc Anh