blerbs:
Thanks for reaching out. Responding to your questions:
A few Questions I have are:
- How would applying to an MBA program be different when I am a little older (32 years old) ?
A: Doing so could adversely affect your chances. At 29, you are already older than the average matriculating age. I am not sure why you are waiting 3 years to apply. Can you please explain?
- Would it help if I use my African citizenship ? Are African candidates more competitive?
A: Yes, it probably would help your chances. Your ethnicity and geographic location are taken into consideration.
- I am a little concerned about my relatively lower undergrad GPA. Will that be off-set by my higher grad GPAs & potential high performance in GMAT?
A: Yes and no. The only real way to offset a low undergraduate GPA is with a high GMAT. Grad school GPAs are taken into consideration but tend not to hold a lot of weight. Even with a high GMAT score and good grad school grades, the low undergraduate GPA will be a handicap. The average GPAs are some of the schools on your list are significantly higher so you are going to have to make a strong case in the other components of your application if you are to be accepted. They have to effectively "dip down" for you as you are pulling down their average.
- Most of my Business school choices are M7. Are these reasonable choices? Are there school that are better suited for my career choices and profile?
A: The M7 schools are going to be very hard. Fuqua, Stern and Haas are more attainable. Your GPA is a concern. Your work experience in small stints is also an issue. I am also not sure of your career goals. Trying to go into higher finance given your experience may not be credible. Consulting is a better fit but that's not too interesting of a goal. You need to refine these post-career trajectories for your essays.
Overall, you have a very interesting profile, but are going to need help smoothing out the narrative and you do need to do very well on the GMAT. I would also not wait 3 more years to apply, if possible.
If you are considering applying this year, please reach out to us for a free consultation so we can discuss more and introduce you to our admissions consulting services.
https://admissionado.com/free-consultation/