mbaMission Admissions Consultant
Joined: 10 Jun 2011
Posts: 306
Re: Please evaluate my profile
[#permalink]
05 Jul 2011, 19:30
Hello 1YMBA2012, thanks for your question.
I don’t think your GMAT will be a problem at Thunderbird, where the average is 610. At Richard Ivey and Queens, your 630 is below the mean, but within the middle 80% range. I will flag your verbal score, which puts you around the 52% mark. However, since you’ve participated in activities like Toastmasters, that could potentially mitigate doubts of the admissions committees about your ability to clearly communicate.
To improve your chances at the programs you list (other than improving your GMAT):
• Use your experience to your advantage – call out specific instances that demonstrate your abilities to lead, take initiative, and drive results. The fact that you’ve managed 25 team members leads me to think that you have such experience. Emphasize this!
• And, don’t just limit leadership to work; extend it to your extracurricular activities. You mention library administration – have you exhibited leadership there? And, extracurricular need not be limited to just official volunteering – it could also comprise unofficial activities or passions outside of work.
• Paint a compelling picture of how your future MBA goals (not mentioned) connect with your past and present. The more your future career path necessitates an MBA, the better.
• Your 3.2 GPA is slightly on the low side but not that bad. If you have a truly extraordinary circumstance that explains your GPA, then you might write about that in your optional essay. But, more effective would be pointing to other classes/certifications/analogues that better represent your academic aptitude and potential. Again, write that essay only if you have such factors to talk about; if not, your 3.2 is not a huge black mark.
The more you can address those points, the more competitive you will be at those programs you list.
Best of luck,
Brian