VP
Joined: 22 Apr 2004
Posts: 1117
Given Kudos: 59
Location: Southern California
Schools:Kellogg MBA 2004
[#permalink]
14 Jun 2010, 17:43
Hi Square,
First of all, thank you for serving our country! I just got an email from a an active military client in Afghanistan today, and was very pleased to hear that he's safe and is actually finding time to study for the GMAT.
Overall, I actually think you're being a bit hard on yourself. It's hard to say that to anyone who's dreaming of getting into Harvard/Stanford/etc., but I actually don't think those schools are as much as a reach for you as you might think. Granted, their acceptance rates are LOW (7% - 14%), so they're sort of a reach for everyone, but I don't think you're being unreasonable by taking a shot at them. Overall, business school really love military vets for the intangibles and experiences they bring to the table; you just need to show that you bring the other stuff (such as analytical abilities and "business polish"), too.
Your GMAT score is very borderline. I say that just because I wish your quant score were a bit higher. This is ONLY a rule of thumb, but ideally both your quant and verbal raw scores would at least be in the 80th percentile. Right now your quant score is closer to the 70th percentile, so that's a bit of a weakness. I'm sure the last thing you have is free time, but you do have almost four months before the Round 1 admissions deadlines, so I would recommend taking the GMAT again if you can. (Not a definitely deal breaker, though.)
I'm not too worried about your extra-curriculars (ECs) or lack thereof. You have enough to discuss in your essays already that it will more be a matter of boiling it down to the best stories, rather than trying to show how many hours a month you devote to non-profit work.
Your post-MBA goals are interesting and realistic, too. As for school choice, I just might add Haas (Berkeley), since they have pretty strong ties to the "green" sector, sustainability works, etc. That's not an easy school to get into, either, but could be a very good fit for you. Ultimately, I think you'll want to apply to 3-5 schools in Round 1 (October), and, depending on how you're feeling, plan on applying to another 3-5 in Round 2 (generally January). That's A LOT of schools, but as long as you don't try to do them all at once, it can be doable.
Lastly, I don't think your age will be a deal breaker. Military is one of the few feeder careers where your age will be less of an issue.
Good luck!
Scott