MBA Admissions Consultant
Joined: 18 Apr 2013
Posts: 2226
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Location: Chicago, IL
Re: PROFILE EVAL for Engineer? What can I do to better my profile? EVAL-EN
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02 Nov 2015, 10:58
Hi there!
Thanks for sharing all of the details! You're quite a busy individual! The key with your application will be to ensure you highlight the right experiences and accolades in an organized manner. So let's start with your academic background - congrats on a solid GMAT! Is it work retaking to get a 760? I don't think so. You earned a top-notch score! I would set this aside and focus on the other components of your candidacy. Your UG GPA is certainly a red flag for a top-10 program. The good news is that you killed it during your graduate program! The only other thing you could do to boost your academic profile is to take a few business courses (microeconomics, statistics, and maybe finance/accounting) and make sure you earn A's in them. Enrolling in another engineering program (at Columbia or elsewhere) doesn't really give the AdComm any new information on how you might fare in an MBA program.
One comment about your LORs - I would exclude professors and focus solely on professional recommendations. Managers, supervisors, directors or executives are great options. Just be sure they know you well!
Keep the growth in your work experience going! If you can earn another promotion or take on a new project or initiative over the next year or so, that would definitely boost your profile! I think so far, you're on the right track. Just squeeze out as much leadership experiences as possible and aim to deliver results that stand out. In regards to your start-up, it's hard to assess what the significance of this is. At the surface, it sounds like you guys just bought some properties. What does your business do? Asset value is one thing, but are you guys making money? Is the business growing? Why should anyone be impressed by this?
What is missing for me is your overall story. This isn't something we can get into in a forum, but my advice here is to think about how your MBA is going to help you achieve your short and long term goals. I'm still not sure what you want to do later on which is the first thing any AdComm is going to want to understand. Second, you have a lot going on. And while this is typically seen as a good thing, you want to make sure that you can justify the work that you do and the decisions that you've made so far. Why so many degrees/certificates? Do you really need them? If so, why? Without a compelling story that ties this together, it seems a bit disjointed and that you don't really know where you're going. Now, surely, part of the issue is that we're discussing this in a forum and there are limitations. So, hopefully you already have answers for these questions :D
Hope this information helps. Feel free to get back to us with the answers to the above questions. Also, definitely check out our free resources to get you started. Best of luck! When you're closer to a point where you're ready to apply, reach out to us for a free consultation. We'd love to chat about how we can help!