Javier,
Your GMAT score helps offset your GPA to a large extent, although given your quant score, if you have any quant grades lower than a B you might consider retaking those courses (or MBAMath) especially in core courses like calculus, statistics, etc. The fact that you went a good school and had a tough major will be taken into account. Don't bother explaining the GPA if there is no good reason for it. Your lack of management experience is not necessarily an issue if you have an extracurricular or two that shows leadership (not sure the two you listed demonstrate sufficient leadership, at least as described). Your Guatemalan background will help you a lot and while you are clearly aiming high, you are spreading your admissions odds fairly well by appying from Stanford to Duke. UNC and Mendoza would certainly qualify as safety schools for you.
--Paul Bodine, Great Applications for Business School,
www.topmba.guru/testimonials jrodriguez86 wrote:
I'm reposting a shorter version because I think the last one was too long. Sorry!
Javier Rodriguez
Guatemala, male, 27yo
GMAT - TOTAL 770 (99%), Verbal 47 (99%), Quant 49 (79%)
EDUCATION
Duke University '09
GPA: 3.0 (yikes!)
Major: B.A. Economics
Certificate: Markets and Business Management Studies
WORK EXPERIENCE
Sep-Dec 2007: Shoeboxed[dot]com
-Team Member, Marketing & Strategy
Summer 2008: Bacardi USA
-Intern, Bacardi Flavored Rums Marketing Team
Aug 09-Feb 10: HealthCare[dot]com, Inc
-'Business Development Junior Manager'
Aug 10-Oct 11: Vietnam USA Society English Centers
-Taught English to elementary, middle school, high school, university and adult student groups.
Oct 12-May 14: Cube Academy
-Developed curricula, workbooks, and guidebooks for SAT, TOEFL, and Academic English courses
-Taught SAT, ACT, TOEFL, and Academic English to middle/high school students
--------------------------------------
TARGET PROGRAMS (Applying R1 for Fall 2015)
-Stanford
-Haas
-Kellogg
-Tuck
-Fuqua
POST-MBA GOAL (still need to more clearly define this)
Marketing/Brand Management or Sustainability position in Athletic & Outdoor industry, OR
something more focused on Social impact/Social Entrepreneurship/Sustainability.
QUESTIONS
--Is my 3.0 GPA a big issue? If I don't have a valid excuse for these grades, should I even address it?
--Is my lack of business/management work experience an issue?
--Am I shooting too high? Should I add a school where it's more likely that I will be accepted? (I have been looking at UNC's Kenan-Fagler and Notre Dame's Mendoza)
--
Thank you very much for your help!
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26 Jul 2014, 09:38
