gopher wrote:
Paul - I would appreciate any advice you have on my profile.
Age - 28
GMAT - 740
GPA - 3.24 at U of Minnesota - Finance/Speech Comm
Work - 6 years with large bank in a corporate finance role, 3 promotions in that time. Expected to start having a direct report in the next couple of months.
Extracurriculars - Bolder Options Youth Mentor, Church Volunteer (nursery, bible camp)
The schools on my app list currently are Northwestern, Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin, Minnesota. I wanted to have a few "second tier" schools that would possibly offer scholarships on my list.
I am a bit light in the extracurricular area, and have just recently began the mentoring program which may be looked upon as doing this only for the app.
Do I have a shot at the top tier schools?
Thanks!
gopher,
Yes, I think you do. You didn't mention goals so which ones is another matter. Kellogg and Michigan are top-tier schools, of course. Since you seem to be focusing on the midwest, why not add Chicago to the mix?
Don't worry about the schools being suspicious of your mentoring. They see last-minute volunteering all the time. The quality and impact of the volunteering is what matters. If you give a community activity alot of time and energy over a short period and you take on a leadership role (coordinating others, sitting on a board, etc.) you will probably impress adcoms more than someone who's been volunteering for a while but only in follower roles.
Good luck,