Hello,
Thanks for posting. You are correct in that your background is not so typical
though we have seen various professional athletes go on to be successful at b-school. However at first look it does seem it could be a challenge at, say, top 10-or-so ranked schools, with the 3.0 GPA and lack of much business/management experience, plus being later in your career technically than the majority of FT applicants. There are factors that can help things... certainly hitting the GMAT out of the park would be a plus. That said, depending upon how you are doing on your GMAT practice tests, I wouldn't necessarily drag out your studies TOO long... you know best in terms of where you are at and where you need to get to, and how your quant skills and such are, but most find that 2-3 months of GMAT prep is the ideal timeframe. Secondly, your overall 'story' can make an impact...if you are able to describe for example what relevant skills you DO have, whether from your years in tennis or other work experience (think about how you've experienced, demonstrated, and learned about leadership...teamwork...communication skills... people & project management etc), that can strengthen your case. And then the explanation of WHY... why you want the MBA, including clear and compelling descriptions of your post-MBA career path and what you look to get from the degree etc, that can help. They'll also look at other factors such as your extracurricular and/or community involvement, recommendations, etc so many facets will be considered.
Final quick point-- you mentioned fall 2015... generally you wouldn't be able to start that soon, at this point, except perhaps at some less competitive programs outside the top 30-50 or so... most final deadlines for fall are in March and it doesn't sound like you are ready, plus at the most competitive programs many spots are taken and it can be quite tough at this point. Round 1 deadlines to begin in fall 2016 would be in Sept-Oct or thereabouts so you most likely would aim for that timeframe to actually apply.
Good luck on your research and decisions!
_________________
Jen Kedrowski
mbaMission Senior Admissions Consultant
17+ years in MBA Admissions Consulting; 40+ positive reviews on GMAT Club
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