Profile Evaluation - PhD

Hi there! Unfortunately getting into a top b-school is going to be a bit of a challenge for you for a few reasons. First, b-school adcoms are very wary of applicants who appear to be "career students." You've got a LOT of education under your belt already and, unlike other grad programs, b-schools actually really prefer to see work experience rather than multiple graduate degrees. They want applicants with real world experience that they can bring into class discussion. When you've already got so much education it's also harder to make an argument for the skill gaps you need to fill in b-school.

Your GMAT is also below average for top 20 programs. With a 680 you could target schools in the 20-35 range (we use US News & World Report) but anything higher than that will be a challenge. You are also above the average age at 30, which can pose challenges.

It looks like you do have some solid experience in consulting (the adcom will value that more than the research experience) but it does make it harder to argue that you need an MBA in order to land a ST role in consulting following graduation. Consulting is also a very common post-MBA goal, so it's tough to differentiate yourself & they will be comparing you against all the other applicants who have that same post-MBA goal.

In terms of entrepreneurship as a LT goal, that can be a tough one as well. If you say you want to start a company, the adcom will want to see the specifics of what you plan to do. You don't need a fully fleshed out business plan but you do need to be able to articulate what unmet need your company will fill, what your unique value proposition will be, and how you'll compete with existing companies that will have more resources that you will as a start up. VC could work, but you'll be competing against people with VC experience so if you take that route, VC is probably the better ST goal. Ultimately it all hinges on the LT goal: the purpose of the ST goal is to be the very best prep for the LT goal & the purpose of the MBA is to prepare you for both. Especially since you will face challenges in convincing the adcom that you need yet another degree, it will be critical to articulate strong, clear post-MBA goals so you can then articulate the specific skill gaps you need to fill in b-school to reach those goals.

In terms of LORs, the ideal is actually to have recommenders from a work context (ideally direct managers) since again, the adcom wants to see your impact in a real-world business environment. That's not to say you can't use a PhD supervisor but you'll want at least one recommender who managed you in an actual job.

So all of that said, I think b-school is an option for you if you are wiling to shoot a bit lower in terms of the school rankings -- and I'd definitely work on refining your goals. If you can improve your GMAT to the 720 range that will make schools in the 10-20 range more of an option for you.

If you need any help thinking through your strategy & your story definitely reach out to us. If you email Claudia at claudia@admissionado.com she can set you up with a free consultation with one of our MBA consultants who can take a look at your resume & give you some more detailed thoughts!