Profile Evaluation Request

Question

Hello,

I am seeking a profile evaluation, as I am a non-traditional applicant and I am unsure of my chances for admission.

1. I am a female opera singer and an arts administrator. I have over 2 years experience working in the nonprofit arts sector in a music conservatory. I have advanced from an entry level position to a management position within 2 years.

2. I have a Bachelors of Music (GPA 3.8) and an Artist Diploma (GPA 4.0) in classical voice performance/ opera.

3. I have been scoring 550 on practise GMAT's, and I write the test this Thursday. I realize the GMAT is the weakest part of my application.

4. I am very interested in attending Schulich because they offer an Arts, Media and Entertainment Management Specialization. My longterm goal is to support and build successful artistic organizations. I am fortunate to have significant experience and education as a musician, but I need to build my network and knowledge base in the business realm to succeed.

Any feedback or advice that you may have would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

GeneralEducation · Answer

Your profile is unique and which has already made you a strong candidate,

Considering your lower GMAT score you have to focus more on your essays and resume and need to highlight
your achievements and leadership skills and the value you are going to carry to B-School.

To evaluate your chances of Schulich you can try a free tool called chances of B-Schools on our website www(dot)genedmba(dot)com.

SiaAdmissions · Answer

operasinger ,

Thank you for sharing your profile. The Schulich MBA program with a specialization in Arts, Media and Entertainment Management admits well-rounded candidates. The admissions team examines the entire profile of each candidate going beyond grades and GMAT scores. So long as you can get at GMAT score of 550 (minimum), and submit a stellar application that highlights your Arts experience and career goals in the essays, video essay, and have strong recommendations, I believe you have a strong probability of being successful- counterbalance the weakness in your profile with a strong non-GMAT material in the application.

Also, keep in mind that you can submit your application by the deadline, and then sit for the GMAT. After you sit for the exam, provide the unofficial score to the admissions counselor (get their feedback on the score); if they are interested in your profile, they will wait about 2-month post deadline for you to submit the GMAT, and will only take the highest score.

I am happy to talk further about your candidacy, and how you can put together a profile that will be noticed by the admissions team. Please email me for a free consult (contact info in signature).

Best of luck!

Susan

PersonalMBACoach · Answer

Thank you for your detailed feedback. We would be happy to help as we recently placed someone with a lot of opera experience into an M7 MBA program!

I wish you the best of luck on the GMAT. You ideally want to be in the 600s but if you are under, I want to explore the profile further given your grades are good and your have a differentiated profile.

Are you targeting other schools as well? I recommend focusing on a couple ideal / dream schools, a couple targets and potentially some safer ones depending on your risk tolerance. Also how old are you right now?

Please reach out if you want to explore working together further.

Best,
Scott

mbaMissionKrista · Answer

Hey  operasinger 
I would love to know how the GMAT worked out for you. If you weren't able to break 600, one suggestion might be to switch to the GRE. Shulich definitely accepts the GRE. (Their average GMAT is 660, which is why I suggest considering the GRE. It can sometimes be easier to get to the 50th percentile on the GRE.) Another angle you could consider is a private tutor for the GMAT -- get that individual, personalized advice to help you really nail it. That combined with your stellar GPA could be the trick here!
I hope that helps!
Krista

operasinger · Answer

Thank you all for your advice and guidance ! I scored a 570 today. I will take some time to consider my next steps, in the meantime I am very grateful for your assessments!

Posted from my mobile device

PersonalMBACoach · Answer

You are most welcome! Looking forward to hearing once you think about your plan. Have a great rest of the weekend.

Best,
Scott

ARINGO · Answer

You are really a very unique candidate and your post-MBA goal is really good too, so I would rate your chances as pretty good based on that. But you are right, that GMAT score is problematic and ideally, you would need to get over 600 in order to feel pretty sure about your chances (assuming your essays and recommendations are really good too).

However, should you decide not to retake (which I would still really recommend), you should know that there may be ways of working around that, using essays etc. too. The company I work for, ARINGO, specializes in applicants with low GMAT scores, so it is very likely we might be able to help you if you are looking for professional help. Feel free to get in touch with us here:  https://aringo.com/mba-process-registration/  for more information and some concrete ideas regarding how we might be able to help.

Good luck!

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