Hello!
I'm a non-traditional applicant and would appreciate your feedback and tips.
Current location: Chicagoland area
Undergrad: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Major/Minor: Molecular Biology/Chemistry
GPA: 3.61 (Graduated early in 3 yrs, while working part-time.)
WE:~ 7 yrs in Pharma as a data reporting/analytics consultant. In between, I took nearly 4 yrs off to be a stay at home mom. I was also married into the military at the time so had to relocate every 2-3 years and therefore was a teleworker for 3 of 7 yrs. I did advance/promote every 2 yrs, but I do believe teleworking limited my networking and advancement opportunities. While I don't regret putting my career on hold to care for my children when they needed me most, I am concerned by how admissions committees may view this (and my older age, 34).
I've been told that my strengths include delivering under pressure, being resourceful, and taking ownership. Being a military spouse taught me that I could handle more than I thought possible, and it encouraged me to dream bigger. I think an MBA is the logical next step mostly due to timing - I've hit the ceiling in my teleworking role and must either relocate to the company headquarters in order to advance or switch jobs. I like my current company, but it makes more sense for me to relocate my job than to relocate my entire family. I don't want to overestimate their resiliency. Despite how dedicated I am to my job and career goals, my family is my biggest priority. When I learned more about the PT programs at Kellogg and Booth, I felt like they were flexible enough for a working mom. It would be a stretch and take longer than I'd like, but I could do it.
I think an MBA would give me the credibility and exposure needed to potentially switch industries/jobs OR convince my current company to break the ceiling for me as a teleworker. I also genuinely enjoy learning and am curious about entrepreneurship. Chicago is home to 2 top programs, and the prospect of being in a program with an amazing, diverse cast of peers is sooo exciting, especially in light of being a teleworker.
Also, not sure this matters, but I immigrated to the US as a child, and I definitely lived the immigrant experience with my parents. However, I didn't mention this anywhere on my app since I've been a naturalized citizen for decades.
Extracurriculars: In college, I did a lot of volunteering but none with leadership/resume quality. I was on the judicial committee for the university, which was a really amazing experience.
Currently, I'm the head of our version of the parent/teacher association in Kg and teach Bible study each Sunday. I've read so many impressive extracurriculars on here that I'm afraid admissions might laugh at mine. However, I chose those 2 bc my faith is central to who I am and also bc it allows me to spend quality time with my kids. Sometimes you can do something that reaches millions but I think there's also value in influencing a handful.
The weakest part of my app:
GMAT: 620. I didn't plan to do it this way but had to take the test cold. I ran out of time in each section except AWA (5). I've since studied and have been scoring 700+ in practice. I used to tutor part time in college for 3 entrance exams so was quite peeved that I did so poorly here. I understand no one likes excuses, so won't share them, but effectively, I plan to retake this soon.
Thanks for reading!
AstroIceCream