Hello zbad26, and thanks for your post.
The application process is truly holistic, and committees will look at your stats (GPA and GMAT), work experience, and extracurriculars.
Your GMAT of 720 is strong and will help to offset your lower GPA. And writing an Optional Essay will help, as will the fact that your grades improved over time. You may still want to illustrate to the schools that you have the academic ability to succeed in the classroom. You could showcase your quant ability in your resume, your recommenders could do the same in their recommendations, or you could even take a supplemental course such as stats or calculus (if you have time) to show you can actually handle those. MBA Math won’t do too much though.
It is hard to gauge your work experience without knowing your accomplishments and impact you have made there. It is nice to see that you were promoted earlier than is typical. It’s important to show you have made an impact and demonstrated leadership at work. Ideally this will be supported by strong recommendation letters as well. It will also be important to explain why you want your MBA, and to also illustrate the skills you already have which are transferable. Be sure your story makes sense, and is realistic and specific.
Regarding extracurriculars, make sure to really emphasize your leadership roles you have taken on. Your post-grad ones are solid!
Despite your GPA, you do have a chance at some of these schools. I would still consider what your tipping point is, and if
there is another school that is not as highly ranked but that you would still be excited about. So I would consider applying to another school or two, in addition to these, but these schools here are worth applying to. The highest ranked ones on your list here are definitely reaches though. But with very strong applications, you do have a shot at some of these.
If you would like to discuss your story or anything else in greater detail, please sign up for a free consultation or email me at
Michael@mbaMission.com.
Good luck!