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Rella
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Hi all,

I am planning on applying to B schools in the Fall 11 and I have a pressing concern. I graduated from Columbia in 09 with a major in Poli Sci and a minor in English (3.5 gpa), and I have since been working at a law firm as a legal assistant. My initial pursuit was law school, but I quickly realized that personality and goal-wise I am much more suited for (and excited by the thought of) business school. I've taken the GMAT and scored very high. My concern is my work experience really. By the time I apply I will have had over two years work experience, but as a legal assistant... What are the thoughts on the probability that I'll get into a good school??

Thanks!
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EBM
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Be the best legal assistant you can be, and try to take on leadership roles in community or volunteer organizations. Do you have strong ECAs now or from your undergrad time? Can you make a compelling case for why you need an MBA and what you want to do short and long term? Will you be able to get good recommendations from people who know you well in a professional setting? If so you should be set to be competitive for a good school.
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VictoryMBA
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Rella
Hi all,

I am planning on applying to B schools in the Fall 11 and I have a pressing concern. I graduated from Columbia in 09 with a major in Poli Sci and a minor in English (3.5 gpa), and I have since been working at a law firm as a legal assistant. My initial pursuit was law school, but I quickly realized that personality and goal-wise I am much more suited for (and excited by the thought of) business school. I've taken the GMAT and scored very high. My concern is my work experience really. By the time I apply I will have had over two years work experience, but as a legal assistant... What are the thoughts on the probability that I'll get into a good school??

Thanks!
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1) Depends on what you consider a good school (H/S/W v. top 15), and if they accept people in your age/we range. Also depends on what you want to do post-mba and how your legal assistant work + mba help you to achieve that. Not something I need to know, but something you should think about. If you want to get into consulting/banking, then you will be competing with people with the same education/stats as you, but with far more relevant work experience. That being said, you never know. If I were you, I would start crafting my story and gathering recs now so I could apply very early in the cycle. I think bottom line, it's going to be a crap-shoot. You might end up being pleasantly surprised, I say go for it! :)
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Rella
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Thank you both for your comments. Here's the deal... I want to go to a school that offers a sustainability focus with the MBA so my school pool (ha) is limited, very limited. BUT I know I can make a compelling story for my decision to pursue this path (as opposed to Environmental Law). I don't have very much volunteer experience- most of it dates back to highschool, as I was working in order to put myself through college. However, I am working on getting more volunteer experience. I can secure great recommendations, both professional and academic. It's a tough decision. I suppose it can go either way...