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Zarthul
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Joined: 03 Apr 2011
Last visit: 27 Apr 2013
Posts: 100
Own Kudos:
26
Location: United States
Concentration: Leadership, Strategy
Schools: HBS '14 (WL) Wharton '14 (M$)
GMAT 1: 760 Q50 V42
GPA: 3.54
WE:Military Officer (Military & Defense)
Schools: HBS '14 (WL) Wharton '14 (M$)
GMAT 1: 760 Q50 V42
Posts: 100
Kudos: 26
Profile Eval Request Updated on: 20 Oct 2011, 10:48
Originally posted by Zarthul on 04 Apr 2011, 10:33.
Last edited by Zarthul on 20 Oct 2011, 10:48, edited 1 time in total.
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jenniferbloom
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MBA Admissions Consultant
Joined: 23 Dec 2010
Last visit: 28 Aug 2023
Posts: 668
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Posts: 668
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Profile Eval Request 05 Apr 2011, 10:31
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cdestela
Just wanted to thank you for offering your help in this community, here is my profile:

25 y/o male, will be 26 upon matriculation. Currently serving in the military

Education:

Cornell University School of Engineering, B.S in Computer Science (GPA: 3.6)
GMAT: Have not taken it yet. Based on practice tests and my prep plan I am confident I will score a 730+)


Work Experience: US Army Infantry Officer

June 2008 - Jan 2009: Recruiting duty at Cornell ROTC (While waiting to start schooling)

Jan 2009 - Sep 2009: Schooling all of them field-based and very leadership intensive including The U.S Army Ranger School

Sep 2009 - Present: Platoon Leader of an Infantry platoon, commander of a 41 one man infantry platoon. I am responsible for executing and completing every mission my platoon recieves. Platoon is divided up into 4 ~10 man squads. Each of the squad leaders and platoon sergeant reports directly to me. I trained up and deployed with my platoon to Iraq for one year. I have excellent garrison and combat evaluations. I also used my technical background/initiative to improve many of the systems we used while deployed (and that will be told in my letters of recc if I request it) I am responsible for ~10 million dollars of equipment while deployed.

Will most likely move to a position with more logistical responsibility (but less leadership) as my time as a PL is coming to an end soon (~18-20 months)

Extra-Curricular:

College:
I was chosen to be a Teaching Assistant as a sophomore for a 200 level programming which required me to develop lesson plans and teach two classes a week to ~35 students. Because I excelled I was offered (and accepted) a 400 level programming course TA spot my senior year.

VP of my fraternity during my junior year, responsible for ~100,000 budget (25 members at $4000 a year)

Cadet Battalion Commander of the ROTC Cadet Corp as a senior. This is the highest leadership position a cadet can hold. I was the cadet responsible for running the ROTC program at my school, which consisted of 125 cadets spread out over 5 universities. I recieved a national Douglas Macauthur Cadet Leadership award for my troubles. Also graduated as a Distinguished Military Graduate, which essentially meant I was in the top 15% of cadets in the nation.

After College:
None really. Training and then deployed to Iraq so there hasn't really been an opportunity to. Military keeps you pretty busy!



Goals:

Leading men has shown me my passion (which I think I can portray very well in my essays or interview from real life examples). My first impressions are that I am hoping for a general management position in a tech-based company (so I can utilize both degrees) with the eventual long term goal of starting something of my own once I get more business experience.

Strategy

I am a proven leader, who gets results, and am able to motivate men in the most dire of circumstances. I am going to spend time on my essays and recommendation letters (by talking with my recommenders beforehand about my strategy) explaining my passion for leading men, my leadership philosophy and how I can get results/motivate people. How my skills are transferable to the civilian sec, how I learn from my mistakes. How I have found a passion (which is the truth) and how I think an MBA can help me to bring my passion into the business world where I can make a change and have an effect on people.

I am hoping to apply to the top business schools, I just wanted to know your thoughts. I know my weakness is lack of any real business experience, but I am hoping that my surplus of leadership experience and strong performance in my undergraduate major help to make up for that.

Also, the quick advice question I had was: I am 50% Hispanic (my dad is Puerto Rican). The other half is straight-up "white". I am not sure if I should mark myself as Hispanic on the application. While I did have exposure to my dad's side of the family and have gone to Puerto Rico for weddings I grew up in a white neighborhood and went to school there. I don't speak Spanish fluently either, although that can also be attributed to my dad's lack of involvement at times (parent's divorced at young age and mom was primary custodian). I don't really look Hispanic either. I have red hair but instead of a pale complexion I get tan and have brown eyes.

Thank you again.
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Yes, you seem like a great candidate to me. The ethnicity is definitely confusing but it may help if you consider your last name: if it is a clearly Hispanic name because of your father, then I would have no issue with you marking Hispanic on your application. If you are in doubt, you can probably check a box for Other and indicate the 50/50 nature of your background (but yes, the Hispanic background certainly makes you an even juicier candidate).
Your military experience will certainly mitigate the fact that you have not been involved in the community since you joined up. Try to integrate examples of ways in which you have contributed above and beyond to your teams and the bases or regions in which you have been deployed to further demonstrate your commitment to others.