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Hello,

I'm looking for a bit of guidance on applying for an MBA during this coming year. In terms of profile, I am 32 (33 at time of course start) and have been in the Armed Forces for the last 14 years. In the mean time I have earned an Undergraduate degree in French and Russian, and a postgraduate degree in Political Economy. My career experience has (to my mind at least) been quite interesting-I have had quite a lot of leadership experience and have worked in a variety of roles, ranging from serving in Afghanistan through to working as a diplomat in the Former Soviet Union. I am due to sit GMAT next week and am currently testing consistently between 660 and 690. My verbal is far stronger than my quant- I tend to score Q 42/43 and V 40/41.

I have put my CV in for review at LBS, who have encouraged me to apply, subject to GMAT. My first question is, given the mean score of 695, is a 680, along with my age going to put me out of the running? I am also looking at Cambridge Judge, based primarily on their being 'military friendly.' I had looked seriously at INSEAD (I am a French Speaker for what little it matters) but note that they want a quant score over the 75th percentile; I clearly am not there!

I am based in London but would not be averse to going abroad. My aim in completing an MBA is to gain a business education which will enable me to transition out of the military. I have not given a huge amount of thought to where I see myself post MBA, although I imagine that my lack of finance exposure probably rules out a finance career. My guess is that consulting is a more realistic goal.

I'd be grateful for any advice you might offer on my profile and admissions chances to either of the 2 named schools; equally, if there are any schools which you feel merit examination, I'd be interested in your feedback. Cost isn't really a huge factor in my decision, although I'm not sure that extends to a 2 year program in the US!

Hi a_bear,

With your background in military and stints in uncommon geographies, you've a distinguished profile indeed which will appeal to lot of B-schools.
However, with an academic profile heavy on non-quant streams and a professional background with little quant work (I'm assuming it), you need to score well in the quant section of GMAT. Many courses in the MBA program are quant-heavy, and, consequently, the admission committees like to see evidence of quant-proficiency through the academic courses that you took in undergrad/ grad programs, GMAT score, or nature of professional work.
Second, you rightly pointed out the concern about your age. You're on the wrong side of age, and you need to clearly articulate the reasons for pursuing an MBA at this stage.
To answer specifically to your question, your age and GMAT score will not necessarily put you out of race from your target schools, but you can improve your chances by addressing these concerns.
Last, both finance and consulting industries require lot of analysis and working on models. Even from the perspective of recruiting in these industries, it'll be immensely helpful to your cause if you can show a good command in quant stuff either through GMAT or courses that you may choose to take at the B-school.
I hope this helps.