Military Profile Evaluation Request

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Hello,

I am a Marine Officer with 10 years experience and am interested in transitioning from the service to another career. I am interested in applying to the business schools this fall for entrance to Class of 2019 cohort. Below are my basic stats; I appreciate any feedback.

Interested schools:

- HBS
- GSB
- Tuck
- Yale SOM
- Darden

In the short term, I am interested in pursuing leadership opportunities in general management, with a particular focus on non-profit leadership, social impact, and/or general management.strategy consulting. Long term goal is to work at the intersection of public-private space, where I can leverage the strengths of both. I know this is quite general and broad; I am still reflecting on where I want to go.

I prefer smaller school sizes and the case method

I have 100% post 9/11 GI bill.

Basic info:

- US citizen, indian ethnicity
- 31 year old male


Education:

- B.S in Business Management from Drexel University, 3.25 GPA
- Currently pursuing a Masters Degree in International Relations at the University of Cambridge (expected to graduate summer 2017)

GMAT:

- 700 (44Q, 42V, 7IR, 6 writing)


Work Experience:

- 10 years as a Marine Officer
- combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan
- humanitarian service experience in Japan (nuclear and tsunami crises of 2011)
- 6 years international experience (worked in Japan and am currently working in the as an Exchange Officer for the Ministry of Defence, UK)
- served as a Congressional Fellow/Legislative Assistant for a US Congressman
- Currently serve as an exchange officer and lead military and civilian personnel from all four services and three nations

Honors/Awards/

- Honor graduate from undergraduate NROTC program
- Honor graduate from advanced military school (out of 32 officers)
- two personal awards for leadership in combat; one personal award for service and leadership at the headquarters level

GMAT/MBA Expert

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by MargaretStrother » Sat Jun 25, 2016 3:44 pm
Hi Running,
You've certainly got some great leadership here! Top MBA programs will appreciate your awards and honors, your combat service, and your terrific international exposure. That said, we should talk numbers: 31 is still okay for military people, who tend to be a little older than other MBA students. However, combined with a sub-median 700 GMAT and 3.25 GPA, you might face some obstacles at Stanford and Harvard, which are very demanding in this area. Nonetheless, these are dream schools, and how many times in life do we get a chance to go for our dreams? So aim high, but know what you are dealing with.

If you think you can get a higher GMAT, you might want to retake it (I know that's the last thing anyone wants to hear), just to give yourself the best possible chance at these top programs. In parallel, be sure your Masters studies add some great grades, preferably 4.0 of course, to show that even if you underperformed in college ten years ago, you are much more academically comfortable now.

Darden and Yale are of course safer choices for you, and you may want to explore other small, case-method programs where your numbers are closer to the school's median (i.e. a median GMAT of 710 or lower, rather than Stanford's 733.)

To summarize: you're starting out with some great stuff. You can enhance your chances by getting awesome grades in your current Master's studies, retaking the GMAT if you're up to it, and targeting your schools judiciously to be sure you aren't building your future too much on luck - small schools are terrific, but they also place you at a greater risk for being "dinged" by someone with a similar background but a more competitive GMAT or GPA. So hedge your bets, spread your risks, and make the most out of your strengths: you sound like a terrific candidate, and schools would be lucky to have you in their incoming class.

Good luck!
Margaret Strother
Margaret Strother
Senior Consultant
Stacy Blackman Consulting

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by RunningWithAPurpose » Mon Jun 27, 2016 8:29 pm
Thanks for the detailed response!

I recognize my stats are below the average for schools like HBS and GSB but I hope my background and a strong application will at least have the admissions teams consider whether I can add value to their incoming classes.

That being said, I hope to be more competitive at Tuck, Yale SOM, and Darden (though these are not safe schools either).

What schools would you recommend for me to consider as more realistic options for someone with my background?

Thanks again for the honest feedback.