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Admission Consult

by rkhouri » Mon Sep 26, 2016 1:15 pm
Stacy,

I am looking to apply to MBA programs for next fall. If you could give me some advice on how my application would look and where I could improve that would be great.

My profile:
University of Florida Biomedical Engineering, BS, MS
BS GPA: 3.24
MS GPA: 3.83
24 year old male with 2 years of full time work experience at US Army research lab as Research Engineer. I also worked as an intern part time at a biotech company for 2 years while in school.
I am planning on taking the GMAT in November. I have scored 670 on a practice test but by test time hope to have a 700 or better.

Thanks in advance for your time.

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by MargaretStrother » Sun Oct 23, 2016 7:24 am
What I see here looks great, but to advise you about how to proceed I'd need a bit more information: extracurricular leadership in university and in the community, international exposure, goals... You'll certainly want to get your GMAT above 700 in order to be maximally competitive for top business schools. You will also want to visit each school on your shortlist while classes are in session, in order to really immerse in their community and get a sense of which are the right fit for you.

Goals: because you already have a masters degree, your post-MBA goals become that much more important. Top MBA programs will want to see why you need another masters in order to achieve your specific goals -- company/function, why that role requires an MBA, and your long-term leadership vision.

Good luck!
Margaret Strother
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Stacy Blackman Consulting

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by rkhouri » Sun Oct 23, 2016 7:26 am
Thanks for the feedback and advice Margaret!

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by rkhouri » Mon Nov 28, 2016 6:43 am
Hi Margaret,

To update you with some more info, I took the GMAT last week and scored a 680 (49/34). Regarding my goals I want to get an MBA to work for medical device companies like Johnson & Johnson or Medtronic in their marketing leadership development programs.
While I was in school I held leadership positions in the racquetball club and the Lebanese American society. I was also an active member of the biomedical engineers society. As for international exposure I have been to Lebanon multiple times. Throughout high school and college I participated in tutoring programs for younger students and still try to tutor some now while working.
Would this help in evaluating my profile more? Also right now I have focused on Emory, GT, UNC, and Duke. I have already visited Emory and GT and will be visiting the Carolina schools soon.

Thank you,
Raymond

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by rkhouri » Mon Nov 28, 2016 6:43 am
Hi Margaret,

To update you with some more info, I took the GMAT last week and scored a 680 (49/34). Regarding my goals I want to get an MBA to work for medical device companies like Johnson & Johnson or Medtronic in their marketing leadership development programs.
While I was in school I held leadership positions in the racquetball club and the Lebanese American society. I was also an active member of the biomedical engineers society. As for international exposure I have been to Lebanon multiple times. Throughout high school and college I participated in tutoring programs for younger students and still try to tutor some now while working.
Would this help in evaluating my profile more? Also right now I have focused on Emory, GT, UNC, and Duke. I have already visited Emory and GT and will be visiting the Carolina schools soon.

Thank you,
Raymond

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by MargaretStrother » Tue Dec 06, 2016 5:20 pm
Hi Raymond,
Your GMAT is still a little low for the schools you're targeting, but there's no harm in trying; after all, admissions is a holistic process, and your MS GPA is pretty strong. Be sure to shed light on your extracurricular activities in your essays -- Fuqua in particular gives you a lot of room for this. Your international profile will be an asset as well.

Good luck!
Margaret Strother
Margaret Strother
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Stacy Blackman Consulting

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