Profile Evaluation- Does being a minority really help?

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Hello there!

I'm hoping to start applying for some top programs next year- specifically looking at Yale, Columbia, Kellogg, Wharton, & HBS and would love to know if I'm being too risky by not applying to lower ranked schools.

Here are some stats:
- 3.6 Undergrad GPA from top HBCU with Public Relations major
- 700 GMAT score
- 4 yrs experience (by enrollment date) at Procter & Gamble in brand management
- Fluent in Spanish and Intermediate French
- 25 year old African American Female

Extracurricular work includes ESL teaching for recent immigrants and small business/career development courses for inner city residents. also work as a mentor in Big Brother/Big Sister. yearlong study abroad during undergrad and volunteer work in multiple countries in Latin America.

My story to tie this all together:

I grew up in a low income inner city environment and my parents built their own businesses without any formal education, which has inspired me to learn how to build businesses (hence brand management) & help others become entrepreneurs.

I would like to use my MBA to gain more business knowledge since I have a liberal arts educational background and would like to transition into consulting where I can gain more business knowledge beyond brand management. Would like to eventually use these skills to branch out on my own and help build social enterprises and non profits.

My concerns with my application are my quant skills. I had 3 Econ courses in undergrad (all A's) but besides that only took Algebra. Although I do a lot of data analysis in my current role, I am wondering if I should work on developing an alternative transcript (considering taking accounting, finance, and statistics)

Also would like to know if work experience is measured at the time of application or the time of matriculation. I'll have 3 years full time experience when I apply, and want to know if I'd be increasing my odds by getting additional experience.

I have been advised (by non professionals) that being a minority female makes me a strong candidate for my target schools- especially since I'm coming from marketing instead of an over saturated field. How much of a difference does this really make? Is my application strong enough that I don't need to build an alternative transcript?

Thanks in advance for the help!

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by Jon@Admissionado » Thu Jan 15, 2015 2:24 am
Hey there,
Well I don't see any reason for you to settle for anything outside of Top 10 schools.
I mean you have the grades, you have the GMAT, you have the work experience, you are multilingual. AND to boot, African American Female.

All you've got left to do is write some awesome essays and get some fantastic Recs.

Oh yeah, and you should have a look at the Consortium, if you don't know about them already.
https://www.cgsm.org/

If you need any help with your applications, just drop a line,
Best,
Jon
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by CriticalSquareMBA » Fri Jan 16, 2015 1:08 pm
Appreciate you sharing your story with us! Short answer to your question is yes, it helps, but it's clear that with your academic profile, you have the stats to duke it out at all of your target schools! And you've got strong, meaningful giveback work and have shown progress in your career. Based on your work experience, now is a great time to apply!

And definitely check out the Consortium as Jon mentioned - great program. We've got a lot of friends there and they're really doing everything they can to help bump up diversity at the top programs!

If you want to chat about the process or schools or anything, let us know. You can sign up [here].

Cheers,

Bhavik
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