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-22 year old Asian female
-700 GMAT (44 Q, 41 V, 5.0 AWA)

Education:
-Completing a BFA specializing in Visual Art at York University, Canada. current GPA 3.00/4.00
-1 Year exchange at Leeds University, UK, majoring in Art History. GPA 3.7
-Extracurricular activities in university include: Visual Arts Student Association(Vice President for a year), Chinese Student Association (Creative Director for a year), volunteer positions at 2 galleries.

Work Experience:
-Worked part time at different galleries for the past 4 years. Worked part-time as Curator and Assistant Curator at a student-run gallery for the past 2 years.



Why I want an MBA:
I wanted to beat the "starving artist"and "art and business don't go together" myth. I started working in curatorial positions about two years ago, and I really enjoyed the planning that the job entailed as well as the satisfaction of making an exhibition happen. I hope to work in the cultural industry after I graduate, preferably as a curator or gallery director in a comtemporary art gallery.

Schools I'm interested in:
I am looking at Arts Administration programs but there are not that many out there.
Currently I am looking at

University of Colorado Boulder - Leeds School of Business

Carnegie Mellon University - Tepper School of Business

University of Wisconsin - Madison - Wisconsin School of Business (sent me an email after seeing my GMAT score)

York University - Schulich School of Business

And anything that you guys think would be a good fit for my profile.


Concern: I lack full time work experience and have a lower GPA, and I will be going straight into MBA from my undergraduate studies. I heard that most b-schools prefer applicants who have graduated and worked for at least 2 years, so I am considering working/interning in an art gallery for at least 1 year before applying.

Question: 1)Should I still bother trying to apply this year, just to get familiar with the application process and get an idea of which school would actually accept me? I know that I don't have the strongest profile, but I was wondering if a well-crafted essay and strong reference letters could help.
2) If I work in an art gallery, it will most likely be in gallery assistant position which provides very little leadership opportunities. Would this hurt my application?