Profile review request from military officer

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Hello!

I am a Marine Officer hoping to transition to a top MBA program next fall, at which point I will have 6 years experience. In particular, I am interested in Wharton, Kellogg, Duke, and possibly some others including UVA and Columbia.

My stats:
-2.6 GPA from Service Academy in International Relations (I know, terrible, but I am capable of explaining myself in the optional essay: had 3.5 before sudden death of parent, basically lost motivation, I do not plan to whine but I can detail how my perspective and outlook on my life goals have changed)
-750 GMAT on first attempt (Q47, V47...do I need to retake to improve quant? I think Q50 would be my ceiling, and I think getting a V47 again would be very difficult)
-Marine Infantry Officer: have been selected ahead of peers to assume more demanding assignments, I commanded and enhanced the performance of company of 280 Marines despite 70%+ personnel turnover, deployed to Europe and Africa, et al.)
-Despite a busy schedule, I attend graduate classes one night a week at an extension campus on base in an attempt to mitigate my poor GPA (wanted to prove I could succeed in a classroom environment vs. online programs, have completed 7 classes including one on finance for managers, 4.0 GPA thus far)

I am interested in applying R1/R2 this year.

Would appreciate any and all advice. I understand the importance of crafting a compelling narrative devoid of military jargon in my essays. It would be helpful to get some feedback to gauge whether I can realistically hope to get into a top-10 program with good execution of the application (not taking this for granted by any means).

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by Alexbr@ClearAdmit » Wed Jul 27, 2016 2:23 am
Good stuff taking those extra courses and getting As. Strong GMAT and your experience seems strong. Have you had time to add community service / extra curricular activities ? Also, having a strong goal focus will be helpful. cheers, Alex
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by Tom040711 » Wed Jul 27, 2016 2:46 am
To be perfectly honest, have not had a lot of time between work, additional classes, and GMAT prep to sustain a strong extracurricular program. While an undergrad, I did play a varsity sport for all four years and had several leadership opportunities I could flush out in a resume.

My goal is to go in to Management Consulting. I enjoyed building and leading diverse teams in the military, and believe consulting would play to my strengths as a communicator and organizationally intelligent leader.

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by Alexbr@ClearAdmit » Thu Jul 28, 2016 11:22 pm
cool. I think you are in decent shape. I should apply to 3-4 (or less) schools in Round 1. See how successful you are, then determine a Round 2 plan. cheers, alex
New Book! Becoming a Clear Admit: The Definitive Guide to MBA Admissions. https://www.clearadmit.com/products/admi ... dmissions/