Research MBA Programs

I would really appreciate it if some of the great people on this board gave some advice on MBA programs I should apply to. I understand my profile is very weak because of the low GPA, no business experience and the school I attended.

I am a 26 years old Haitian male. I served 4 years in the United States Navy.
After serving in the Navy, I decided to go to school but only earned a 2.5 gpa at Old Dominion University. My major was Maritime and Supply Chain Management.
I scored 710 on the GMAT.

As far as leadership experience, I was the vice-president of International Students Christian Fellowship, we helped connect international students to the other students on campus and also we connected them with local families to help them learn and participate in the American culture. I was also the coordinator for the student propeller club, We organize a yearly golf outing to raise money to help students with study abroad cost, amongst other events.

In the military, I was a plane captain, responsible for safety and basic maintenance of a $67 million Boeing F/A 18 Superhornet during ground operations, Also responsible for pilot and ground crew safety during such operations. Also responsible to train new plane captains. Participated in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Anti-Piracy operations.

My goal is to go back to Haiti after earning my MBA to help the country recover from the horrible natural disasters of the past 5 years and the political instability of the past 30 years. This is very important to me because over 85% of educated haitians are outside the country and I plan on fighting this trend by helping the younger generations to see the country differently. To this effect me and some family members have already started an organization to help primary school children. Our goal is to grow the organization to become a model for education and social responsibility in the developing world.

I have to earn an MBA now because we are currently seeing a political and social transition in Haiti and given the political instability of the past 30 years, there is a possibility for political leaders to go back to their old habits and steal the dreams and aspirations of an entire new generation.

I am looking forward to your inputs and I thank you in advance.

Hey Bhavik,

I apologize for responding this late, I never realized there was an answer to this post. Also, thanks for taking your time to address my concerns.

I'm very thankful of the questions you asked, they made me think of what I actually want instead of where do I have a chance. To answer your questions, I want a program that offers a strong network, diversity and a global brand. I want a focus in general management, I also have an interest in finance. Could you elaborate on the open doors?

The F/A 18 is my favorite aircraft because well it's the one I got a chance to work on. I had a chance to see the last F-14 deployed and it was an incredibly powerful jet, even scary I would say.

I am looking forward to hearing from you.

Regards,
Kenny

Hi Bhavik,

Really appreciate the great inputs. I find it very interesting that you knew about the Haitian community in Atlanta, being close to haitian community is actually very important for me since my long-term goal is to change the informal business sector in Haiti.

All of the schools you mentioned are programs that I would love to graduate from but some of them are not geographically ideal. What do you think if I replace UCLA, McCombs and Ross with Tepper, Darden and Stern?

I was actually surprised that you mentioned top 10 programs. Besides the GMAT/resume/essays, how do you think I can position myself to win an acceptance into the programs that you mentioned?

Also I will be applying in round two, Do you think that can hurt my chances anymore than the gap?

Kenny

Hi Bhavik,

Very interesting how you became familiar with the Haitian network in Atlanta.

Again thanks for the great feedback. I really appreciate the how you explained the school fit aspect for Stern and Darden. On my list right now by no specific order I have Tuck, Columbia, Tepper, Johnson, Duke, Emory and Georgetown. Any other schools you think I should consider before I narrow the list down to 4-5 ( I will try to visit all of these school and read as much as possible about them). I targeted more schools closer to the NE area because of the strength of the Haitian community there.

I am totally with you on the risk taking, I would rather be dinged than not apply. As far as recommendations, I have my division officer from the navy (who's actually a first year student at HBS right now) and I have some professors whom I have a great relationship with(Kind of scared of your thoughts on that one).

Kenny

Bhavik,

I've done quite a bit outside of class, I organized a golf tournament and raised over $15000 for study abroad scholarship, I was also a leader in a couple of student organizations. Would those experiences be good enough to have a good impact on the recommendations?

Also I have completed an online course package based on excel called MBA Math, and I am also taking the free first year MBA courses online from Wharton. Do you think I should include them in my application? I can get a sort of transcript for both of them.

Regards,
Kenny

i guess before applying you need to research according to interest and career you want to build your career in.
One has to properly research and get the program which is of your interest and apply for by researching a proper reputed institute.
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