Hello everyone. I'm a first time poster long time follower of many of you here at the beatthegmat, and I have to say this site has been nothing short of amazing as I prep for my transition from active duty in the Marine Corps (on the enlisted side) to a full time MBA program. So I'd like to thank you all for that first and foremost!
Anyways here's a little about me, like I stated earlier I'm currently active duty in the Marine Corps as an 0311 squad leader. I'm gearing up for my last deployment and am looking towards the future at my MBA prospects (hope to apply for 2015 full time programs). With that being the case I have a couple of questions for those of you who may be more savvy or educated on such matters. Mostly, I'm curious as to what kind of programs I should target or even what programs I might even be competitive for (top 10? 15? 25? 50? etc.)
I've looked at countless profiles, and read many success stories but I've never come across one quite like mine. My path took me from a community college in Arizona where I captained the men's soccer team as a Fr. (a first ever) and was able to parlay that into a division 1 scholarship at a public university way up in the Northeast. Unfortunately, after I was there for a year the school cut the men's soccer program. I was unwilling to give up my dreams of playing soccer at a very high level so I transferred again, this time to a private university in Hawaii for my Jr and Sr years. I graduated there with a 3.2 GPA in international business (along the way I suffered a couple of injuries that had me rehab for an entire year which contributed to the lowish GPA). From there, 4 days after finishing my last bit of coursework, I went straight into the Marine Corps on the enlisted side (missing my own graduation nonetheless).
During my tenure in the Marine Corps, I've excelled beyond those in my peer group and grown exponentially on both a personal and professional level. In just under 3 years I've received two meritorious promotions and have held billets throughout as team leader and squad leader in an infantry platoon. Upon applying to business school I'll have completed 4 years of service and be 27 at matriculation. Furthermore I am planning to take the Gmat in Dec/Jan, my last 4 practice scores have been in the 670-710 range.
The biggest questions I have are:
How do the admission counsels look at enlisted service compared to that of officers? Will the fact that I've excelled help offset any stigma that might be attached to enlisted service?
Will the fact that I attended three undergraduate schools be detrimental to my chances at a top 15-20 school, or can I help my case by telling my unique story?
With my stats/story (3.2 Gpa/~690 gmat) what kind of program am I competitive for? My wishlist has schools like Darden, Johnson, Ross, and Fuqua or should I target schools more like Kelly (Indiana), McCombs (Texas), Mendoza (Notre Dame), and Kenan-Flager (UNC) or do I need to look even further down the totem pole at schools like Foster (Washington), Fisher (Ohio State), WP Carey (Arizona State)
I apologize for the lengthy post, but appreciate all the time and any input some of you may have for me as I attempt to navigate through this process.
Anyways here's a little about me, like I stated earlier I'm currently active duty in the Marine Corps as an 0311 squad leader. I'm gearing up for my last deployment and am looking towards the future at my MBA prospects (hope to apply for 2015 full time programs). With that being the case I have a couple of questions for those of you who may be more savvy or educated on such matters. Mostly, I'm curious as to what kind of programs I should target or even what programs I might even be competitive for (top 10? 15? 25? 50? etc.)
I've looked at countless profiles, and read many success stories but I've never come across one quite like mine. My path took me from a community college in Arizona where I captained the men's soccer team as a Fr. (a first ever) and was able to parlay that into a division 1 scholarship at a public university way up in the Northeast. Unfortunately, after I was there for a year the school cut the men's soccer program. I was unwilling to give up my dreams of playing soccer at a very high level so I transferred again, this time to a private university in Hawaii for my Jr and Sr years. I graduated there with a 3.2 GPA in international business (along the way I suffered a couple of injuries that had me rehab for an entire year which contributed to the lowish GPA). From there, 4 days after finishing my last bit of coursework, I went straight into the Marine Corps on the enlisted side (missing my own graduation nonetheless).
During my tenure in the Marine Corps, I've excelled beyond those in my peer group and grown exponentially on both a personal and professional level. In just under 3 years I've received two meritorious promotions and have held billets throughout as team leader and squad leader in an infantry platoon. Upon applying to business school I'll have completed 4 years of service and be 27 at matriculation. Furthermore I am planning to take the Gmat in Dec/Jan, my last 4 practice scores have been in the 670-710 range.
The biggest questions I have are:
How do the admission counsels look at enlisted service compared to that of officers? Will the fact that I've excelled help offset any stigma that might be attached to enlisted service?
Will the fact that I attended three undergraduate schools be detrimental to my chances at a top 15-20 school, or can I help my case by telling my unique story?
With my stats/story (3.2 Gpa/~690 gmat) what kind of program am I competitive for? My wishlist has schools like Darden, Johnson, Ross, and Fuqua or should I target schools more like Kelly (Indiana), McCombs (Texas), Mendoza (Notre Dame), and Kenan-Flager (UNC) or do I need to look even further down the totem pole at schools like Foster (Washington), Fisher (Ohio State), WP Carey (Arizona State)
I apologize for the lengthy post, but appreciate all the time and any input some of you may have for me as I attempt to navigate through this process.
Below is my response to your questions :
