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Here's an interesting profile to evaluate. It's mine. I'd like to attend a highly ranked prestigious MBA program. Like a Top 10. But, I'm wondering what my chances are-- Here's the cliff notes on my background. Reading the Bold Quickly Summarizes my profile if you are brief on time.

GMAT: 680 (36V, 47Q). Put in context: 153 LSAT Score in the 59%tile, and mere 1100s score on the SAT-- But, still got into and graduated from Vanderbilt Undergrad and Emory Law school. Oh, and, my GMAT writing score was 5.5. So, this is the first time I've ever had a high required standardized test score. Should I mention this on my application? Should I retake the Gmat?

UGPA at Vanderbilt University: 3.595. Graduated cum laude. It's a top 25 undergraduate program. Double majored in Communications and Political Science. And, won the university its first National Debate Championship since the 1980s.

Work Experience: It's all in Pro-Sports Management: (1) Cheerleader Marketing with the NFL Tennessee Titans, (2) Community Development with the NFL Houston Texans, (3) Corporate Partnerships with the WNBA Houston Comets. And, I have three other industry internships (2 x Sports Commissions and one Sports Memorabilia Company), but no full-time work experience-- Would these internships be enough to overcome my lack of non-internship full time work experience?

But, that's because I went to law school. Graduated from Emory University Law School. It's a Top 25 program. And, thereafter, passed the Texas Bar Exam to become a licensed attorney. Are lawyers seeking MBA's common? welcomed?

I'm also a minority. Hispanic-Latino by way of being Peruvian. Does affirmative action happen at top schools?

But my main question: What are my chances of getting into a top MBA program? How can I improve those chances?

Thank you,

Russell Ross
Vanderbilt University BS 2007
Emory University School of Law JD 2010

Mr. Frank,

Thank you for your expert reply and for finding my titular subject line to be accurate with my post. When applying for undergrad and law school, I wish somebody such as yourself would have provided the great advice you've just given. Very much appreciated.

Particularly, I'm interested in pursuing the Consortium route. After having accomplishing research on the Consortium, it would seem that I want to pursue this route with the big guns. And, after reviewing your really interesting company, I'm wonder what ways could Precision Essay assist a candidate such as myself? I've read about how your company can help applicants to business school, but can it also help applicants to the Consortium or other similar entities? Do other entities exist?

In response your further inquiry into my background, it is true that the one thing that wasn't entirely clear about my profile was how many months of work experience. Emory Law definitely taught me two great insights. Emphasize the good facts of case, but address the bad one too. And, the law school also taught us there are many way to ask and interpret a question. When addressing this employment question on applications, in your opinion, am I allowed to count my semester or summer-long pro-sports internships as work experience in totaling this number?

My decision to buckle down and study for the GMAT was arrived after passing the Texas Bar Exam. Turns out, the NFL and NBA both engaged in a lock-out! The very two professional sports that are featured on resume. Complicating matters, it has also become increasingly difficult for law school graduates and recently licensed attorneys. So, hiring opportunities to be on a team's in-counsel staff or at boutique sports-agent firms essentially locked me out until the labor situation was resolved. Hence, I aim high for a top-10 school since it's now a choice between MBA and entering the re-emerging sports management/representation/agent industry.

So, after studying for the Bar Exam, I was essentially really good at studying. I've taken a Kaplan, Knewton and Master GMAT course (which to other readers of this post I recommend as the one which improved my score the most), but I'm stuck at 700 on my practice scores. Given the GMAT changes format in two months and that the issue essay is perfect for a lawyer like me, what available companies-tutors-books do you recommend that would arm me best to go into the test center with the big guns to score higher? Other than this website, which has been wonderful.

Thank You,

Russell

Mr. Frank,

Had you not replied to my post, I wouldn't have just scored a 730 on the gmat. Honestly, the only reason that I initially posted my 'application profile' was to read replies confirming that my application with a 680 was already very strong.... That there was no need to retake the gmat... To confirm my well reasoned conclusion that the marginal gains possibly resulting from studying more were already so low at such a high initial score...

But, you dared me to do better. Reminded me how I came to have a 'unique application.' Though you wrote my profile was 'unique,' what I took to heart is that it could be better. That there are bigger guns to go into the application process with... In fact, I even signed up for my rematch with the gmat on 4/24 at 4 pm so that I could score 40 points on exam scheduled to end somewhere between 7:20 and 8:00 PM. My goal wasn't those 20 points that you wrote could make a real change, but rather twice that...

Unfortunately, my confidence led to me to off-handily state to the proctor between sections,'I think I'm pitching a perfect game.' So perhaps, I jinxed the possibility of a perfect score. But, that's my personality-- an ability to be cool, clam and collected to the point being able to make able to make such jokes when stressing about the test would be a more appropriate response...

Part of me feels that its important to inform schools that I'm not just a test score. Having scored so poorly on the SAT and LSAT, I had to justify to Vandy and Emory Law why I even dared apply in an additional essay. That I'm better than a test score. Part of me thinks that business schools don't need to know about my history of bad test scores, or even my first 680 score a month ago. To apply with only my best foot forward. Is that wise? But, another part of me says, to fully understand my 730 score requires explaining the context. But, I think it could come across as too haughty, arrogant or distasteful to try to put such a good score in context...? I just feel like those 50 points between my prior score and recent score a month later better reflects who I am as an applicant... Understandably, it's a stupid question to ask. Surely, most people would kill for that score.

Secondly, as a consequence of taking your great advice, I now find my full-time work experience to be my weakest link. How heavy does this factor weigh? Is it a weakness that could be overcome in other areas of my application? Or, would it be wiser to try to get full time work and thereafter apply year later when I didn't just have to rest on my internships? Are there other ways to overcome this weakness?

--Russell