Dear Vandymsfdude,

Thanks for your post!

My thoughts on your case are as follows:

1) Your academics (at both Temple and Vanderbilt) are very sound - actually slightly above average for admitted students at your target schools.

2) Your GMAT is fairly average. What were your percentiles on math and verbal? Did you top the 80th percentile in each?

3) Your work experience in the military, finance/valuation sector and publishing industry is a unique mix. You will need to figure out a way to tie things together in some way, or demonstrate different take-aways from each experience.

4) Do you have any XCs beyond being on student council at the moment at Vanderbilt? You will need more than this to stand out in the applicant pool.

5) What are your career goals? Why are you pursuing an MSF only to head directly into an MBA program - this will be a big question mark for many admissions officers.

As to your odds at Duke and Tuck, they are going to be rather steep - especially in the final round of admissions. While it's possible that the unorthodox nature of your background, coupled with solid academics, could make you attractive (as you might fill a niche they are looking for), it's not going to be easy. As you know,, this year has been highly competitive. Having said that, you may face problems as a R1 applicant (if you wait until next fall), given that you won't have much (if any) recent work experience to cite...

Send your full resume to [email protected] if you are interested in a free phone assessment with one of our counselors.

Best of luck,

Graham

First off, Thanks.

GMAT: No, I got 75 on Quant, 95 on verbal (best verbal was 97)

XCs: No: I started off with some at Vanderbilt, but dropped all but SC to focus on job search. I played college football at my first school. However, I transfered to Temple after 2 years, and didn't resume playing.
I don't mention the football/transfer thing because my resume is already confusing.

MSF to MBA
I would have to make up a story. The truth is that I initially got an MSF because I had the grades and GMAT to get a big time MBA, but lacked the experience. My rationale was that I would use the MSF as a platform to gain some strong experience, and then apply for top 10 MBAs a few years later.

I guess that the admins will see thru me, and realize the truth - that I'm hurrying into an mba because the jobb market sucks right now.