Profile Evaluation.- Entrepreneur

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Profile Evaluation.- Entrepreneur

by pacogzza » Sun Sep 05, 2010 1:35 am
Hi, I am an entrepreneur planning to apply to B-School this fall. I hope anyone can give me some feed back on profile strengths and weaknesses in order to get to the following mba programs: Stanford GSB, HBS, Columbia GSB, Wharton and Berkley...

My background is:

GMAT 650 Q (45) V (35)

I have an International Business Major from the ITESM in Monterrey Mexico, with a specialization in International Business at the American University in D.C. My GPA is kind of low (76 % out of a 100), I was kind of confused about my undergrad major at the beginning, thats why my GPA is so low. I also have a seminar in General Management for EGADE and seminar in Leadeship for Growth at Babson College.

I started working in at my family business, which is a Cancer Treatment Center, that I have led since 2004. During this period, I have led the change and growth of our company, protocoled our processes, rebranded our corporate image, developed our own ERP, opened 2 other locations in other cities.

Additionally, I am also the Co-Founder of a start-up that know has sales of 4MUSD$ per year, which works as an outsourcing purchasing supplier of our Treatment Centers and other hospitals in 8 different states in Mexico.

I am a member of the Entrepreneurs Organization (EO) Chapter Monterrey since 2007 and have been in the board of the chapter for three years. Leading the initiatives of Community Program (Philanthropy), Communications, and Mentorship. I am also member of the Board of Junior Achievement (JA) Impulsa N.L. since 2007 to date. I have helped raise 10,000 usd for the Young Entrepreneurs Program of JA and was an entrepreneur mentor for undergraduate students at a public University for a Semester.



Thank You for your help and comments..
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by Tani » Sun Sep 05, 2010 8:23 am
Hi,

Your entrepreneurial experience is excellent and should be a great help to your application. Your GMAT and GPA will both be problems. The schools on your list have average scores 50-60 points higher than yours--that's the difference between the 80th percentile and the 95th. That doesn't mean you will not get in. Top schools in particular have strong enough applicant pools that they can afford to take an interesting but lower-scoring applicant without damaging their overall average (and rank). If you can show that your GPA for the last two years was significantly higher than for the first two years, that can help. Schools would rather see a GPA that starts low and ends high than one that is mediocre for four years.

While I would never tell someone not to apply to their dream schools, if you are determined to go to school next year it would be prudent to expand your list. The obvious choice is Babson. You have already studied there and it is regularly ranked as the best entrepreneurial school in the world. There are several other schools rated highly for their entrepreneurial programs that are not as difficult to get into: Indiana, USC, UT-Austin and Arizona.

Your strongest suit will be your entrepreneurial success. This is doubly impressive because it is in an exciting and growing field: healthcare. A seasoned admissions consultant can help you put your story in the most persuasive possible terms. Your community activities can be used to make the case for strong leadership skills as well as reinforcing the initiative you have shown in your entrepreneurial career.

Good luck,
Tani Wolff

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by pacogzza » Sun Sep 05, 2010 10:35 am
Thank you very much for your feed back, it is very useful... I have to more questions I hope you can help me out with...
1st: How much will it help my chances to getting to those schools if I raise my GMAT score to 700´s?
2nd: Who should I ask to write my recommendation letters, since the people that I work with and for are my parents in one business, and in the other business are my co-founders???

Thank you once again for your comments...

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by Tani » Sun Sep 05, 2010 2:17 pm
A 700 GMAT should make a big difference. It would show that you would have no trouble handling the classwork.

As for references, obviously your parents are not a good source. If your co-founders of the other business are experienced executives, ones with significantly more business background than you have, they should be good references. Additional references can be vendors or customers, ones that you have worked well with for years. Take a look at some of the recommendation forms. They can ask very specific questions. You need to be sure that your recommenders know you well enough to give convincing answers from their own experiences. In approaching potential recommenders it is always good to ask whether they would "be comfortable" writing recommendations. That gives them an easy out. They can always say they don't feel qualified. What you don't want to do is push someone into writing a resume who really isn't sold on your potential.

Your community activities could provide a good recommendation. You would need to pick someone who has seen you work - preferably in a leadership position. Again, focus on what the individual is in a position to say about you. Remember, direct knowledge is more important than title.
Tani Wolff

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by pacogzza » Sun Sep 05, 2010 5:08 pm
Thank you very much for your time and comments!!!! I really appreciate them... Best regards