Research MBA Programs

Hello forum,

I am truly inspired by the many stories on this forum, and I hope some of the experts can give me some guidance on my MBA journey. I was initially interested in applying this cycle, but after reading the many posts here, I decided to postpone my applications until next fall, so I can present the strongest application to the adcoms.

So my story is that I am an older applicant (10 years removed from my bachelors - mid 30s, black female, 2 kids), but I am interested in pursuing a full-time MBA for a career change. I am a research associate in the public health field at a local university, and my 7-8 years of work experience has been divided between research and some early career public relations/social marketing experience for private companies that focused on pharmaceutical and health clients. I have experience working/developing grass roots public health campaigns and community outreach programs for the research we conduct. I do not have many leadership opportunities in my current position, but in my previous position, I was the lab/grant coordinator, so I have some leadership experience.
I really enjoy community involvement. Outside of work, I volunteer with a local hospice agency as a direct patient support volunteer providing companionship and supportive presence to terminally ill patients. I am in the process of volunteering as a chemistry and biology tutor with a local non-profit that guides foster children through their transition from high school to college, and I started a small community outreach organization that promotes community involvement and volunteerism among black women.

The reason why I would like to pursue an MBA is because I would like to pursue microfinance or real estate (focusing on low income housing). In the non-profit sector, this area is fascinating to me. It coincides with my interest in community development and outreach, and I feel it is an avenue to make the greatest impact on a community. I come from an inner city neighborhood and I recognize the challenges that small businesses, especially minority businesses, encounter in the funding process, and I also recognize how home ownership can have positive impact on a community. Microfinance and real estate ring true to me since my parents were homeowners and achieved that goal despite being west indian immigrants who came to this country with no money and not even a high school diploma. My dad was a self employed carpenter and he and my mom would purchase distressed properties and renovate them with my dad doing then renovation work. It was through their ability to amass their own little real estate empire of 3 homes - two which were used as income property - that allowed me to attend a top private prep school and eventually go on to college. My mom unfortunately passed away 9 years ago just one month before I have birth to my son after from short and aggressive fight with cancer. After her passing, I quit my PR job to both raise my son, and try my hand at continuing her real estate legacy. Unfortunately, a combination of family discord and the housing bubble resulted in a miserable failure on the real estate front, but I would love to be part of initiatives to encourage those that want to make positive change in their community through business and/or home ownership.

So now for the not-so-good part: Regarding my stats, I am an underdog. I graduated with a 2.94 with a B.S. in biochemistry and molecular biology from a top 50 private university. I was the first in my family to attend/graduate from college, so I worked during my entire college career to help pay for personal expenses, as my parents were only able to cover my tuition. As a result my grades suffered. Prior to entering college, I spent a year abroad studying in Spain and subsequent time in the Dominican Republic volunteering at an orphanage, so I am fluent in Spanish. As I thought about graduate school, I was initially interested in pursuing public administration so I have 9 graduate credits completed in that field that I took as a non-degree seeking student at a local university, but it was my class on urban and community development that influenced me to investigate microfinance and housing development, and in turn an MBA. My graduate level GPA is a 4.0. I have recently taken undergrad microeconomics (got an A), and plan on taking statistics, accounting, finance, and possibly macroeconomics over the next year to prove my quantitative abilities.

My concern is that I am shooting high. I usually have this "go big or go home" mentality, but I may need to rein that in for the b-school process. Schools on my list include Booth, Kellogg, Ross, Yale, Tuck, and UNC. I am still in early stages of my research, so I am not sure if I should be looking at schools with strong finance ties or those with non-profit or real estate programs. Should I shoot high or have more safety schools? I am considering applying through the consortium for the applicable schools, but I am not sure if that will work for or against me since I have to rank schools on the application.

I am only in the beginning stages of studying for the gmat. I have taken a diagnostic and scored in the mid 500s cold, so I have enrolled in an online prep course and will be working HARD towards 700+ to make my application competitive to compensate for my less than stellar GPA. Luckily I have a year to do so. Any advice/direction you can offer would be appreciated. Beyond the GMAT (which I know I have to kill), what other ways can I strengthen my application, and what schools should I be looking into given my post-MBA interests?

BTW...sorry for the long post.

Mid 30s is probably not too old for programs under the top-10. And you have substantial work experience so that's in your favor. You should come up with a very good explanation why you want an MBA now.

I have no experience on an adcom but you sound like a deserving candidate to me and your reasons for wanting an MBA are good. That the age bracket for top MBA schools in the US peaks at around 31 is unfortunate, I think, but there are always exceptions and further down the list it will be less of an issue. However the fact that you have a family may limit your choices as you may not want to go far afield. Your credit courses and volunteer work will stand you in good stead, and do work on those quant-friendly courses in preparation for the GMAT. If you can nail that you will be in an excellent position. Micro-financing and real estate in low-income locales are up and coming areas of expertise and your experience should prove a valuable asset in your continuing studies. Consult with adcom advisors for a better idea of where you stand. I wish you the best of luck.