Ask an MBA Admissions Consultant

Hello,

I am new to this forum, but for the past few days I have been looking on this website for admissions help and thoughts on perspective applications to top MBA programs.


My Background

I went to school in Georgia at a top school for CIS, Georgia State University, even though I didn't major in it. I graduated as a Marketing major. However, I was a double major in CIS at one point in time. At the time of graduation, I had a 2.78 GPA.... sucks I know....smh. Throughout college I was in the military and was scheduled to deploy almost every year along with battling homelessness,health scares with my bronchitis, and also not having a civilian job. After graduating, I commissioned into the GA National Guard as a Infantry Officer in a Special Reconnaissance Ranger unit. I will be trying out for Special Forces when I make Captain rank.

Because of my issues, my GPA suffered and many courses I had to withdraw from. Only 2 classes have D's which I retook and got B's in. For the most part, I was a A+ through C- student. I also joined a Phi Beta Sigma, participated in NAACP, active in my Student Alumni Association at Georgia State University, a member of Military Officers of America, and I volunteer monthly.

My aspirations in life is to become a start up CEO, but I want to have the MBA competitive edge. I was scheduled to due a MS in Software Engineering in January, but I am not sure if that is going to make me a strong applicant for top tier MBA (a list of my perspective schools are below).

I hear that going back to school to take a few classes in Finance,Accounting, and Calculus or a certification in CFA or Six Sigma would help. Also, I hear that optional essay to account for my grades in undergraduate would be wise.

My Questions

1)Given my background, how can I secure a acceptance from a top tier b-school?
2)I haven't took the GMAT yet. I am prepping to take in before going to Fort Benning, GA on June 1. 3)What score should I be looking for to be competitive in my situation?
4) I have only management experience in the military....5 years to be exact. Is this good for MBA candidates?
5)What are my chances (statistics) on getting accepted based on this year's applicants to top tier schools?
6)How can I get over the bad GPA from college, in your perspective?


My list of B-Schools
Tuck
Stanford
Yale
Cornell
MIT
HBS
Yale
Wharton

*No particular order

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

MBA admission consultants or previous MBA grads ,

Please chime in on this post.

CamCam,

I am making an assumption that since you participated in NAACP that you are a minority applicant which bears on your admissions chances. Please correct me if my assumption is incorrect.

Since Tuck, Cornell and Yale are on your list you might want to check out the Consortium ( https://www.cgsm.org/). These schools are member schools (https://www.cgsm.org/member-schools/) and the benefits of joining are Merit-Based Fellowships, Networking Opportunities and a Streamlined Application.

For your GPA, briefly discuss mitigating factors without detracting from the positive parts of your candidacy. You want to obtain as high a GMAT as possible, especially to mitigate your lower GPA. But there is no one threshold. Management experience in the military is excellent. Try to show varied styles in your application besides the usual more autocratic approach.

Good luck,