Ask mbaMission

Hello,

First, Thank you very much for taking the time read this post and give your expert advise. I am planning to apply to business school fall of 2011. Below, is a brief description of my background.

Gender: Male
Ethnicity: Black

Education:
-B. Sc in Biology minor in Business, GPA 3.1
-Graduate level accounting Certificate, GPA3.1
-Passed CPA exam.
-Target GMAT Score: 700+

Experience: At the time of enrollment.
-2.5 years at public accounting.
-1 year as Manufacturing Supervisor.
-1 year as an instructional assistant at 2 inner city elementary schools.

Community involvement:
-Member of two professional's organizations
-Several Leadership roles for students clubs
-Planning to volunteer with the two elementary schools

The low GPA is due to working and my involvement with a number of student organizations. Since, the rest of my family are back home in Africa, I had to work to support them while in school. I am targeting top 15 business school. What are my chances and what can I do to improve my chances in the mean time?

Thank you very much for your help!

Dear cougarlove,

Thank you for asking for feedback on your profile. You can now use the next year to focus on activities that will bolster your candidacy even more.

I think that you are wise to shoot for a 700+ GMAT score. A high score should help balance out any concerns stemming from your GPA.

Your work experience and personal stories sound like they both could be very fruitful for essays and in terms of differentiating yourself as an applicant. I cannot tell from your question which job was most recent and which was farther in the past. Regardless, the range of your jobs (from public accounting to manufacturing to education) is not something an admissions committee sees every day, so clearly explaining your career moves to date will be key. Also, clearly explain why you seek an MBA and then how it will help your career trajectory going forward.

You briefly mentioned supporting family in Africa during your undergraduate years. Do you continue to do so now? Are you an immigrant? If so, how has this shaped you, your academic and professional careers? Do you have long-terms goals that include working back in Africa? I think most schools would be interested in knowing about any of this, but I am kind of guessing based on a limited knowledge!

I think you would be well served to try to "amp up" your community involvement. Can you assume any leadership role within your professional organizations? In addition to volunteering with elementary schools, could you serve on a board of the nonprofit or spearhead a fundraiser or something? These deeper engagements really stand out from standard volunteering or membership activities.

Lastly, you mentioned your interest in applying to Top 15 schools. I think that is realistic. Your GPA is the obvious relative weakness, but strong recommendations, a solid GMAT score, and a clear story to explain your goals will help mitigate for that. Do your research to find specific reasons (beyond the ranking) for why certain schools seem like the best fit for you and your goals.

Best of luck!
Jennifer

Thank you very much for taking the time to read my post and provide me a great feedback!

I am currently working at one of the big4 accounting firms. Although, I have a science degree, I took almost all the entry level business courses during my undergrad, in order to have an option later on. I decided not to pursue a science career during my senior year. Right after college, I have accepted a position as a claims adjuster with an insurance company. After working there for about 9 months, I was presented with an opportunity to become a manufacturing supervisor for fortune 500 company. This was a great opportunity to build on the extensive student leadership experience I had during my undergrad education. Since this company was a major player in the housing industry, I got laid off in 2008. I went back to school that summer and decided to at least pursue accounting career. While studying for the CPA exam, I have decided to work with two Elementary schools that have large proportion of immigrant students including students from my Native country. During this time, I managed to pass the CPA exam and secured position with one of my target firms.

I have been supporting my family since coming to America in 2000 from Somalia. Growing up in a war ravaged country, living in a refugee camps, and migrating to the United States certainly shaped my world view.

I have come to the conclusion that obtaining an MBA from top business school will help me reach my short and long term goals. I have a first hand knowledge on how poverty affects many people around the world and I strongly believe that through business and innovation poverty can be eliminated from the developing World. I want to be part of that innovation at some capacity. Short term goals include; developing the necessary skills, building strong network, and working for or with the right partners. My ultimate goal is to help develop sustainable businesses in the developing region of interest. This could be through social business, private equity/venture capital etc.

I am currently the director of college relation in one of the professionals organizations, and I will try to become either the Chair or Co-Chair for next year. I will definitely follow you advice and try to become a board member or spearhead a fundraiser. These are achievable goals.

I consider my self very ambitious and I believe that where there is a will there is a way. Ten years ago, I was in a refugee camp, today I am entertaining the idea of applying to HBS. With that said, these are the schools I am considering: HBS, Tuck, Stern, Haas, SOM, Ross, Columbia, and few others. With the brief information I have provided, what do you think? My goal is to secure consulting, investment banking, or international development position with an international focus after my MBA.

Thank you again for your great advice, I truly appreciate it.

Cougarlove -

Thanks for providing me with more details into your background, professional experiences and longer term goals. I think you have a wealth of material for your essays!

Your career moves and industry changes make a lot more sense when presented with context - I think the manufacturing job sounds pretty unique and I admire you for volunteering with the elementary schools while you were back in school yourself. Good luck taking on some larger roles with your current extracurricular activities; you have time before you plan to apply and I think it is a great way to use it!

However, it is your personal story that really stands out! Not only has it shaped your past and your world view, but your goals going forward tie directly to it, and telling a business school about those will definitely help you explain why an MBA is the best next step for you.

mbaMission is hosting two free seminars next week that you might also find helpful. They will be: Essay Writing Seminar on July 27th and Crafting a Winning Business School Application on July 28th. To join us, sign up at https://www.mbamission.com/blog/category ... on-events/

You are correct in that you are planning to apply to competitive programs, but I think you will make a strong candidate.
Good luck!
Jennifer