Hi KLilly,

Thank you for your post!

As you are aware, your industry background is not typical of b-school applicants; however, professionals from outside traditional pre-MBA industries and functions are generally valued for the atypical perspective and diversity they can bring to the MBA classroom. Your job will be to forge connections between your career history and how your skills, lessons and experiences would add value to the student community. Given the creativity and project management involved, it looks like you could make such connections. You will also need to present your accomplishments and impact in terms anyone could understand, given that the adcoms will not likely be familiar with your industry.

It looks like you will have some brand strength from your undergraduate institution in your favor, too. That said, a 700+ GMAT score could open up more doors for you in terms of MBA programs. Success in the math section in particular would serve as a positive, recent data point to show that you could handle the rigorous quantitative coursework of the program. So, I recommend spending as much time in the coming weeks working hard to prepare for the GMAT.

In regards to your goals, it looks like you are targeting some big brand name firms. This is perfectly feasible, but you should be aware that it's possible many applicants will be pitching the same story. You need to differentiate your plans with richer details. Even taking the time to contact these firms, learning about their culture and determining a specific role you could take on would help set you apart.

With only four schools on your list, it would be feasible to apply to Kellogg. Kellogg's program entails a lot of team work, so you will want to emphasize your collaborative leadership experience in your application. You may be able to refer to seeing how the Kellogg MBA has positively influenced careers in the long term or had a longstanding impact, based on your parents, but you would really need to balance this with engagement of the current student community. I could see this fact adding a personal touch to your applications, but it would need to be handled very delicately-if you include it at all. You should also check the data form, as it may allow room to account for their education; this means you may not even need to mention it in your essays. That said, adcoms in general appreciate applicants who take that extra step of getting to know the community and determining one's fit.

Good luck on the GMAT! If you'd like to discuss your applications further, please contact us directly at https://www.clearadmit.com/services/free-consultation/.