Hi Lisa,
First of all, thank you for taking the time to write so many posts. I've gotten a lot of great insight so far on reading through a lot of them
Second, I'm hoping you can give me some pointers on what I can do to strengthen my application for a 2011 admit into a top-20 program. . . or at least let me know what's good and what's bad from my current profile. I don't want to rush into anything for the 2010 admissions cycle, but do want to get a jump start for next year. I'm going to take the next couple of months and do some strong research to pinpoint the best fit for me.
Here's where I am today --
Reason: Career change to management consulting. Being very brief, over the last several years I've recognized that I'm most energized (and strongest) at identifying problems and solutions for "big picture"-type challenges -- ala consulting.
Race/Gender/Age: White/M/30 (31 when applying)
Professional experience: 6 years, the first 5 of which were at the same mid-size ($1b revenue) company.
- 1 year operations (tactical vendor management)
- 2 years procurement (spend category mangement, supplier relations management -- led initiatives, projects, etc)
- 2 years supply chain management (project management for product development and sourcing, supply base optimization)
- 1 year strategic sourcing, senior level (Fortune 500, add another year for '10 - '11)
GMAT: 700 (even split Q/V)
This is where it all gets screwed up . . .
GPA: 2.8 BBA, Tier 2 school.
A little insight (forgive the stream of conciousness here) . . Things started out great, the first year and a half, I sported a 4.0GPA. The remaining four years, turned out to be a mess and were completely downhill. I had a parent become gravely ill and die (mother). . . I lost my financial aid because my mother was my "primary" parent for finaid purposes (and you need a parent to sign a FAFSA, and I was under the 'independent' age of 24). . . I was unable to get financial aid because I was virtually estranged from my father, so I worked full time . . . and the university would not declare me independent. In the midst of it all, I had a cancelled semester due to non-payment. Through the combination of these experiences, my goal was to simply to earn enough to pay for school and squeak through it with the remaining hours that I had. Ultimately, I did just that, at the expense of my grades.
That said, it's not an experience I'd want to share with an adcom because I feel like it ends up sounding like I'm making excuses, but I would plan on addressing my GPA in an optional essay with a focus of how I've matured by reflecting on my experiences.
Recommendations: I'm confident both will be solid -- one from current direct supervisor, and another from a previous.
Extra cirricular: Moderate involvement with 3 organizations, primarily focused around volunteer work. I've done my best to work around sporadic international travel, but it's a been tough.
Essasys: Will invest in professional services to polish.
What are your thoughts on strengths and weaknesses?
Do you have any recommendations on what to further do in the next 9 months to help my overall chances?
Would an alternative transcript be helpful?
Your feedback is greatly appreciated!
First of all, thank you for taking the time to write so many posts. I've gotten a lot of great insight so far on reading through a lot of them
Second, I'm hoping you can give me some pointers on what I can do to strengthen my application for a 2011 admit into a top-20 program. . . or at least let me know what's good and what's bad from my current profile. I don't want to rush into anything for the 2010 admissions cycle, but do want to get a jump start for next year. I'm going to take the next couple of months and do some strong research to pinpoint the best fit for me.
Here's where I am today --
Reason: Career change to management consulting. Being very brief, over the last several years I've recognized that I'm most energized (and strongest) at identifying problems and solutions for "big picture"-type challenges -- ala consulting.
Race/Gender/Age: White/M/30 (31 when applying)
Professional experience: 6 years, the first 5 of which were at the same mid-size ($1b revenue) company.
- 1 year operations (tactical vendor management)
- 2 years procurement (spend category mangement, supplier relations management -- led initiatives, projects, etc)
- 2 years supply chain management (project management for product development and sourcing, supply base optimization)
- 1 year strategic sourcing, senior level (Fortune 500, add another year for '10 - '11)
GMAT: 700 (even split Q/V)
This is where it all gets screwed up . . .
GPA: 2.8 BBA, Tier 2 school.
A little insight (forgive the stream of conciousness here) . . Things started out great, the first year and a half, I sported a 4.0GPA. The remaining four years, turned out to be a mess and were completely downhill. I had a parent become gravely ill and die (mother). . . I lost my financial aid because my mother was my "primary" parent for finaid purposes (and you need a parent to sign a FAFSA, and I was under the 'independent' age of 24). . . I was unable to get financial aid because I was virtually estranged from my father, so I worked full time . . . and the university would not declare me independent. In the midst of it all, I had a cancelled semester due to non-payment. Through the combination of these experiences, my goal was to simply to earn enough to pay for school and squeak through it with the remaining hours that I had. Ultimately, I did just that, at the expense of my grades.
That said, it's not an experience I'd want to share with an adcom because I feel like it ends up sounding like I'm making excuses, but I would plan on addressing my GPA in an optional essay with a focus of how I've matured by reflecting on my experiences.
Recommendations: I'm confident both will be solid -- one from current direct supervisor, and another from a previous.
Extra cirricular: Moderate involvement with 3 organizations, primarily focused around volunteer work. I've done my best to work around sporadic international travel, but it's a been tough.
Essasys: Will invest in professional services to polish.
What are your thoughts on strengths and weaknesses?
Do you have any recommendations on what to further do in the next 9 months to help my overall chances?
Would an alternative transcript be helpful?
Your feedback is greatly appreciated!
