25/F/US
GMAT score: 720
Undergrad GPA: 3.76, Economics, earned BA in less than 3 years from a typical state school
Extracurricular: Mainly bicycling. Served on the board of directors for a bicycle/pedestrian nonprofit; have volunteered as a mechanic/instructor for many bike-oriented projects. Tons of volunteering experience, including nonprofit leadership & board development. I participate in a local professional development group to improve leadership and communication skills.
Work Experience: I believe that this is my weak spot. I have worked a lot over the past several years, but much of my work has been as a self-employed nonprofit tech consultant. I worked "full time" for one year in a tech-related leadership/management role for a respectable nonprofit, but then I went back to consulting. I have worked with the same nonprofit in different capacities for over three years with increasing levels of responsibility/leadership, however, only one of those years technically counts as "full-time employment." The rest was, by legal definitions, contracting.
I have worked with lots of great nonprofit clients over the years, but none of those projects sound very impressive when viewed as isolated positions. I can tack on another 5 months of "post-undergrad, full-time work experience" as a bicycle mechanic, but I don't feel like that matters much to b-schools.
I would love to get into a top tier program, but I'm not sure if I'm a competitive candidate. My work history is somewhat nontraditional.
Will you please advise?
Thanks.
GMAT score: 720
Undergrad GPA: 3.76, Economics, earned BA in less than 3 years from a typical state school
Extracurricular: Mainly bicycling. Served on the board of directors for a bicycle/pedestrian nonprofit; have volunteered as a mechanic/instructor for many bike-oriented projects. Tons of volunteering experience, including nonprofit leadership & board development. I participate in a local professional development group to improve leadership and communication skills.
Work Experience: I believe that this is my weak spot. I have worked a lot over the past several years, but much of my work has been as a self-employed nonprofit tech consultant. I worked "full time" for one year in a tech-related leadership/management role for a respectable nonprofit, but then I went back to consulting. I have worked with the same nonprofit in different capacities for over three years with increasing levels of responsibility/leadership, however, only one of those years technically counts as "full-time employment." The rest was, by legal definitions, contracting.
I have worked with lots of great nonprofit clients over the years, but none of those projects sound very impressive when viewed as isolated positions. I can tack on another 5 months of "post-undergrad, full-time work experience" as a bicycle mechanic, but I don't feel like that matters much to b-schools.
I would love to get into a top tier program, but I'm not sure if I'm a competitive candidate. My work history is somewhat nontraditional.
Will you please advise?
Thanks.
