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Hi, I would really appreciate an expert's view on my profile.

I am 26-years old, female and from India. I completed high school in India and then moved to Singapore for my undergrad degree in Business Management. I majored in Marketing and Corporate Communication. I am looking to apply to MBA programs in Fall 2017.

GPA: 2.8/4.0
GMAT: 690 (V39/Q46)
College: Top Asian University

Work experience: Worked in Singapore for 4 years upon graduation, with 2 promotions in 2 different companies and 1 organizational award.

I started off worked at a recruitment agency as an associate recruitment consultant in a very fast-paced sales environment. I was progressively given more responsibility every quarter and surpassed all revenue targets given to me and won an organizational award. Within a year, I was promoted and surpassed my given targets again. After 2 years with the company, I moved to a Talent Consultancy and over the next 2 years was placed on projects with leading MNCs and was successful in meeting all the targets set for me. Within a year, I was promoted and given the responsibility of running a project with a major client in the APAC region.

Extra-curriculars: Ad-hoc volunteering, volunteered with the local YMCA, SPCA and other animal welfare organizations. I have also done some charity drives and donations for earthquake victims etc with local groups. Tennis player and runner (I have participated in 10km runs), recreational artist. Also a lot of volunteering during my undergraduate years and I was the President of a student run club.

Why MBA: After 4 years of experience in recruitment and talent acquisition, I am looking for a career change. I am interested in pursuing a career in Marketing or (as a second option), Operations.

My current situation: As of July this year, I had to relocate from Singapore for family reasons, and have been unable to work full-time during this time. I have continued volunteering and have pursued personal development during this time (a variety of courses and traveling in and around the region). I am now going to start working again full- time in January 2017.

I'm looking to apply to the top to middle tier schools in both Europe and the US. Schools I am considering are:
London Business School
University of Oxford: Said School of Business
Imperial College Business School
Kelley School of Business
USC Marshall School of Business
Tepper School of Business

My concerns: I am concerned about my low GPA and my gap in employment (and the fact that I may be unemployed at the time of submission if I apply in R2). However, I know I can get strong recommendations from my former employers and my experience in slightly unique. I have a good understanding of the South East Asian Market.

I would to know if I stand a chance at getting into any of the Universities I have mentioned above, and if there are Universities I have missed out on which would be a good fit.

Thank you for your advice in advance! I would really appreciate any feedback.

Hi @Div236,

I think the schools you've chose are good options, however for LBS you'll need a higher gmat score since you will be competing in the indian applicant pool. The other schools are less competitive so your score should be fine.
You've got some great work experience and career progression and a good story as to why you want to do an mba and that you want to switch careers. Your int'l experience will also be very appealing.
Your GPA is quite low but if you have a reason as to why it's low (perhaps working part time in school, family issues) you can also justify this in an optional essay. As long as you have a good gmat then that can compensate for a low gpa so I wouldn't worry too much.

You might want to consider Judge Cambridge as well. Overall, you've got a good profile with some nice extra curriculars so definitely go for it.

If you'd like to talk more about the right fit and which schools to apply to, we'd be happy to chat (for free for 30 minutes). Just sign up at www.fortunaadmissions.com/free-consultation. Our entire team is made up of former admissions directors from the worlds top schools (including LBS) so we've all been 'on the other side'!

All the best,

Thanks for your insightful feedback Melissa!