Profile Review

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Profile Review

by Travis-Mcelmurry » Thu Aug 27, 2015 8:57 am
Hello,

I am hoping to have my profile reviewed. I recently took the GMAT and my quant was a bit lower than I hoped I am seeking an overview analysis of my target schools and how well I match to them. Also if I should do anything specific to improve chances.


I am unique from most applicant in that I am pursuing a JD/MBA degree.

Here is my background:

1) I have 8 years of retail store management experience with 5 as store manager with 2 companies. One of them being in the Fortune 10. (This experience is pre-Bachelors).
At these two companies I received five promotions in 6 years.

2)LSAT 167 (94.3 Percentile)
GMAT 710 (91st Percentile)- Q43 (55th percentile) V44 (98th Percentile).
I was ill the morning of my GMAT test and time ran out as I went to submit the last IR question. This left me out of sorts during the Quant portion of the test. A 55th percentile is much lower than my practice scores but I have solid quant support in recent classes and can have my recommenders focus on this. I was able to calm my anxiety and focus during the Verbal section.

3) College info: Pepperdine University, GPA 3.511 (Graduated Cum Luade), Major Business Administration, year of graduation 2015.
I struggled to balance work and classes during the first half of undergraduate courses. During this time I worked a job requiring an average of 65 hours per week and had to care for my terminally ill father in-law, who passed away from cancer.

4) During my time at Pepperdine I was president/founder of a student club which provided an arena for students to learn and develop from the influence of the unique skills of others. The club focused on connecting military and civilian students to foster a safe environment for networking, skills development and collaboration by leveraging each member's unique attributes. The club is officially recognized and acts as a resource for about 60 students in many areas of their academic and professional lives.
https://bravery2business.com/
I have also been volunteering my time at a local animal shelter for the last 4 years.

5) I possess a certificate from Oxford University for Global Management awarded for my succesful participation in an intensive study abroad program.
I also have a certificate from HarvardX for their Intro to Contracts mooc course.

6) My short-term post-MBA goal is to gain experience working for either a business law firm or consulting firm. I will apply this experience in my long-term goal which is to found a company that provides legal and business consulting services focusing on startup and entrepreneurial ventures.

I am a first-generation college student and have been lucky enough to be influenced by great mentors. I want to use my knowledge and power gained from an MBA to give back and help others find success similar to mine.

I am planning on applying to the respective JD/MBA programs at the following schools: Duke, University of Virginia, University of Pennsylvania, Northwestern University, Vanderbilt University, Washington University in St. Louis, and Michigan Ann Arbor.

I would appreciate and feedback or thoughts you have from this.

Thank You,


Travis McElmurry

GMAT/MBA Expert

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by MargaretStrother » Sun Aug 30, 2015 4:31 am
Hi Travis,
Thanks for the comprehensive overview! I do see the MBA here, but I don't see as clearly why you want to do the JD/MBA in particular -- this is a tough program to get into, so you will need to have the JD part as clear as the Why MBA part. You would also (in my experience) need a higher GMAT, with the emphasis on cranking up your quant, in order to be truly competitive for such a narrow target.

That said, there is a lot of great stuff in your profile, and you should be a successful applicant to top MBA programs. Wharton is a bit age-sensitive, so if you're older than, say, 27, this might not be a realistic target school for you. (no blow-back please, I'm just stating demographic phenomena based on my own experience, I know there are always exceptions). For you, the key will be goals and school choices, especially if you are not retaking the GMAT: a combination of ambition and realism can combine to make the most effective package of applications. If you have a dream school, by all means go for it, but back yourself up with some "safer" options so that you are not relying too much on random chance to define your future.

Good luck!

Margaret Strother
Margaret Strother
Senior Consultant
Stacy Blackman Consulting

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