Hello,
I'm 23 years old and a junior in college (Information Systems major, standard state school) with a 3.7 GPA. I currently work 30-35hrs per week as a systems administrator for an insurance firm. Upon graduation, I'll have five years of IT experience in my current position and a total of 8+ years of IT experience.
I would like to obtain an MBA from a good school (Duke or Darden) and then enter a leadership development program with a Fortune 500 company. I'm thinking of obtaining my MBA three years after graduation from college, because I'll be 28 years old and that's the standard age for full time programs. I do not wish to stay in the IT field much beyond another three years.
If I took a traditional route, I'd work as an IT consultant for Deloitte or Booz Allen upon graduation for three years and then apply to schools.
However, that's not what I want to do. I really would like to take a different path from just working for an IT consulting firm. I realize that schools want well rounded people who built a life and not just a resume. At the same time I don't want my deviation from the norm to result in a denial admission to a good business school.
What I want to do for the next three years is rather complex, but here goes.
1)Start my own IT consulting firm dedicated to the self-insured medical mal-practice industry.
2)Play more poker on a "pro" level (passion of mine and I've been successful thus far).
3)Establish a student investment fund at my college.
4)Write a book about the trials of a professional poker player.
5)Climb - I enjoy mountaineering and would like to climb Mt. McKinely, Kilimanjaro and a few peaks in the Himalayas.
6)Launch a non-profit computer business of some type.
Would I hurt my acceptance chances at Duke or Darden if I completed the above list of things instead of just working for an IT consultant firm for three years?
Thanks
I'm 23 years old and a junior in college (Information Systems major, standard state school) with a 3.7 GPA. I currently work 30-35hrs per week as a systems administrator for an insurance firm. Upon graduation, I'll have five years of IT experience in my current position and a total of 8+ years of IT experience.
I would like to obtain an MBA from a good school (Duke or Darden) and then enter a leadership development program with a Fortune 500 company. I'm thinking of obtaining my MBA three years after graduation from college, because I'll be 28 years old and that's the standard age for full time programs. I do not wish to stay in the IT field much beyond another three years.
If I took a traditional route, I'd work as an IT consultant for Deloitte or Booz Allen upon graduation for three years and then apply to schools.
However, that's not what I want to do. I really would like to take a different path from just working for an IT consulting firm. I realize that schools want well rounded people who built a life and not just a resume. At the same time I don't want my deviation from the norm to result in a denial admission to a good business school.
What I want to do for the next three years is rather complex, but here goes.
1)Start my own IT consulting firm dedicated to the self-insured medical mal-practice industry.
2)Play more poker on a "pro" level (passion of mine and I've been successful thus far).
3)Establish a student investment fund at my college.
4)Write a book about the trials of a professional poker player.
5)Climb - I enjoy mountaineering and would like to climb Mt. McKinely, Kilimanjaro and a few peaks in the Himalayas.
6)Launch a non-profit computer business of some type.
Would I hurt my acceptance chances at Duke or Darden if I completed the above list of things instead of just working for an IT consultant firm for three years?
Thanks
