Requesting Application Review--career changer

Launched January 9, 2010
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Are these schools within reach based on my profile? I'm looking at Booth, Kellogg, Fuqua, HBS, Ross, Yale and maybe Wharton. Any feedback is greatly appreciated. I'm just trying to get a sense of where I stand.

My goal: I'd like to be involved in nonprofit, social enterprise, foundation management, etc.

Age: 25, M

3.98 GPA from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Journalism Major, Business Minor

GMAT: 680 (Worth retaking?)

Work Experience:

Business Reporting intern at the Washington Times (wrote front-page articles and reported on congressional hearings.) Freelance writer for multiple business publications, associations and corporations.

3.5 years as an Editor at a small trade magazine publisher. Recently promoted to manager of custom publishing division. Will have 1.5 years in management experience before entering. Work with corporate/nonprofit clients to create magazines and marketing material. Write and edit; manage a 4-person team. Managed a national association's publication that was distributed to congressional staffers from idea to finished product. Work with international development consultants in China on a Chinese-language editorial product. Filmed and created a video about a medical nonprofit in Honduras.

Extracurriculars: Research associate for a international development nonprofit (1.5 years), where I write reports about poverty-reducing methods and assist with development and revision of the organization's metrics system.

Marketing Committee volunteer (2 years) for another nonprofit. Served on an event planning committee for a fundraiser, helping increase attendance by 50%, developed marketing material and got the event a new sponsor. Volunteered in Peru for a few weeks.

During Undergrad: Coordinator for my school's main volunteer organization (setting up volunteer projects and managing volunteers), Reporter for the school newspaper, Marketing/Fundraising for a student-run record label.

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by Scott@VeritasPrep » Mon May 03, 2010 2:06 pm
Hi adam1hockey,

I think you have some interesting material to work with here. Your undergrad GPA, your varied work experience, and your extracurriculars will all be assets as you try to 1) demonstrate fit with your target schools and 2) stand out vs. other applicants. Assuming you can get some terrific letters of recommendation (with ideally at least one coming from your current or a recent supervisor) and craft compelling essays, then I think you have a legitimate shot at a top-five school. BTW, maybe also look at Haas, since they're very strong in social entrepreneurship.

Re: the GMAT, it's a tad lower than I'd like to see. The answer is sort of "It depends," though, since I'd want to know how you did on the Quant and Verbal sections. Ideally, you can score above the 80th percentile on both, but my guess is that maybe one half (Quant?) brought you down here. Those "raw scores" are often more telling than the one, single number that we all tend to focus on. Since you have a lot of time between now and the Round 1 MBA admissions deadlines, I'd say go again and try to get that score ~30-40 points higher. (Easier, said than done, I know.)

Good luck!
Scott

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by adam1hockey » Mon May 03, 2010 7:00 pm
Thank you, Scott. I thought my experience would be relatively unique, too, so it helps that someone on the outside thinks the same. I also feel I have a compelling "story," and I'm excited to write the essays.

Yes, my quant score was on the low side, and I plan on taking the GMAT one more time. My goal is 700, so we'll see what happens.

Thanks again for taking the time to give feedback.

-Adam

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by adam1hockey » Mon Jul 19, 2010 7:25 pm
I re-took the GMAT and ended up with a 720. I'm pretty excited about that, but my quant is at the 77th percentile--just below that 80 target you mentioned.

I have top undergrad grades in algebra, calculus, advanced statistics, finance and accounting (I took many business classes during undergrad). Will that compensate for my slightly low quant score? Or should I be doing something else to show my quant ability?

I just want to make the numbers less relevant so I can focus on what I think is my unique story! Thanks again for all the help!

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by Scott@VeritasPrep » Tue Jul 20, 2010 8:09 am
You're borderline, but I think you'll be okay. If you were surprised by the 77th percentile score and are confident that you'd do better if you took it again, AND if you have enough time to do it (which you do at this point), then it might be worth one more shot.

Having said that, I DO think you can get in with that score. Again, that 80th percentile thing is really just a rule of thumb... Don't take it as gospel!

All of the other things you mentioned will help answer the question of whether or not you can handle strong analytical work. So, I think you'll be okay.

Hope that helps!

Scott