Ask mbaMission

Hi there,

Thanks for posting your profile. It's good that you are planning ahead for your next steps and future career path. If I'm understanding correctly, you have only 1 year of full-time experience... and the average at top schools is 5 years... b-schools really value real-world working experience, so that everyone learns from one another just as much as from the class or professor, and that everyone brings a wealth of experiences into the classroom discussions. So every additional year for the next couple of years would likely increase your chances at more competitive schools. If you apply with fewer than average years of experience, you need to make a strong case in your essays (and interview if you get to that point) of why NOW, why it makes sense for you to get the MBA now vs in a few years... and also that the experience you DO have is very high quality, and detail what skills you've gained, leadership and teamwork experiences, impact you've made in your role, etc.

Your GMAT is excellent, you are in the top 4% of test-takers... I can't see another 10-30 points making much difference at this point! You've got a 'sufficient' GMAT to get into any top program, IF the rest of your application is excellent... right now the lack of experience is a weakness. But really the decision will be made based on the rest of your application. That said, if you feel strongly about your ability to increase your GMAT and very much want to try, that's fine, I just don't feel it's needed with a 730.

Having a degree in Psych may be a small plus as slightly less common among b-school applicants, and your GPA is solid. The marketing plan for the non-profit you described stood out to me as interesting. One thing you haven't mentioned is WHAT you envision your post-MBA career to look like... you mentioned a great job but in what area?? That also may become more apparent as you get more work experience. You do need to have a solid plan for why you are applying-- ie. what your future looks like, by the time you put together your applications. That also may greatly affect which schools you apply to-- it is often based more on what your future goals are than your past career (choosing one school over another). For a top 10 'reach' school just very roughly, Kellogg comes to mind. But schools have different strengths in different areas and different cultures, so definitely do some research.

Here's some more reading on choosing schools:
https://info.mbamission.com/Selecting-Yo ... ram-E-Book

In the meantime focus on your work and making impact in your roles and on your organization, and opportunities to show leadership and initiative.

Good luck on the upcoming decisions!