US Army Officer Profile Evaluation

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US Army Officer Profile Evaluation

by CPTB0618 » Wed Sep 22, 2010 11:48 am
I would greatly appreciate an honest evaluation of my profile:

I have a degree in Mechanical Engineering from a good east coast school with a 2.9 gpa.

I just took the GMAT today and scored a 640, which is lower than the 680's I scored on the practice exams. I plan on retaking the exam next month to raise my score. My q/v split was 38/40. I was pleased with my verbal score, but scored uncharacteristically low for myself on the quantitative portion, as I averaged 46 on the practice tests.

While my scores are below average, I feel that I have distinguished myself with my experience. I am a captain in the Army who recently returned from a combat deployment in Afghanistan. I was the executive officer for a company comprised of 200 Soldiers. I also served as a liaison officer amongst US, British, and Afghan security forces, planning partnered operations amongst the three countries. Prior to my deployment I was platoon leader of a 40 Soldier combat engineer platoon. I have progressed quickly with promotions and attaining positions of increased responsibility. I was also also selected above my peers as a lieutenant to attend and graduate from the US Army Ranger School and US Army Sapper Leader Course, which are widely regarded as two of the most difficult leadership schools in the Army. I am currently in the process of separating from the service and want to use an MBA as a path into management consulting.

I would love to attend a Top 25 school, with NYU Stern as my goal. Ultimately, I want to attend the best school I can be accepted to. I also have been looking into Georgetown, Boston College, Boston U., and Rutgers.

Are there any suggestions for other schools I can realistically target, either with my current GMAT score or an improvement? Thank you very much for your help!


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by Tani » Wed Sep 22, 2010 4:06 pm
With an improved GMAT you could realistically target any school you are interested in. That does not mean you would be accepted, but you can certainly make a case for leadership experience above and beyond most applicants. I have seen several successful military applicants.

Your GPA is soft, although in a discipline generally recognized as tough. Your school's reputation could help there. However, the GPA will make it even more important to earn a top-flight GMAT score to show that you can handle the academic work.

Your liaison officer work and your leadership schools are terrific. You are certainly a strong candidate for top-25 schools if not necessarily for top-5. Choose your recommenders wisely, if possible get an experienced admissions consultant to help you, and be sure you can clearly articulate your proposed career path and why it makes sense based on your skills, interests and experience.

Good luck,
Tani Wolff