Please Evaluate my Profile - Advertising Background

[leb1990]

Hi,

I'm intending to apply to MBA programs for the Fall of 2017 (potentially 2018, if I don't feel my profile is up to par in the middle of next year).

1. Demographics: Asian American, Male, 25 years old

2. Education:
- GMAT: 750 (Q47 V46)
- GPA: 3.6 from The University of Texas at Austin majoring in Marketing

3. Work Experience:
- 1.5 years as a Media Planner in an advertising agency (current position)
"¢Assist in the media planning and buying process
"¢Analyze proposals from media publishers to offer tactical recommendations regarding digital ad placement to Senior Media Directors
"¢Plan campaign budget allocations on a monthly basis based on publisher avails and KPIs
"¢Support Media Director in rate negotiations
"¢Process billing and manage budget delivery for campaign
"¢Manage ad operations including building placements and updating creatives

-1.5 years as a client services manager for an oil and gas company
"¢Communicated requirements from internal and external clients to manufacturing and engineering teams
"¢Developed manufacturing schedule according to customer demand
"¢Allocated engineering resources and managed production lead times
"¢Optimized delivery logistics by prioritizing cost efficiency and timing constraints
"¢Developed project management structure across finance, product, and account management teams
"¢Lead representative to customers based in the Middle East and Latin America

-Summer interning at an advertising agency during my undergrad

4. Extracurricular:
- University of Texas club tennis - singles and doubles player
- Phi Chi Theta Professional Business Fraternity
- Calculus Tutor (to be fair it was only for my Freshman year which is a distant memory now)

5.Post MBA plans: work in marketing consulting, ideally with a focus on luxury goods and products

6. Target Schools: Stanford, Harvard, Chicago Booth, Columbia, London Business School

My concerns with my candidacy right now are around my work experience and the implications of my quantitative abilities. I haven't found many past candidates that transitioned from the media and advertising world to an MBA. So I'm concerned how my work history will be perceived by Adcoms and if there's anything I can do to demonstrate my aptitude. Additionally, while I'm content with my overall GMAT score my quant section only scored in the 67th percentile and my undergraduate coursework consisted of some statistics and mathematics courses, I'm worried that my quantitative abilities aren't fully demonstrated. I would appreciate any feedback and areas for improvement before applying.

Thanks!

[Alexbr@ClearAdmit]

because not many media planners transitioned to an MBA, it may actually play out as an advantage, schools like diversity, and diversity comes in all forms, including prior work experience. If you are concerned about demonstrating quant ability, and your undergrad transcript is a little light in this area, take a class or two at a local school, get As. Honestly a 750 / 3.6 combo is impressive.

For the next year or so, get as much leadership as you can at work, really challenge yourself and seek out opportunities. Also, do the same in some volunteer capacity, something about which you are passionate. cheers, alex