Would Love to get your thoughts

[euellster]

Hey Stacy,

I was hoping to get your opinion on my profile and how it may stack up with the schools below.

Schools I plan on applying to:
North Carolina
Indiana
Vanderbilt
Fordham

GMAT 660 (M45, V36)

Undergrad
BS – Mechanical Engineering
Bucknell University
GPA 2.9
Competed in 12 seasons of Div I track/cross country

Work Experience
3.5 Years working as an Application Engineer.
The company I work for sells design software for engineers (CAD). My job is to demonstrate, teach, consult, and support the customers who purchase the software from the company. I look at this job as something that sets me apart from many engineers. Besides the technical skills I learned with the software, I’ve also gained many hours of experience teaching and presenting. This has allowed me to become very comfortable in front of groups speaking. I’ve also spent a significant amount of time working with customers over the phone to help them solve problems with the software and their designs. I consider this to have really helped me in communicating with people in situations that are not always optimal.

10 Months working as a Transportation Engineer
Collected and analyzed traffic data for a small Transportation Engineering firm.

Extracurricular Activities
Spent the past year in an improv group that meets once a week and performs every couple months.
2003-2005 Brazilian Jiu Jitsu self defense classes

White Male, age 27 and living in New Jersey

Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Mike

[Stacy Blackman]

I agree with you that your experience sets you apart. It will be important to position that correctly, so you come off as a trainer/mentor and not the "help desk" which is more impersonal. Do you train individuals within your company to present/train also? Have you conceived of any special courses or training programs? Position your people skills well, and you can be successful.

Also, you should beef up your more recent volunteer experiences. The improv experience will be interesting/fun for your application, but community work will also be helpful.