Planning for 2010 admission - application weaknesses?

[KP2010]

Hello! I am a 24 year old female, and I will be applying for 2010 admissions. I am studying for the GMAT and anticipate scoring a 710 or 720 based on my practice test scores. I have worked in corporate accounting for 3 years, since graduating from a top 50 undergrad with a 3.7 GPA and a double major in Finance & Psychology. I have moved around to several positions in my 3 years- 1 year as a project analyst, 1 year supervising a team of 3 in Division Accounting and 1 year (so far) supervising a team of 6 in A/P. I have been volunteering for one organization for the past 5 months and plan to continue until I leave the area (for school).

I plan to apply to top 20 schools, with a few top 50 as safety schools. After reading about what most MBA programs are looking for, my concern is twofold: 1) that my current community involvement may be lacking (with just one non-leadership volunteer position), and 2) that I have not spent a significant amount of time abroad, having spent only 1 month over a summer studying abroad.

Could you make some recommendations to help me distinguish myself in the application process? Should I push for a leadership role in my community, outside of work?

Thanks in advance!

[Lisa Anderson]

Dear KP2010,

Simply being involved with one organization is not a negative per se, but I do think a leadership role with the organization would strengthen your profile. Since you have worked with the organization for 5 months, perhaps you have determined in what capacity you could contribute at a higher level? As for international experiences, they are not a requirement for most schools and not having them will not be a negative. There are some programs that do prefer candidates with significant international experience, so just do your research to determine if your target schools will expect that from you. Generally speaking, international experience can be interesting and help to distinguish an applicant, but you should not feel you are at a disadvantage for not having any.

Good luck,
Lisa