Profile + Timing

[maxlefranc]

Thank you very much for your time.

Profile:
Born and raised in France, 25 years old, Married.
Studied at 'IMIP MBA Institute' in Paris, majored in International Finance, graduated 2.5 years ago.
Led the Career Center for 2 years
Have been working in a M&A Boutique in New York since Nov-07 that is specialized in Power and Utilities as an Analyst.
On the side I am the leader of the young members of UMP in New York (French presidential party)
My GPA is ~3.2 (Translated from French System) and I am still working on my GMAT but hope to score 700+

What timing should I consider, in other words is September 09 too soon to apply? Is it reasonable to aim at Top 5-10 B-schools?

[Lisa Anderson]

Dear maxlefranc,

If you feel you are ready to start business school in 2010, then you should apply this fall (2009). As for schools, I encourage you to visit our sticky on school selection for tips and suggestions. If you do score in the 700s on your GMAT, then you can definitely consider applying to top 10 programs; however, I think it is prudent for any applicant, regardless of profile, to apply to at least one safety program as business school admissions is highly competitive for the top 20 programs.

Good luck,
Lisa

[maxlefranc]

Thank you very much.
Second and last question, my wife wants to go to Business school too. She has a different profile from mine. We were told by some that applying together could actually be an asset (as married couples are even more engaged in the program than others).

However, Can it be a liability depending on which program we are applying for? If so, is there any way to mitigate this?

Thanks again for your time.

[Lisa Anderson]

Married couples applying to the same program generally does not have any bearing on the admissions decision. There are definitely times when it might help, but more often than not, it will not usually factor into the decision-making process.

Regards,
Lisa