Profile evaluation please!!

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Profile evaluation please!!

by mbaorjustma » Sat Feb 06, 2010 9:23 am
Hello all,

I've been considering an MBA for a while and think this is about the right time to do one!

My profile:

Age: 24
Undergraduate: University of Kent, UK, Bachelor's Degree in Social Anthropology (yes, Social Anthropology) Converted (McGill and UCL conversion table) GPA 3.1 (US), 2.85 (CA)
Work experience: Active shareholder of family firm from age 18-21 when it sold for $10m, Started 2 companies, both of which made profit but could not grow sufficiently due to lack of investment. Marketing director of an IT startup which failed - again mainly due to lack of capital.
Foreign Languages: Greek (fluent), French (almost fluent), Spanish (conversational)
GMAT: 720

I started my first e-business at 17 (with no outside investment i.e. parents). After 2 successful years the market was flooded with companies that had the capital needed to market and grow the idea, effectively squeezing me out. The same was the case with my most recent start-up which made a health profit only for 6 months before it had to be shut down.

Business has always been my passion, but i have come to understand that without capital it is difficult to be an entrepreneur - finding loans at 24 and in this climate is pretty much impossible. So I figured I should do an MBA and get a job instead.

My GMAT is high, but I viewed my degree as an opportunity to network and so concentrated more on business that Anthropology... This is reflected in my GPA. Does my GMAT make up for my GPA? Is my business experience sufficient to be taken seriously? Would I be better off just applying for an MA?

Thank you!
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by Lisa Anderson » Tue Feb 09, 2010 12:40 pm
Dear mbaorjustma,

If business is your passion, then why are you considering an MA program? Being an entrepreneur is hard and most new companies do fail, but that is where you see who the real entrepreneurs are because they are the ones who keep trying out the next idea. I think your experience is valuable and is not something you should feel bad about or think is less valuable than another applicant's corporate experience; it is simply a different path. It will be important for you to come to terms with your decisions before you begin this process in order for you to present your background in the best possible light. While your GPA is not high, it is certainly not low--it is about average. Combined with a high GMAT, I think you have a competitive profile for many programs. Now, it is up to you to determine how you want to present all of your experience and other activities to make a compelling case for your admission. In that case, you also need to present your rationale for an MBA in relation to your career goals. Your post-MBA goal can't simply be to "get a job"--you need to figure out what you want to do post-MBA and how the MBA program will help you get there.

Best of luck,
Lisa
Lisa Anderson
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