Please evaluate my chances

[boyjimmy79]

Hi,

I am 30 years old and am applying for Fall 2011 admission. How do I look for Sloan and Stern? What could I focus on the rest of this year to best increase my chances?

My undergrad GPA is 3.4 with dual degrees in Comp Sci and Business from Univ of MD, College Park. I also have a Masters in Comp Sci from Johns Hopkins with a 3.6 GPA.

My GMAT overall is 760 (89% quant, 97% verbal) and 5.5 writing.

I spent my first 4 years of my career as a software engineer at a fast growing start-up. I eventually led a small team to develop a key feature in our product that was successfully field tested. In the most recent 4 years, I've been working in management and technology consulting. I've held team lead roles as a Senior Consultant, but am not at management level. I haven't received a promotion, but I changed firms two years ago to accept a position is equivalent to a promotion had I stayed. As a consultant, I've earned a handful of company awards and have presented in an industry conference.

For extracurriculars, I have spent several hundred hours volunteering at a local hospital doing all sorts of work. I just like helping people and doing something consistently. I'm not sure that I have anything interesting to say about this experience that would interest adcoms.

Thanks in advance for your time.

Jim

[Lisa Anderson]

Dear Jim,

Congratulations on your GMAT score--that is awesome! Your GMAT and GPA are definitely advantages for you. Likewise, it appears from your post that you have had progression in your career and successful leadership and teamwork experiences. Additionally, you have been an active volunteer at the hospital which will be an asset to you. Basically, you have the foundation for a competitive application, so now it is time to focus on putting together a stellar, compelling application package. You want to focus on creating that package--the resume, the essays (once the application is released), and the recommendations (selecting appropriately). Additionally, you might want to identify an opportunity at the hospital where you could be a lead on a project or contribute at a more strategic/higher level if possible. While you might not feel there is anything interesting to say about the volunteering, I'm positive there is and you will want to incorporate your experience there into your applications if you can.

Best of luck,
Lisa