Profile Evaluation Please

[Jkight3107]

Thank you in advance for reviewing my profile!

Professional Background:Currently, I am a VP/Commercial banker with 9 years of banking experience. The experience ranges from managing teams from 5 to 30 employees to Portfolio Management of 100 million + in assets . I have worked for 3 different banks in my 9 years. I have won multiple awards and been promoted several times throughout my career.

Education: 3.1 GPA from a Major University (in the USA). Journalism Major / Marketing Minor. Last 60 semester credits my GPA was 3.8. (Needless to say, I was a bit of a train-wreck in my first couple semesters of college) I also played baseball in College.

GMAT 680 Gmat (I took the test 3 times with the following scores, 460, 630, 680). Not sure if this helps or hurts me that I took the test 3 times and that my first attempt was pretty brutal. I know schools take the highest score but just curious if I address this in my essays.

Extras: On the board of three non-profits. I am also the captain of a national dodgeball team (yes, there is such a thing, and no its not like the movie...well sort of it is)! Also, between my wife and I we participate in many philanthropic events.

Reason for an MBA; Because I do not have a "formal" education in business it's my goal to develop the necessary skills to make me more effective in my career. I am not closed off to the idea of career switching. I feel the timing is right to pursue an MBA because I feel like I have plateaued in my career. I am looking to take on greater responsibility and positions with a larger scope. I feel an MBA will give me the tools necessary to make that happen.

Schools Targeted
1. Duke
2. NYU
3. UT-Austin
4. UCLA
5. USC
6. UNC

Those are the six schools I am looking to apply to. Trying to get a feel if I would be competitive at those schools. Also, I am not opposed to applying to those schools Part-Time programs. It appears that's its slightly easier to gain admittance to a part-time program than a full-time program. Curious to hear your thoughts on that.

Thanks again for all the help!

[Lisa Anderson]

Dear Jkight3107,

Overall, I think you are a competitive candidate for your six schools. The decision will ultimately come down to the quality of your total application, so use the essays, recommendations and interview to your advantage in making your case for admission. These six schools are all highly selective, so you might want to identify 1-2 safety programs for an R2 application as a back up plan. With regards to your GMAT, I'm glad you got your score up on that third attempt--congratulations! Schools do only use the highest score and it will not hurt you that you took the test more than once.

In terms of part-time v. full-time, I think you need to consider what you want from your MBA experience as these are two quite different MBA experiences. Part-time programs are designed for folks looking to stay on their current career path or not deviate much from their current path (i.e., same industry, same functional area, etc.). Part-time programs are not necessarily easier to get into, but the evaluation of applicants is slightly different. Full-time programs are for folks looking to make significant career changes or stay on the same path--and everything in between. So, think about your expectations for your MBA experience--does it include an internship? external consulting projects? club activities? ability to focus solely on school and your career? Then decide which program makes the most sense for you and your career.

Best of luck,
Lisa

[Jkight3107]

Lisa,

Thank you very much for the quick response! Your insight was very helpful.

Best Regards,