another situation

[ricosh13]

yea so i've read a bunch of these myself and thought it was mostly a waste of time haha but i just can't help but to try and get some feedback and throw my "stats" out there and see if someone had any valuable input...any input is valuable but I probably already know what you'll tell me

3.36 gpa + masters from top architecture school
graduated with a few honors and participated in a renowned design/build program
730 GMAT, 6.0 AWA
1 yr experience(economys rough!), been unemployed for a year almost
Lived/worked in Boston for a couple years after graduation(this miiight help?), actually even worked on Harvard stuff
A few different volunteer organizations, some leadership roles(habitat ect)
great essays/recommendations

Plan on visiting pretty much all of the top 10-15 schools east of the mississippi and applying over the course of the next year really...anyone have any input as to what my chances are? Harvard particularly? I feel like the odds are a little against me for any one particular school(esp harvard) but I figure one of these schools will take me...am I as crazy as my parents are telling me? ha

[money9111]

if you're crazy... then we're all crazy!

i would suggest that you do a little more research into the top schools before visiting them... i bet you'll be able to weed some of them out before visiting.

in your application you'll have to explain what you did while you were unemployed for a year

[Jessica@VeritasPrep]

I would worry less about explaining why you were unemployed and worry more about explaining WHY you want to go to business school. It doesn't really seem consistent with your profile. You need to be careful that it doesn't look like you are running away from a deadend career or that you have no job prospects. You need to make business school look like a well thought out plan (perhaps the time when you were unemployed enabled you to soul-search, etc.). The fact that you worked on a project for Harvard is irrelevant. A master's degree in a non-business field could hurt you unless you have a very good story as to why you pursued it but are now changing direction.

Your "stats" are fine (grades/scores) but remember that recommendations and essays also play a big role. It may be challenging for you to find really strong recommenders when you don't have a long/recent work history.

I have no idea why your parents aren't encouraging you, but, perhaps they are worried about your ability to commit to one thing and to stick with it, work hard, etc. I'd suggest that you examine your motivation for business school and that you be completely honest with yourself for your reasons for wanting to pursue this type of degree. Perhaps you would be well served by taking a few finance courses now (this helps show your commitment and also could help show good grades which would support your ability to succeed in a rigorous business program).

Good Luck!