In Need of a Reality Check?

[3rd ACR]

Hi,

Could you please evaluate my profile?

Aiming for MBA class of 2013.

Age: 28
Gender: Male
Nationality: white/non-hispanic

GPA : 2.3, Texas A&M University. BS Political Science.
GMAT : 540 (First attempt)

Work experience:

Served 7 years in U.S. Army as an officer making the Rank of Captain. Served two tours in Iraq, totaling 27 months of leadership experience in combat and earning two bronze stars. While deployed to Iraq, I commanded a Battery of 142 men and stayed in command for a total of 18 months. While deployed, I executed over 214 patrols and was responsible for stimulating the economies of two major cities in southern iraq through targeted business grants resulting in a peaceful security situation and quantifiably reduced unemployment rate.

MAJOR area of concern:

Both my GMAT score and dismal GPA are the areas of concern. I'm at a crossroads where I need to know if attending a top 100 MBA program is in the realm of possibility for me. I wish to know so I can swallow it and move on instead of wasting countless hours preparing applications in hopes of a impossible outcome.

Career goals:

Immediately after B school, I'd like to work in general management for a fortune 500 company, using my problem solving and decision making skills to add value to the company.

School choices:

Is there even a school out there that would give me a shot?

Any incite no matter how frank would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you in advance.

[jkhousto]

Dear 3rd ACR:

Thank you so much for your posting and for your distinguished service to our country. Of course, there are business schools who would seriously consider you as a candidate. A couple of things to think about:

1) When you say you want to be in the Class or 2013, that means you need to apply pronto! Can you seriously consider waiting a year to apply and aiming for the Class of 2014? Taking a year to really ready your application could mean that you would be able to retake the GMAT and possibly even take a class or two at a community college, to show that you are a more mature student now than you were in your undergraduate days.

2) If that is not possible, I would suggest you start thinking about which schools you would like to apply to. Your basic goal upon graduation makes sense, but be sure to tell the Admissions Committees more. What Fortune 500 industries are most appealing to you? (aka - airlines, operations for a company like UPS, or retail) Where do you see yourself builidng a career geographically? Why do you want to go business school and what will you uniquely be able to share in the classroom? The last item is your competitive angle - not many people have had your life experiences - tell the Admissions Committees why they should want you in their incoming classes.

3) As for schools to consider....what about Texas Tech, LSU, Maryland, or the University of Florida? Without knowing more abut your academic focus or geographical preferences, it is hard for me to narrow down the list, but schools in that 50-75 ranking shoudl be attainable.

Best of luck to you -
Jennifer