770 GMAT, but not much else. Please evaluate/advise.

[CSU.SCM]

Any feedback/advice is welcome and appreciated.

GMAT:
770 (49Q, 48V, 3.5 AWA)

GPA:
3.15 at a top 100 undergraduate b-school. B.S in Business Administration, concentrations in supply chain management and entrepreneurship.

Work Experience:
2010 - Current: Full-time in procurement at Fortune 500 company (~$10B).
2010 (6 months): Inventory planning intern at publicly traded company (~$1.5B).
2010 (6 months): Strategic sourcing intern at Fortune 500 company (~$30B).
2007-2010: Part-time retail work all through school. Not relevant experience, but it was a job. Publicly traded company (~$1B).

Misc.:
APICS Certified Production and Inventory Manager (in progress)
ISCEA Certified Supply Chain Analyst
Fraternity leadership positions
Long track record of community involvement, but none recently. Youth soccer coach and referee, boys and girls club, adopt-a-school.

If you have any experience with MBA admissions, please help with the following:
1. Chances of getting into a top 10 program in Fall 2012.
2. Suggestions to strengthen my application.
3. How much will the 3.5 AWA hurt my chances?
4. For admissions purposes, how do internships compare to full time work?

Thank you very much in advance.

[Tani]

First, the AWA: although it seldom boosts a candidate into a program, it can be an application killer. You may want to analyze what you did wrong and be prepared to address it. It is also often used as a screen when considering applicants for grants or TA asignments.

Second, your undegraduate record is good, but not great. Since you have a year, you might consider taking a business oriented course - possibly a business writing course - to show that you can be as strong in the classroom as you were on test day.

Third, your work experience will an issue. With barely a year under your belt by the time you write your essays, you will have little to say to show your ability to function in the business world. That will also make it tough to get in-depth recommendations. Internships, except for those that lead to full employment in the same company, carry significantly less weight than does full time work. Interns are seldom given leadership responsibility and evaluations are less strict. Certainly you can use achievements from internship experiences in your essays, but they will not be considered comparable to the full-time experiences your competitors are offering.

I know you are anxious to move forward and I am sure your strong GMAT performance has whetted your appetitie for B-school, but your chances overall would be much stronger if you wait another year. There are certainly schools that would be happy to accept you in 2012, but you would be a serious contender for a higher tier of schools with more evidence of your potential in business.

Good luck,

[CSU.SCM]

Thank you for the prompt and insightful response! I am very anxious to move on, but am trying to think long term...

If anyone has additional advice on ways to strengthen an application, please share.

Many thanks,