Expert opinion needed - Profile Help

[maus]

Hi folks! I've got a burning question that I've been afraid to ask ... until now.

I've been studying for the GMATS and am scheduled to take it in June. I want to apply to B-school during Round 1 and have pretty much been worrying about my profile (and potential GMAT score). I know I really cant worry until I actually take my test, but I was wondering if you all could please comment about my profile? I would really appreciate it.

Age: 26
GMAT: Female
Race: Asian
GPA: 3.4 Double Major International Relations & Chinese from a UC
Work Experience: 2 years in the Heavy Manufacturing/Building Materials industry (Business Development/Marketing) and 2 years at a non-profit managing a state contract (essentially a state program) as a Marketing Specialist, also had a part time Google Quality Rater job for a year
Volunteer: Mentor for low income kids in a Business Skills Development Program and member of a co-ed community service frat in college, and volunteer when I can make it
Hobbies: composing music, travel, sports
Career goals: consumer product marketing or luxury goods brand management
Other tidbits?: Have been taking project management courses; first two years experience is at a family business

My dream school is Kellogg at Northwestern for the Marketing Emphasis and other schools were Columbia, USC, HAAS, UCLA, NYU. I have not done extensive research on Tier 2 schools, but the only one I know of is Georgetown. I'd love to hear your suggestions on good, highly ranked Tier 2 schools. Do you think I could make it into the above schools based on the fact that I'm only scoring around 560 - 580 on my GMAT I'm studying hard to try to boost that score though...

Thank you so much and I hope this wasn't too much to ask..

[Lisa Anderson]

Dear maus,

There are positives in your profile that are attractive to all business schools. You have a solid GPA, commendable volunteer work, and good work experience. For the tier 1 schools however, you must make a compelling case for your admission over other applicants as well as have a competitive profile for those programs. The schools you note in your post all have GMAT averages over 700, so it would be best for you to get as close to (ideally over) 700 as possible. Likewise, you need a strong set of essays and recommendations to both make your case and distinguish you from other applicants. I commend you for exploring schools outside the top 20 as it is prudent to have a good mix of programs on your target list. I would suggest looking for schools that have a relationship with the companies you aspire to work for post-MBA. Finally, I encourage you to continue to do research on the MBA admissions process and MBA programs. Having a solid understanding of what an MBA is and why you need it, as well as why each program is a good fit, will strengthen your essays and interview answers.

Good luck,
Lisa