Do I have a chance??? I have some questions...

[ecz.ozgeuyanik]

My profile:
27 years old… Euroasian Female… MSc. Pharmacist…
GMAT: 700 (50 %95 V34 %70) Overall %90
Undergrad: Istanbul University Phaculty of Pharmacy GPA: 3,98 / 4,00
Grad: Istanbul University Phaculty of Pharmacy Department of Pharmacology GPA: 95/ 100 (Position: Director of the thesis project and my thesis will be published in a scientific journal next year)
Work experience: 6 months so far…
Social Activity: Will start teaching children about health issues in a famous foundation this summer…

Planning to apply for 2010 September…

Dream schools:
1. Wharton ( I know it’s a bit hard but I’ll try my chance) 2. Columbia 3. Cornell 4. NYU 5. Duke 6. Darden 7. Kellogg 8. Chcago (I know this is also hard)

I have some questions:

1. Could you please evaluate my profile… Do you think I can be a competitive candidate for 2010 September?
2. Is that true that top ten schools demand at least %80 percentile in both Q and V part of GMAT?
3. Can we count grad degree experience as work experience? If we can I'll have a 3,5 years of work experience in 2009… It’ll be perfect…
4. What is your advice about applicaton procedures?
5. If you think any school that should be in my list, could you please offer?

[Lisa Anderson]

Dear ecz.ozgeuyanik,

I think you could be a competitive candidate for most of the schools you mention, but it is hard to be sure with the limited information provided. I would encourage you to apply early for these programs as you are an international student. As for the specific score on the Q and V section, I have never heard of any school having a specific cutoff. It is simply imperative to do the best job possible on both sections.

Work experience is explicitly defined as professional-level, full-time work experience after receiving a bachelor's degree. If you worked full-time in a professional job while going to school for your master's, then you can count it. Keep in mind, that does not mean the admissions committee will not consider your work during school or before a bachelor's degree; it just means it does not factor into the number of years experience you have.

As for your last two questions, I'm not sure what you mean by "application procedures". You need to follow instructions accurately and respect the deadlines set. Other schools to consider--that depends on many factors including, but not limited to, what you want to do post-MBA, where you want to be post-MBA (geographically) and what type of curriculum you want from the program. I would encourage you to visit our sticky on school selection for tips on how to evaluate programs.

Best of luck to you,
Lisa

[ecz.ozgeuyanik]

Thanx for the informative mail, Lisa...