Veteran Admitted to Columbia

Hey all, I was just accepted at Columbia and wanted to post a debrief. First, my profile basics:

- 710 GMAT
- 3.75 GPA
- Undergraduate degree in business administration from no-name private college
- Graduate degree in project management from Penn State (3.86 GPA)
- Work experience includes three years in purchasing with regional chemical manufacturer, two years as a technology consultant with local firm, and the past five years enlisted in the US Army managing logistics with eight direct reports. Stationed in Germany entire time with two deployments to Iraq.
- Extracurricular involvement as Task Force Chairperson (appointed by BoD) and marketing/events committee member in Young Professionals organization prior to enlisting, and recently appointed to BoD with Afghanistan Water Polo (2016 Olympic hopeful team)
- 30 years old (31 at matriculation); white male
- LOR: Army Captain, senior logistics officer in my unit; President of consulting firm, last civilian employer. Both providing strong support.
- Career goal: management consulting with specialization in strategy or operations (M/B/B, Kearney, Cambridge)

Target Schools (as of 11/29/11):

Harvard (dinged)
Kellogg (interviewed)
Columbia (accepted)
Tuck (applied)
Johnson (interviewed)

To start, the first time I took the GMAT I was completely unprepared (560). After lots of research about b-school, admissions, and the test, I purchased Knewton GMAT prep and studied for two straight months. Knocked out a 710. Definitely recommend their program.

After leaving the service, I remained in Germany for about eight months. This meant I couldn't visit campuses, which I had to make up for through online research, and contact with current students/alumni. Luckily, being a veteran, the members of the Veteran's Association at each school were happy to provide a wealth of information and put me in touch with others in their network. This really helped me get a feel for each school, and helped me select the five that I did.

I also decided to use the services of an admissions consultant. In general, I strongly recommend anyone serious about a top-10 program take advantage of the insight and expertise that an established consultant can offer. At a minimum, get the free initial consultation to hear their thoughts. Getting the perspective of someone who is an expert on the admissions process made sense.

I spoke with Jon at Precision Essay for a free consultation. In about 45 minutes, he synthesized my (non-traditional: logistics and military) background and career goals (MC) into a thorough and compelling story. I realized that their input would be an advantage, so I upgraded to a two school junior deluxe package (Columbia and Kellogg). The edits, turnaround time, customer service, and overall experience were all fantastic. Obviously, the final product speaks for itself (accepted at Columbia and had a great interview with a Kellogg alum). (5 out of 5; highly recommended)

Also, the EssaySnark blog is a great (free) resource! Hope this helps other applicants, if you have any additional questions, let me know.

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