Advice on profile

[h_farabi1]

Hi,

US colleges often claim that they evaluate work experience not in terms of years but the depth and breadth of an individual's position.
I am a renowned proffesional muscian with a solid undergraduate business degree seeking an MBA from Top-tier US college. Since high school, i have managed and played in a band that is signed with UNIVERSAL music India. I have successfully launched 2 music albums and 6 music vidoes across the sub-continent in the span of 6 years. Also, I Graduated from IBA, top business school of Pakistan, with a 3.2 GPA in june 2011. This promises to make an interesting application in my opinion.

After graduating, i did an internship at JWT followed by a tour of concerts for two months. My dream is to open the first legitimate music label in Pakistan so i can share my experience with other talented but under-priveldged mates in my country. I am currently working in MINDSHARE, a world renowned media planning company since 2 months which is helping me build a stong foundation and network to fufill that dream. The job involves in-depth analysis and use of media for promotional goals.

By the time i apply for MBA class entering fall 2013, I will have one and a half years mundane work experience with this company to go with my experience as the band member+manager for 7 years. I plan to sit for GMAT in june and hopefully get ready before the early deadline.

Do you think it would be wise to apply at this point(US colleges will recognize my unique application) or i should be realistic and wait till i fall into the dreaded 4-5 years work experience category? Thanks a lot

[mbaMissionSusanK]

Hi. You do have a unique background for business school. You will want to express a clear future career path to the Admissions Committee- it sounds like you have a good idea of that. In terms of work experience, you will want to show that you have a solid foundation for where you want to take your career. You are correct; you will be low on the years of traditional work experience. Within your current role, can you demonstrate your leadership, initiative, etc? You will want to build up those experiences in the next few months. Given your career goals, your band management experience may be relevant as well. Can you demonstrate transferable skills from those years of experience? Also, are you involved in any community service that could help beef up your experience? Overall, you will need to show your maturity, leadership, and some propensity to make your future career goals happen. You should also see how you do on the GMAT to determine if you need more time to prepare for that and enhance your relevant skills or if you are ready to apply in the fall. One other point is that you recently graduated with a business degree. You will need to effectively communicate why you need an MBA on top of that and so soon into your career.

Good luck,

Susan Kaplan
Senior Consultant
mbaMission
646-485-8844

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