Profile Evaluation Request - Admittance Chances?

[veritasperditor]

Hi there!

I'd like to know what my chances are of getting into UCLA and USC MBA programs with the following profile:

Age/Ethnicity: 26 y/o East Asian male. Will be 27-28 when I apply and start classes.

GMAT: Haven't taken it yet but I expect a score of around 700-730. I've taken the GRE and received a 1450 combined score (out of 1600) which is roughly equivalent to 710.

GPA: 3.16/4 from UCLA. Double majored in social sciences.

Work Experience: Healthcare and Healthcare IT Project Management 4.5 years in medium sized companies (large locally but unknown nationally). Will be 5.5 by the time I plan on matriculating. Moved up from an admin assistant to project coordinator, then senior project coordinator. Looking to move into a project manager role fairly soon.

Extra Curricular: Active volunteer in different causes (Red Across, Habitat for Humanity, volunteering at local hospitals, community safety initiatives, and a couple more) since undergrad years although did not take any leadership positions.

Reason for obtaining MBA: To move up career ladder, learn enough to start my own company then donate part of the profits to charitable causes.

Please let me know what my chances are of getting into UCLA/USC and my chances at "higher" ranked schools. If I have a chance at higher ranked schools, what kind of tier schools can I reach for? Thanks!

[Bryant@VeritasPrep]

Your ethnicity, which could be advantageous in some schools, may be a challenge in SOCAL due to the larger Asian applicant pool there. I think you could have a shot at your target schools, and would agree that a nice GMAT score would help. One tip: if you find you don't make the GMAT you are targeting, you might be able to submit your GRE score. Many schools are accepting this now. I would say if you don't score above a 710, go with the GRE. As for other schools, you might look into schools in the midwest (Ross, UT Austin for example) that don't see as many Asian applicants. There are schools in the East and South who would also fall into that category (Duke, Virginia, Emory, Tuck). You should pitch your healthcare background as unique and somehting to offer outside the typical banker, econ, consulting, accounting backgrounds. Hope this helps.