Atypical Candidate, Low Quant, Please Advise

[sfbradford]

Hi Stacy,

I've gotten mixed feedback from various sources and was hoping you might be able to give me some advice. My stats are as follows:

27 / male / white / married 1 year / 1st generation college educated

***GMAT:
5/08 - 610 (Q 38/55%, V 36/80%)
6/08 - 710 (Q 40/61%, V 47/99%)

***Undergrad:
BA in Education from Michigan State, 3.3 GPA - MSU has the #1 undergrad ed program
Took business classes prior to changing major: stats (3.0), macro/micro econ (3.0), financial/managerial acct (3.0), calc (3.5).

***Grad:
12 credits in educ curriculum from Michigan State as part of a 1 year unpaid professional teaching internship, 3.8 GPA - MSU has #3 grad ed program

***Professional:
2 years teaching special needs students at middle/high school level. Supervised 1 assistant. Was very involved in activities from head coach of middle school football team (w/ 3 assistant coaches), to school improvement committees.

1.5 years (current) in sales for a major pharmaceutical company. Have taken on multiple leadership roles and posted successful sales numbers. Strong recs from manager and senior members of team.

***EC:
Multiple volunteer activities through undergrad. Currently volunteer as a financial literacy coach for Operation Hope, an org that targets disadvantaged inner-city youth. Active member of young alumni assoc in my area. Rec team-sports leagues.

***Goals:
Through my experiences in education I've realized a great desire to make a difference in the community, but realized that my strengths were in problem solving with adult teams. I took a risk making the change from education to a highly competitive position in pharma sales in order to make a bold move that combined "educating" with a competitive business environment. I want to use the MBA to build my core business knowledge and bring my altruistic hopes together with the resources available in the for-profit world.

***Target schools:
UNC Kenan-Flagler
Texas
Vanderbilt
USC
Georgetown

I realize that I need to shore up my quantitative position. But, I'm wondering:

1. Is it necessary to retake the GMAT, take an additional business math course, or both? Is 3 attempts too many?
2. If I take a class, would it be ok to take just one? I was looking at a stats class. Given my work schedule and commute it would be tough to take more than one at a brick&mortar and still have enough time to apply R1.
3. Are online math classes even worth taking?

I look forward to your feedback. Thanks!

[Lisa Anderson]

Dear sfbradford,

I think you have the foundation for a competitive application to your target schools. To answer your questions:

1. I do not think it is necessary to retake your GMAT. If you want to take a course to demonstrate your quantitative aptitude, then I would suggest taking a calculus or algebra class before taking a stat, finance or accounting.

2. I think one class would be enough.

3. As for online, that would depend on what you feel is the best learning environment for you--some folks need the classroom environment and others do fine with an online program.

Best of luck,
Lisa

[sfbradford]

Thanks, Stacy. I appreciate the feedback. My question about the online class was more a question about how you think adcoms perceive online classes vs community college, etc. Does it matter where I take the course or just that I get a 4.0?

Thanks again! Have a great weekend,
Steve

[Lisa Anderson]

Dear Steve,

Online courses have become prevalent, so I do not think they are viewed negatively. Nor are community college courses necessarily viewed negatively. Your grade in the class does matter, so you do want to get the 4.0.

Good luck,
Lisa

[sfbradford]

Lisa,

On a side note: I apologize, I absent mindedly addressed my previous replies to "Stacy" not "Lisa". Sorry!

Thanks for your advice,
Steve