DC MBA Programs

[mstaed]

Hi Everyone,

My girlfriend and I are trying to relocate to the DC area and I have decided to use this as a sign that it's finally time to get serious about getting into an MBA program. My question for you is what programs in the greater DC area are considered to be more lenient in terms of admissions? I have a strong CV (6 years working, good volunteer efforts) but my undergrad GPA is not great and despite my best efforts, I'll probably wind up with a pretty average GMAT score.

If anyone can recommend an MBA program in DC that is a little less competitive in their admissions, I'd appreciate it.

Thanks,

Matt

[Jon@Admissionado]

Hey Matt,
Well, first of all, we need a LOT more info from you, specifics about your work, about your volunteer work, hwo many promotions you have, what you do, how many people you lead, what your main achievements are... as well as what you are testing on the GMAT and your actual GPA and alma mater before we think about schools.

Of course the first school that comes to mind is Georgetown, although whether if its your profile or not, we will have to get more info first.

another thought - How far away are you willing to go to school? (in time or miles) Also, what about NY schools??? Yes its far, but you do have the three hour Amtrak... sooooo easy to get there....

[mstaed]

Thanks for your reply. A little more info on me...

I work in marketing as an assistant brand manager for a small-ish food manufacturing company in St. Louis. I have been with this company for about a year. Prior to this I spent two years in a combined sales/marketing role for a small pet food manufacturer. I spent one year doing communications work for a local non profit that served homeless AIDS victims and my first job out of undergrad was working in account management for the ad agency, JWT. I don't have any official promotions on my resume but I can show steadily increasing responsibility and influence in my career to date. My undergrad GPA is 2.7 from Columbia College Chicago. Unfortunately, I did not see myself interested in grad school during my undergraduate studies and didn't see the need to buckle down in the classroom beyond what it would take to graduate on time... As far as GMAT is concerned, I am testing near 550 but feel good that I can get that up before test day. My volunteer work is heavy involvement with my alma mater's alumni organization. I was elected to be a member of the first national alumni board the college has had in place and served as secretary and chair of the fundraising committee this first term. I was reelected to the board for a second term this past September and retained my position of fundraising chair. I am also the President of the St. Louis alumni chapter.

DC is the first choice as far as locations go but I am open to NY schools should there be one that fits my profile a little better than the DC schools.

Thanks again for your response and your time.

Matt

[Jon@Admissionado]

Hmmm, hard to say at this point. Obviously you want to be able to reach the school from wherever you would be living, so that's your first condition, and the second one is where you can get into, and that will depend very much on your MBA. So, what I would do is look into schools first based on a geographical basis, but you won't really be able to start strategizing about where to apply until you get your GMAT score back (but at least you will know your possibilities)

When are you taking the test?