Marine Officer Profile Evaluation Request

[usmc85]

I would greatly appreciate an evaluation of my profile:

Me: male / white / 28 years old

Undergrad: BA Economics from a good west coast school with a 3.1 GPA. 4 year starter on a nationally ranked 1-AA football team, team captain and made the All-American team my senior season. Additionally, I worked full time to put myself through school.

GMAT: I initially took the GMAT back in September and scored a 640, lower than expected. Yesterday (Dec 30) I retook the GMAT after increasing my studying substantially and scored the exact same, 640 (42/35). Feeling pretty frustrated as my average scores on practice exams have been in the 720 range.

Work Experience: While my GMAT score is below average, I feel that I have distinguished myself through my work experience. I have 4 years service as an artillery officer in the Marine Corps and have been consistently rated at the top of my peer group. I was the distinguished honor grad of my MOS school (1 out of 175 Army and USMC Lieutenants). I have had experience as a platoon commander of 45 Marines and combat leadership experience in Afghanistan in charge of a liaison team of 15 Marines. I have progressed quickly and attained positions of increased responsibility. In the past year I served as my battalion's operations officer (O-2 filling an O-4 billet), served as the XO of a company of 600 Marines (O-2 filling an O-3 billet) and for the past 6 months I have been serving as a company commander for 600 Marines (currently an O-2 filling an O-4 billet). Right now I am in the process of separating and will be leaving active duty next month as a Captain (O-3).

I would love to attend a top school. My plan was to apply to UPenn, UVA, NYU, USC and possibly others R2 this year, however with my lower GMAT and GPA I am aware that there are weak spots on my application. Right now I am unsure if I should go ahead and apply R2 or retake the GMAT in a few weeks and apply R3 to my target schools.

Are there any suggestions as to whether I am better off applying now with my current GMAT score or retaking and applying R3? Are there any other schools I can realistically target, either with my current GMAT score or an improvement?

Thank you very much for the help!


-Parker

[MBAPrepAdvantage]

I am sorry to respond so late as I was busy with second round applications. If you applied second round, best of luck. If you have waited until third round, retake the GMAT and then apply. But even with your score, your athletic and military background are sufficiently unique that I could see you gaining acceptance to a school ranked outside the top 7 in the third round. Just make sure you diversify the schools to which you apply considering your unique background.

Best of luck,

[CriticalSquareMBA]

Hey Parker,

I agree with Michael - you have a pretty strong, diverse profile and R3 at some of the schools you're looking at is definitely doable. However, given the strength of your profile, your military background, you athletic accomplishments, and cross-application impact, I think you should really consider retaking the GMAT and adding some higher ranked programs into the target list next year as part of a R1 application strategy. I know at 28 and coming out of the service you might be worried about pushing the age barrier, but you wouldn't be pushing it that much and, as ex-military, you really are a strong applicant.

While we have worked with a ton of military personnel, I'd suggest you reach out to Service to School. They're an organization of ex-military folks who help people like you figure out the right path. They've walked in your shoes and can really connect with you on a level most of the admissions consultants on this website can't. When it comes to figuring out how to manage the gap, they're a really good bet. If you'd rather (or in addition to) chat with us about your profile, path, or goals, don't hesitate to sign up using the link below.

Good luck and if you have any questions, don't hesitate to reach out!

Bhavik