Request for profile evaluation

[jeongl]

I am preparing for MBA application for 2015 Fall.
I am currently temporarily absent status from my job, am studying English in US.
Here is my profile.

I. Academic background
1. Undergraduate major: Law (2010)
- Overall GPA: 2.5 out of 4.3
- GPA of business-related subjects (Economics, Management of Organization, Law of Corporations, Accounting 1, and Criminal investigation Accounting): 3.87 out of 4.0
2. Additional Courses
- took some accounting courses through online (non-degree, admitted as credits), including Marketing Principals, Cost and Managerial Accounting, Financial Management, Human Relations, Corporate Tax Accounting, Tax Law, and Intermediate Financial Accounting
- GPA: 3.44 out of 4.0
3. Explanation
- My undergraduate school is established by government and designed to raise young police officer leaders. The curriculum is quite fixed, composed of 43 law credits, public administration 12 credits, police science 30 credits, criminal investigation 30 credits, martial art and discipline 24 credits, etc,.
- I found myself interested in accounting more than in law, and tried extra courses outside the school.

II. Test scores
1. TOEFL: 96 (reading 28, Listening 26, Speaking 18, Writing 24)
- planning to retake in September
2. GMAT: 710 (Verb 34, Quant 50, total 92%), AWA 5.5, IR 8

III. Working experience: 40 months in Police Agency, Inspector
1. 2013/02~2013/05 in Police Administration Department
- administered and managed benefits policies for employees in 11 police stations
- applied pension system, medical insurance
- managed employees' restaurant and cafeteria with 6 staffs, reported tax requirements
2. 2012/10~2013/02 in Patrol Division (administration)
- administered and reported regular policies
- planned shifts schedule for about 80 employees
- managed, recorded, and reported budget for the patrol department according to related legislation
3. 2011/01~2012/10 in investigation Division
- investigated criminal cases reported by victims sue, usually common property crime (fraud and embezzlement)
- interacted and handled with various kinds of conflicts among people
4. 2010/10~2011/01 in Patrol Division
- patrolled to deal with 911 reports and maintain a safe area
5. 2010/03~2010/10 in Public Security Division
- managed about 30 police soldiers who were in charge of mandatory military duty
- established action plans for emergency, such as natural disaster, violent demonstration, and war
* as a inspector, which ranked top 15% position, it is mandatory to move different departments for the first two years to experience as many responsibilities as possible as a potential manager.

IV. Additional Activities
1. Volunteering
- 2010/06~2010/10, planned, administered, and participated a volunteer activity that included tutoring developmental disordered children who had a single parent, encouraged police soldiers to participate by planning incentive policy
- 2006~2010, 18 hours per every summer and winter vacation, participated in tutoring camp for disabled children
2. Employee Training Program
- 2011/05, 2 weeks, Human Rights
- 2011/02, 8 weeks, Investigation
- 2010/07, 2 weeks, Accounting (for non-profit organization)
3. Part-time Jobs
- 2014/05~, Lifeguard
- 2006~2010, mathematics tutoring



My GPA and relatively short working experience are my weaknesses and I have thought how to integrate my unique experience with the weaknesses in the essay.
My working experience is clearly different from business experience, and some might think that it is not relevant with business.
I want to emphasize that most of my responsibilities were to interact with people and conflicts, and they are one of the main concerns that are important in business world.
I am considering organizational management, accounting, and finance as a major in MBA. Specifically, to find a balance between effectiveness and efficiency in non-profit organization in terms of management is my goal. Also, I think it can be applied to business ethics or long-term brand image. Because all managerial policies have monetary limitation, I also want to study accounting and finance so that I can be aware of and handle with real constrains.

My concern is
1. Does my goal sound too vague?
2. Considering my academic background (low GPA), how to choose TARGET schools?
3. Should I retake GMAT? and if it can compensate low GPA?

I appreciate any advice and recommendation.

[mcbMcK]

Dear Jeongl,
Let me use the questions you pose to share my thoughts:

1. Short answer is, yes the goals do sound a bit vague. Going into the details now. The non-common experience can be both a positive and a negative - it really depends how well you are able to 'connect' your pre and post MBA career. In your case, since the transition you are attempting is a drastic one, you should have a pretty clear sense on the post-MBA goal. This means knowing what kind of roles/sector/geography/companies you will target AND having a thorough understanding of what it takes to get to those roles. Without that, the adcoms are likely to discount a lot of your experience. So the onus is really on you to clearly communicate the connect. Personally, I feel organizational management (read Human Resources) is a great way to start thinking on these lines
2. For reasons mentioned here, I will refrain from making gut-based school recommendations. That said, provided you are able to address 1 above, you should have a fair shot at some good schools. The school choice too will depend on your career goals btw!
3. 710 is not really a low score. On the GPA front, as long as you werent really in the bottom half, with that GMAT and your experience, it should be fine.

Hope this helps,

Cheers,

[jeongl]

Dear mcbMcK,
I really appreciate for your advice.
Regarding, question 1 and 2, I am considering Duke, concentrating on Leadership and Ethics plus finance courses.
My short-term goal of post-MBA is to work at consulting company targeting at long-term brand image regading business ethics or consulting governmet management-strategy. (I actually do not know if there is such kind of jubs.)
I have pictures in my mind, but it is not easy to describe and find exact term since I do not have business experience. If you have any recommendation about this and help me, I really appreciate it.

Also, my GPA is 2.5 out of 4.3, which is really low. As you said, my GMAT is not low, but I am confused how I consider a school as a target or safe school when considering my GPA even if my GMAT score is above average.

Thank you for your help again and in advance for the advice.
Jeonghyeon

[mcbMcK]

Jeonghyeon,

As I mentioned before, the onus on researching and determining the career options is on you. Sure there are consulting firms that do Brand Management; most big consulting firms also do Government related work. But it wont serve you well unless you know what are these firms and what are their intake criteria. Do a LOT of research on these areas before you think of creating a goal. For all you know, you may not even need an MBA! This book may add some perspective.

The question of school selection is still some distance away from you given this.

Cheers,

[99Colleges: MBA Admission]

Jeonghyeon,

My observations:

1. Your GPA is history. You can't do much about it now. But, your GPA is bad only if you cannot explain it. I see that you took additional courses through online medium, and they are mainly business-related which is your area of interest (you've mentioned that you got 3.87/4.0 in business-related courses). That, infact, gives a positive signal, and could be an apt explanation among others, if any, for your low GPA. Infact, some of the B-schools have grade non-disclosure policy, under which students are not required to disclose their grades to prospective employers during the recruitment process. The logic behind this policy is that without the pressure of grades, the students will focus on what they are truly interested in, and not worry too much about low grades. I think your case points in a similar direction
2. Your GMAT score is good. I think you're ready to apply as far as GMAT + GPA is concerned
3. Your profile is unique, and you fit in very well from the diversity angle. The key is, as rightly pointed out, how you project your profile and build backward & forward linkages.