Profile evaluation request

[gabrielrc]

Hello all, Can you please assess my profile?
"¢ Demographic: 32-year old white male from Rio de Janeiro - Brazil.
"¢ GMAT Practice tests ranging from 720 to 750. (Gmat scheduled to 1st week of november)
"¢ Undergrad: Petroleum Engineering from prestigious engineering program in Brazil (top 5) - 2.8 GPA (Worked as Geometry teacher preparing students for military academies during most of my time in school)
"¢ Post Graduate Diploma in Business/ Project Management from Fundação Dom Cabral (Top latin America B-school) - 3.6 GPA
"¢ Work experience: 7 years as Drilling Engineer for BP including 3 years of offshore work. Due to the downturn with commodities, i became the Single Point of Accountability for drilling activities in Brazil and worked with Business Development, Project Management and Budgeting. Military Experience with 3+ years of service in the Brazilian Naval Prep Academy and Naval Academy
"¢ Extracurriculars: Public Relations of Students Corps in the Naval Prep Academy, Mathlete and Judo Athlete; Reservoir engineering teaching assistant and Research Assistant fellowship during undergrad.
"¢ Parents without college degree.
"¢ Target schools: Kellogg, Marshall, Goizueta, Imperial School, Bocconi, ESMT.

[MargaretStrother]

Hi Gabriel -- this is quite a complex profile! Top business schools will love your diverse experience and your first-in-family college degree, and Brazil is such a desirable region right now! That said, the 2.8 GPA will present a hurdle to some schools; you'll need an above-median GMAT to compensate for that number. I also find, for whatever reason, that over-30 applicants need a higher GMAT than younger applicants. So this should be your #1 focus for the time being.

I don't know enough about your post-undergraduate studies to know how much value that will add in the numbers game; this is something we would want to discuss in a more comprehensive analysis.

Your target schools are quite broad, and your post-MBA goals aren't clearly stated; these would be decisions that could add power to your profile as well. In terms of schools, you might actually be under-targeting, and I don't see that very often! Overall, your profile is a strong "maybe" for top MBA programs: you're not a shoo-in, but you could make a really strong case for yourself if you do everything right between now and the fall application season.

Because your profile is so complex and has so much potential, you might benefit from a free consultation with a professional admissions team such as Stacy Blackman Consulting. You can sign on here: https://www.stacyblackman.com/contact/

Good luck!
Margaret Strother