profile eval

[mikel00p]

dear lisa/stacy,

hello and thank you for your time in advance...

24 year old, Japanese male (planning to apply 2009 Oct- so 25 by then)
Undergrad School: Northwestern U GPA 3.5 with a major GPA in higher 3.7s or lower 3.8s (sorry, dont remember exactly...), double major in sciences
GMAT: 780
Will have had 3 yrs of experience in top 5 strategy management consulting firm by application time
EC's include: weekend volunteering at an animal shelter for a yr, which i quit a year ago for a senior citizen support community; established / is a captain of a local basketball team, which also has an outreach program for kids; some leadership role of student groups at university

hwo do you think my chances are of getting into top MBA programs in the US (I am still choosing schools to apply at this point)? If you could point me to some areas to really shore up my application and improve my chances of entry I would really appreciate it.

Lastly, for all the international students out there including me, is there something that we should especially concentrate on that is unique from US applicants? or any caveats?

thank you!
mike

[Lisa Anderson]

Dear Mike,

I don't really see any weaknesses based on your post. I think you are a very strong candidate that will be highly desired by many schools. What you should focus on in the next year is pursuing leadership opportunities both at work and in your volunteer activities. You want to have some great, recent examples of your abilities and show progression in your career.

As an international student, the bar is a little higher because schools usually keep the international population of each class at a certain level. So it is important to present the strongest, most compelling application you can. You have already achieved part of that with your GMAT and GPA. Now you need to focus on bulking up that resume and having strong examples for your essays by next fall.

Best of luck,
Lisa