Please Evaluate Profile - a little confused.

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Please Evaluate Profile - a little confused.

by rdjtexas » Fri Jul 11, 2008 12:59 pm
Hi Stacy,

I would appreciate it if you could weigh in on my profile and target schools/questions. Thanks in advance for your response.

25 (at matric) Male- White/Native American ( I am planning on marking both because I have na descent and am tribe certified, but do not want to come off as deceptive. I am 1/8 NA. I am active in local tribal events and identify with my heritage. Would love to hear your thoughts on this)

GPA--2.9 Top 25 US University
Advertising Major

GMAT-- 650

Work 2.5 years (at matriculation) at very reputable marketing firm. Deal with fortune 500 clients and manage large budgets.

Activites (lots)- some include
Volunteer Muscular Distrophy
Active Triathlete
Sports website contributing author
Good College leadership

-I believe essays are unique and I will address gpa concerns.
-Solid letters of Rec.
-I am very confident and do well in interviews.

I will most likely decide to pursue marketing concentration and plan to elaborate this on essays.

Target Schools- I like all these schools but want to get into the best possible program.

Texas A&M
SMU
Texas (Mccombs)
Rice
TCU


Questions-

Please give me your thoughts on my ethnicity. Would it be more worthwhile to circle Native American only hopefully giving me greater chance for admission and aid? However, I do not want to be deceptive.

Am I competitve for Mccombs? I know gmat and gpa are not stellar but I would think diversity would play an issue.

If I raised my gmat to 700+, would I have a realistic chance at top 15 schools (i.e. USC, Georgetown, UNC, Virgina) by "playing the native american card?" Not trying to come off bad here, just being practical on any edge I can get.

Any feedback is appreciated!
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by Lisa Anderson » Sat Jul 12, 2008 6:00 am
Dear rdjtexas,

Yes, you should mark Native American on your applications. It is part of your ancestry and you should not view it as gaming the system. I think you are competitive for all of the Texas schools, but you are correct that UT-Austin would be the toughest to gain admission from with a 650.

If you did raise your GMAT score to 700, then you would not only be more competitive for admission and scholarship funds at the Texas schools, but you would also be competitive for schools in the top 20. You seem to have a strong profile overall between work experience and extracurriculars, so you just need to put together a strong application package and "roll the dice".

Best of luck,
Lisa
Lisa Anderson
Consultant
Stacy Blackman Consulting

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