Dear Veritas,

Please help me decide on MBA programs to apply to - I'm concern with my chances.

GMAT: haven't taken it, but aim is 700+
Undergrad: UCSD, BS in Pharmacological Chemistry, 2003
Overall GPA : 2.5
Demographics: 30, Female

Work Experience : 2004 to present, 1 year break in btwn.
- 6 month analytical chemist
- 4.5 Years QA/QC chemist (off the bench), and QA/QC consultant (set up QA/mgmt programs for laboratories - project management, budgets, scopes, profit margins)
- Currently (8 months) lab qa officer for new lab. setup qa/mgmt program.

Extracurricular:
In undergrad, I was in Alpha Phi Omega (co-ed community service fraternity) for 3 years, and President during my last year (100+ members).

Leadership/Awards:
- president of student org in undergrad
- chapter and section leadership awards
- yearly performance awards at second job (4.5 yrs)

School Preferences:
I prefer a Full Time program, but am open to Part Time. I would like to stay in the LA/OC area, since this is where I live. I am looking for a career change. My gpa is my greatest weakness, and I'm not sure how to work around it.

Thanks in advance!

Anerzc

Anerzc:

Thanks for posting your profile information. While a 2.5 GPA is likely "below average" for your target schools, the good news is, the longer you are out of your UG program, the less it really matters to the committee. At this point, your GMAT could definitely make up for a lower GPA, especially considering you anticipate a 700+. With so much work experience, what you have achieved in your career will be more heavily scrutinized. Sounds like you have had a lot of advancement and achievement, so definitley paint that kind of picture in your essays. It's important also to have a good story for why you are changing careers and what you want to change to. B-schools like to admit students with a well devised, thoughtful plan which makes sense to them. Not sure what you want to do, but consulting could be a good fit perhaps in healthcare or chemistry industries? Whatever you choose, be passionate about what you want to do as opposed to being dispassionate about what you have done or are doing now. Marshall and Anderson are obviously great options in your area, and as a woman, you will have a slight advantage since there are simply fewer female applicants than male and schools like to diversify the student body. Also your unique, if non-traditional background will add value as a different perspective than the "typcial" b-school applicant. Play this angle up as well when you craft your story for the essays. Let us know if we can help as you prepare your applications.

Hi Bryant,

Thank you so much for your encouraging response! I'm looking to apply to USC, UCLA, UCI, and LMU. You are spot on with my career goals! I want to get involved with Strategic Consulting, possibly in Healthcare. My concern with working in Healthcare, is that I have a science background, but didn't perform well, and therefore am not sure if that would be held against me.

Additionally, can you provide some insight as to whether I should try applying to a full time program versus a part time one? Currently, I'm considering part time at UCLA and full time for the other schools.

Thank you again for your feedback! I really appreciate it!

when you say "didn't perform well," did you mean in school or at work? If it was at work, that could present problems with your recommendations, if at school, as I mentioned, it shouldn't be a big deal with good GMAT and impressive career credentials. As for PT/FT, that is always a big decision. I have a rather lenghty writeup on the board about how some b-schools are now making their PT students indicate that on their resumes when posting for jobs. This has caused quite a stir. the good news is, the recruiters are less and less biased against the PT students, sometimes even preferring them over FT students because of the extra WE and also having demonstrated a very strong work ethic in balancing school and a FT job. Some advantages to PT are also that you keep an income coming in, and that you are not under as much pressure to land a job at graduation since you already have one. Also , they are more relaxed on admissions requirements for PT programs since they do not have to report the stats to the ratings boards like they must with FT admissions stats. It all comes down to whether you can live without the income, and what kind of learning environment you like. If you really want an immersive experience, and I will be honest, if you are looking to switch into consulting, you should, then the FT program is a great way to transition into something new. Plus there's all that "extra time" you'd have to join the consulting club and practice case interviews etc. Let us know if we can help.

Thanks, Bryant, for your feedback. It's exactly what I wanted to hear.

Dear Veritas

Please could you suggest on schools i could apply to
I am applying in round two
My Profile is as follows
GMAT:720
TOEFL:116
Work Experience:1 year 7 months(approx 2 years)(Nov 2009-May 2011)
GPA:3.9
Demographics:24/Female/Married
I am a consistent academic performer since school
My work experience is in application development,primarily development using business intelligence tools.
I would like to know my prospects as an international applicant

You should have a very strong profile for b-school. Women are already under-represented and depending on which country you hail from, you could also be a good diversity play from that angle as well. Kind of light on WE, but you should really be adding a year to that by the time you matriculate. Emphasize things in your WE that indicate your potential to lead. Let us know if you need help pulling it all togehter.