700 GMAT/3.3 GPA/Marine Officer

[matthias3212]

Hello,

Here is my basic applicant profile:

Age: 26
GMAT: 700 (Q47/V40)
GPA: 3.3 (Business Operations Mgmt. - Ohio State University)
Work History: I served four years as a Supply Officer in the Marines Corps and left as a Captain. I worked at infantry battalions and led teams of between 13 and 30 Marines in all facets of fiscal management, material/equipment procurement, and inventory control management to include a seven month deployment to Okinawa and a seven month combat deployment to Afghanistan. I left the Marines this summer (by choice) and now work at a Fortune 500 manufacturing company as a production control analyst ($70k/year although I don't know how much they care about salary but I see it listed under some class profiles so I included it).

I plan on hiring a MBA consultant very soon to start the application process early for a slew of strong programs in the first round of 2013 to begin school in 2014. My dream schools are Northwestern, U of Michigan, and Carnegie Mellon because I want to specialize in production/operations and they all have very strong programs for that track. My goal is to become a true master of the production/operations field and one day become a Director of Supply Chain at a strong company. I also plan on applying to some schools I figure that I have little chance of getting into such as Columbia, MIT, Berkeley, and Harvard but I will strive nonetheless. It took me three attempts to hit the 700 barrier on the GMAT (610/650/700). I scored as high as 750 on practice exams but don't have as much time to study anymore and know I run the risk of scoring lower than Q47 if I retake it again so I think I'd rather hold my cards where they stand on the GMAT. I am a little concerned because my quantitative score is only at 73% which is below the 80% mark. It appears to me that a Q47 is not what it used to be because forum posts from five years ago hint that it used to hover near 80%. I also understand that my GPA from undergrad is a little low because I consistently had a spread of mostly A's and B's with a few C's scattered throughout my four years. I was very involved in college outside of class (club sports, NROTC, fraternity VP, part-time employment, etc) which I hope might provide at least a little consolation to the adcoms.

I plan on getting an APICS CPIM certification in the coming months and Six Sigma Black Belt before I apply to B-school to better establish myself in the private sector of my field given I recently left the Marines. I know that I can write some killer essays given my experiences in the Marine Corps and with the polish of a consultant. Also, I have a long list of superior officers in the Marines who are very willing to write me very strong recommendation letters because I performed well for each of them. Do you think I have a solid shot at admission to at least my three dream schools if I apply to all of them? (Northwestern, CM, and U of Michigan) I plan on devoting a huge chunk of my life over the next nine months to strengthening my candidacy and networking heavily as I prepare to apply to NW, CM, U of Mich, Berkeley, MIT, Columbia, U of Penn, Purdue, USC, UCLA, and Stanford. I was stationed in SoCal for a few years and visited both USC and UCLA which both interest me as well due to their strong foundations in the SoCal market. Please let me know if I am wasting my time applying to some of these schools because I won't get in as I am still refining the list. I really appreciate your time.

[mili]

Hello!

You're not wasting your time at all. Firstly, manufacturing and supply chain experience is rare and in demand, so you're off to a good start. Your experience in the Marines means you have excellent leadership and teamwork stories to share. Your academics are good - they are not stellar but they are still average/above average. I wouldn't worry too much about that slightly lower quant score, though I might suggest enrolling in a supplementary course (statistics, finance, or accounting) at a local accredited university and trying to score an A. Since you have time before you apply, that would probably be a good thing to do (especially if retaking the GMAT is not going to be a productive effort).

I think you definitely have a shot at your dream schools and even at programs like Berkeley, etc. Academics isn't everything, and your non-academic profile is quite unique and impressive.

Do enroll in some supplementary courses though to help prove your analytic capability. And definitely take on some serious leadership work in a nonprofit/community organization and in extracurriculars (coach a youth football team, start a band... whatever you're passionate about!).

Good luck,
Mili

Mili Mittal
Senior Consultant
http://www.mbamission.com

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[matthias3212]

Thanks a lot for the unbiased feedback as it is much appreciated. I have not had much time the past few years and then prepared for the GMAT but now have some free time at last. There are some leadership positions available in the local chapter of a supply chain/manufacturing organization (APICS) that I planned on getting involved in anyways and there are opportunities at my church that I can now pursue as well which I would very much like to do regardless of MBA pursuits. I would like to get back into fly fishing and there are some clubs for that around here although they are somewhat informal and I don't know if that would look that great on a MBA application. I received a 'C' in an accounting class my sophomore year that was a weed out course for the undergrad business program so I will be enrolling in the equivalent course at a locally accredited school as you recommended and will put in the necessary sweat and tears to clinch an 'A' which would hopefully downplay any potential quantitative doubts a little. I'll turn to and go execute. I would be more than thrilled to have the opportunity to attend a school like Tepper and am glad to hear that a pro thinks I have a legitimate shot. Thank you again and happy holidays!

[mili]

You're welcome! Good luck!

Mili