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gambelda
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Admission Profile - How best to present myself

by gambelda Wed Sep 19, 2012 2:27 pm

760 GMAT (90% quant, 97% verbal)
3.92 GPA - Michigan State University

I really want to work in business development within the media/entertainment industry. My only exposure to this area has been constant networking with people in these roles and I took on the position of production director for a feature length independent film during my career. I have 2 years 8 months of corporate consulting experience with a top-4 firm. I resigned from my job 2 weeks ago to relocate to LA next month and pursue media/entertainment opportunities before enrolling in an MBA program in 2013.

The issue: I am a white male with a relatively risk-averse, stable background - how do I make myself STAND OUT FROM THE HERD?

Applying to Harvard, Stanford, Chicago, Berkley, UCLA, NYU, and maybe 1-2 others. What are my chances at these schools? Would love to go to Harvard or Chicago. Stanford is obviously #1 on my list but it's the hardest school to get into and I'm not even expecting to land an interview.
mili
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Re: Admission Profile - How best to present myself

by mili Fri Sep 21, 2012 1:15 am

Hi!

You've got really strong academic credentials and very strong professional experience. This bodes well, but I think your concern about differentiation is a well-founded one. What do you have in the way of extracurricular and community leadership? How can you show who you are versus just what you are? You don't have to have a grueling story of overcoming hardship, but you do just need to do a good job of showing that you are more than a robot -- bring in your personality, your stories. I don't know what those are, so I can't give you specifics, but that's what you want to think about.

If you can do this successfully, your chances go up at all the schools on your list. Without it, I think Stanford and Harvard are reaches (but still remotely possible!), Chicago and Berkeley are good targets and UCLA and NYU are good 'safeties.' I would think these latter two would be your top choice given your career interests though - doesn't get much better than those schools for media/entertainment focus!

I hope that this helps.
Mili


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

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