Profile Evaluation/Advice

[matthewoconnor]

26 Caucasian Male, 27 at matriculation

3.1 from well-known top 15 undergrad (GPA = weak spot, see below)

690 gmat on my first preliminary exam (95%ile verbal, 61%ile math) -- I'm giving myself a crash course in the math section and plan on taking the GMAT again in early September. My math is generally pretty strong, but quite rusty and I expect to bring my score up to the 730+ range.

3 years of experience as a paralegal in an antitrust/commercial law firm. Participated in a 2-month trip to India where we pursued first of its kind discovery procedured. Will have strong recs from the firm's founder (a legend in litigation) and two attorneys with whom I worked very closely.

Founded a charity bike ride with 25 riders, raising over 25k for Autism charity and looking to have over 100 riders and raise 100 k next year.

"Retiring" paralegal position at the end of the month to launch a carbon offset company.

Aside from the caucasian male part, I think my experiences and extra curriculars make me a unique candidate -- What are my odds at the schools below?

Applying to: HBS, S, Darden, McCombs, Haas, ND

Two questions: 1) If given the option on the various applications, should I address the weakness of my GPA? It's not abysmal, but will certainly be on the low end for most of the schools to which I'm applying. If so, what's a positive spin I can put on this? My instinct is to mention that my priorities in undergrad were not to improve that number, but to be as involved as I could be in extracurriculars (which I was).
2) With respect to the company I'm starting, how should I present this? I won't have many quantifiables by the time R1 deadlines come around, and may not by R2 either. Any suggestions?

thanks very much in advance!

[mbamission]

Hi Matthew,

Thanks for writing -- it sounds like you have some really interesting work and extracurricular experiences, which I agree make you a unique candidate. You will want to make sure you clearly communicate why you are switching from the legal path to the business world as part of your story.

Assuming you reach that 730, I think you will be competitive at Harvard and Stanford, although keep in mind those are among the most selective schools out there.

Re: your GPA, for those top two schools you can use the optional essay to briefly address how active you were in college, but you will want to point that you learned how to strike a proper balance and will do so as an MBA.

As for your new company, you can explain why and when you started it, how it feeds into your MBA goals, and what you've learned so far in the experience.

Best of luck,

Daniel Richards
http://www.mbamission.com

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