Profile Evaluation

[trojanfinance08]

I have browsed a significant number of profile evaluations but have yet to see a situation analagous enough to my own to feel comfortable that I understand what my best course of action should be; so, I will burden you with yet another profile to evaluate. I apologize for the length of this one but my situation is rather unique; I would appreciate any input as well as some advice on what last-minute services (i.e. a phone consultation) from Manhattan you believe would be helpful in my case.

I had aimed to apply in round 2 before my progress was sadly set back by a nasty case of H1N1->pneumonia; it affected my GMAT prep and the completion of my essays; however, if you feel I would be competitive as I currently stand, I might be able to have my applications completed in time for next week's deadlines. I am aiming for Stanford, Harvard, Columbia, Wharton and UCLA (in order of preference). You will probably note from what follows that my overall theme is that my passions have driven me on a rather unique path through life.

Relevant Demographics: 24-year old caucasian male raised in northern NJ and residing in Los Angeles. First in family--and I mean EXTENDED family--to go to college.

GMAT: 740 (50Q,41V)--this an unofficial estimate as I first took the exam this past Wednesday. I was rather rattled on the verbal and this was my worst verbal score to date; I had consistent 99th percentile scores on practice exams but was flustered by my perceived poor math performance and admittedly entered a fog. My last 10 verbal questions were practically blind guesses (the last five certainly were, and the last question I was unable to answer in time).

Undergrad: B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Southern California/graduated magna cum laude with a 3.79 GPA. I had transferred there as a junior from Dartmouth College because I wanted a more comprehensive, practical business preparation than the closest proxy, economics, allowed at Dartmouth. I left Dartmouth with a 3.64 GPA and because I didn't want to delay my passion for business any longer; I chose Marshall because it had the best undergraduate business "influence" in my then-future home of Los Angeles. Of course, this decision is more than unconventional, but it was a matter of following my passion, and I have not regretted it for a day.

College activities: significant involvement and strong leadership in several faith-based organizations, especially in mentoring younger students (across spiritual and non-spiritual lines); also spearheaded successful effort to break down racial stereotypes and segregation within the local religious community and promote unity. Involved in the Marshall Career Advantage Program, during which time I was mentored by a director of Citi, as well as the Trojan Real Estate Association.

Post-collegiate activities: I have remained active in the above spiritual communities and have led several community service projects in the past two years (predominantly targeting the local homeless). I have also volunteered as a private tutor.

Work experience: Two college internships at Merrill Lynch PWM led me down the typical analyst path but I ultimately decided to veer off and choose a differentroute. I passed on two top-tier banking offers to be an instrumental part of a start-up company in the maintenance business on the east coast; I performed a wide array of entrepreneurial tasks as the founder's right-hand man and participated in nearly every function of building the business, from training office staff to helping secure contracts. During my year there, the company grew from an idea in my boss's head to over a million dollars in annual revenue, and is still growing. I returned to California and have worked ever since at a boutique financial services firm--again, in a sort of unique, value-added, right-hand man type of role--directly with the principal to rebuild his business after the market crash by reestablishing trust with clients and retooling their portfolios.

I recognize that my total experience is quantitatively small and hardly "prestigious" in the conventional sense, but can this be overcome by its nature and depth? I have truly been forced to employ, in my estimation, at least as many skills as I would have had I chosen to become a typical analyst. Certainly the breadth has been wide.

Concerns:
1. One of my primary considerations in postponing my application is that I believe my lack of work experience necessitates having the highest possible GMAT score, and since I am certain that my verbal score would significantly improve (it was a literal statistical outlier) and math at least remain the same with an additional month of practice and after getting that first testing experience out of the way, a round 3 application would give me the chance to take the test again at the end of January. It would kill me to send in an application with a GMAT score 40-50 points below my proven potential and be rejected, knowing that could've been a factor.
2. Despite my high cumulative GPA, I only received a 3.33 GPA during my final semester (my lowest at USC) as I was unndergoing testing and treatment for a condition that at the time was thought to be life-threatening (and which modern medicine has since cured). I recognize that I should explain this in the "optional" section of each application, but I question whether these matters are always perceived as "excuses" for poor performance and scarcely believed.
3. Again, I don't expect the nature of my work experience to be a plus to everyone, though I hope the independent decisionmaking that led to those choices and has been required in their roles IS valued.
4. I am concerned that the heavy spiritual emphasis of my collegiate and post-collegiate activities would not go over well with admissions committees, especially considering they are taboo on resumes. My peer recommendation is from the president of a Korean faith community who writes about my commitment to diversity and breaking down ethnic barriers and stereotypes during my time as the first white member of his organization. Again, "religion" is simply the background of the picture in which these other relevant factors took place, but it remains a part.
5. It will be quite a scramble to get the applications completed in time, but with all of my essays already at least conceived, it is definitely possible--if of course, you believe the benefits outweigh the risks.

Thank you for reading my life story! You made it! :)

[mbamission]

Thanks for your question!

Given the time lag....I hope that all went well with your decision process and your possible applications to business school, and I'm happy to hear that you survived the H1N1 infection!

Your background sounds really interesting and I do believe that you have a story to tell in terms of your journey to Dartmouth (especially being the first to attend college) and your decision making process that led you to USC. In addition, your work experience appears to be strong and as long as you have concrete leadership experiences to detail, this should be a positive for you. In regards to your specific questions, I have a few thoughts:

1) You should not be concerned about your GMAT score. 750 is a solid score. You should measure your performance against the average GMATs and GPAs for your target schools. I really do not think its worth it to retake the GMAT. There are lots of people who do not make it into business school with 780 GMAT score. This is a holistic process....so your "story" is very important. Not just your GMAT score.
2) Your final semester GPA can be explained in your optional essay. This is not a significant problem. It looks like you had a valid reason for your performance.
3) As mentioned above, leadership and growth will be part of the story, and not just well known brands. Just focus on telling your story!
4) Religious based activities are not taboo in an application. There is a difference between showcasing your leadership in your faith-based activities vs. discussing/promoting your beliefs. This is not a concern. You can limit your discussion of a particular activity to one essay in order to avoid overwhelming your application.

All in all, you seem to be a strong applicant for a top 10 school. I would advise (or would have advised) that you go for the second round deadlines for 1-2 schools maximize your chances.

Monica Okrah
Senior Consultant
mbaMission
www.mbamission.com