Requesting Profile Eval

[marissashay]

Hello! I am hoping to get some advice based on my profile:

Me: 25 year old Caucasian female (I will be 26 when I matriculate)
GMAT Score: 690 (V- 89%, Q- 69%)
Undergrad: Penn State University
Overall GPA: 3.8
Major GPA: 3.9
Major: BS in Finance
Minor: International Business
College Extracurricular Activities: Held leadership positions within a Business Fraternity and the Business Student Council, was very involved with the Penn State Dance Marathon (the largest student run philanthropy in the country)
Work Experience: I am currently working as a government consultant doing budget and cost analysis for the Department of Defense. Without going into intense detail, a lot of my experience has been analytical and I have developed several cost models over the last two years. This has been my first job out of college, but I am hoping that my specific experience will set me apart from a lot of other candidates. I have been placed as the lead on several projects, so I have had experience delegating work and managing tasks. I currently control a multi-million dollar budget, and am responsible for overseeing that the funding is being spent both accurately and legally.
Current Extracurricular Activities: Volunteer on a Disaster Action Team for the Red Cross, have been a mentor for summer interns at work, run in local races to raise money for various charities
Prospective Schools: Duke


I know my quant is lower than what most top schools look for, but I am happy with the overall score. I always scored much higher in math than verbal on my GMAT practice tests, and my GMAT verbal was significantly higher than what I was scoring on practice tests, so I am afraid retaking the test may actually hurt my overall score. I have a relatively strong math background, and was wondering if I could use the optional essay to address the quant score? Could I also ask the individuals writing letters of recommendation to highlight the amount of statistical and mathematical analysis I use on a daily basis?

The reason I listed only Duke under my prospective schools is because, at present, I do not plan on applying to any other full time programs. I’ve had several family members attend Duke (although for undergrad), and I have many reasons for wanting to go there versus anywhere else. I haven’t done much research into other full time MBA programs, as I have only wanted to go to Duke for some time now. I will apply to several local part time programs (DC area), but if I get into Duke I am planning on attending. My main question is - with the above profile do I have a realistic chance at getting in? If not, what can I do to strengthen my candidacy or what other schools would be within my range that I should focus on?

Thanks in advance!

[mbamission]

Hi marissashay,

Thanks for your note. You appear to have some strong post-college extracurriculars and work experience -- I would make sure to emphasize the specific project and budget management experience you mention, as they potentially demonstrate responsibility and leadership.

Your GMAT performance should competitive with the Duke candidate pool. It may be helpful to have your recommenders mention the frequent quantitative work you do in your job, but focusing an optional essay on this could be overkill -- as your overall score is still good.

Your profile sounds like it should be competitive for Duke. Since you seem to have strong inclination to attend there, you can use the essays to show why you think the Duke program is the best fit for your goals.

Best of luck,

Daniel Richards
http://www.mbamission.com

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