Interesting Eval Request 680 GMAT 3.5 GPA Vandy NFL Teams JD

[rrossjd]

Here's an interesting profile to evaluate. It's mine. I'd like to attend a highly ranked prestigious MBA program. Like a Top 10. But, I'm wondering what my chances are-- Here's the cliff notes on my background. Reading the Bold Quickly Summarizes my profile if you are brief on time.

GMAT: 680 (36V, 47Q). Put in context: 153 LSAT Score in the 59%tile, and mere 1100s score on the SAT-- But, still got into and graduated from Vanderbilt Undergrad and Emory Law school. Oh, and, my GMAT writing score was 5.5. So, this is the first time I've ever had a high required standardized test score. Should I mention this on my application? Should I retake the Gmat?

UGPA at Vanderbilt University: 3.595. Graduated cum laude. It's a top 25 undergraduate program. Double majored in Communications and Political Science. And, won the university its first National Debate Championship since the 1980s.

Work Experience: It's all in Pro-Sports Management: (1) Cheerleader Marketing with the NFL Tennessee Titans, (2) Community Development with the NFL Houston Texans, (3) Corporate Partnerships with the WNBA Houston Comets. And, I have three other industry internships (2 x Sports Commissions and one Sports Memorabilia Company), but no full-time work experience-- Would these internships be enough to overcome my lack of non-internship full time work experience?

But, that's because I went to law school. Graduated from Emory University Law School. It's a Top 25 program. And, thereafter, passed the Texas Bar Exam to become a licensed attorney. Are lawyers seeking MBA's common? welcomed?

I'm also a minority. Hispanic-Latino by way of being Peruvian. Does affirmative action happen at top schools?

But my main question: What are my chances of getting into a top MBA program? How can I improve those chances?

Thank you,

Russell Ross
Vanderbilt University BS 2007
Emory University School of Law JD 2010

[rachel]

Hi! Let's start with your academics. You have a solid GPA from a good US school and a good GMAT - though it could be higher if you wanted to go to a top-10 business school. Moving to your professional experiences, I am wondering why you haven't had any full-time jobs since graduating from law school. I think this is something that the AdCom will look at, so you should be prepared to explain this in your application. Also important will be to explain why you think you need an MBA. It's not that business schools don't accept attorneys into their programs, but they will need to hear from you why an MBA is going to matter in your career. The way you explain that will be crucial to your application. There are two others important factors to consider - what kind of extra-curricular activities are you involved in, and who will write your recommendations?

AdComs look at MBA applicants holistically - they want to see the whole package. Think about ways you can highlight your strengths and accomplishments in order to show them that getting an MBA is important to you and your future.

Best of luck,

Rachel Beck

http://www.mbamission.com

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