Profile Eval- Please

[azepp993]

I am a 25/F, Married, Live in Austin, TX looking to apply to UT McCombs part-time (evening) program.

College- Texas A&M University- 3.6 GPA (B.S. in Health, Minor in Psychology, degree was very science oriented). I was involved in a plethora of organizations- one of which was a national health honor society. Additionally, I worked all through college.
Currently, I work at a large hospital system in the Austin, Texas area. I have been with the hospital for three years and in my time here, I have been promoted from an executive administrative assistant to the manager of administration. I work directly for the CEO/COO, have multiple direct reports, lead a hospital wide leadership development team and run our internship/residency program. Some of my day to day responsibilities include- service line research, office management, presentation development (including P&L's), as well as participation in the hospital's board of trustees (minutes, meeting set up, presentation creation). I am OSHA, CPR and First Aid Certified.

Prior to working at the hospital I held a 6 month residency with an anesthesiologist (daily involvement in surgery, learning pharmaceutical drugs, and developed/delivered a presentation on OR turnaround times and utilization).

Additionally, while in college, I worked as a technician at a vet clinic. I also spent time as a manager at a restaurant w/ 10 employees under my supervision (in high school and early college).
I have strong writing skills and I believe that my recommendation letters will be phenomenal (they are coming from executive level individuals that I have worked directly for).

My dad is a McCombs graduate and serves as the CFO for a publically traded company that hosts a UT MBA student every year. (I don't know how this applies other than to show that I have grown up in an environment designed to help me achieve- I havent used this in my essay anywhere, but am now thinking it might be beneficial?)

I volunteer for a pit-bull awareness organization and coach youth volleyball. Additionally, I participate in a wide variety of recreational sports and am currently training for a ½ marathon.
My primary interest in an MBA stems for an entrepreneurial standpoint. I have an idea and I want to run with it, but I would like a solid foundation before I pursue this kind of venture. ( I would also like the peace of mind knowing that if it fails, I have an MBA to "fall back" on.)

Unfortunately, my GMAT score is low. I only scored a 530. I don't feel that this score is indicative of my ability to perform well at a graduate school level, but I also don't have time to retake the exam before the next deadline.

This leaves me with a few questions- do you believe my overall profile is strong enough for admissions or do I need to wait another year (which I would highly prefer not doing) before applying to McCombs?

Next, are there certain areas of my background that I should focus more intently on?
Last, how would you reco
mmend addressing my GMAT scores when submitting my application? (There is no "extra" essay to tell them about me).

Thank you so much!

[rachel]

Hi! It sounds like you have some solid professional experiences and outside activities, which I think can help your application. But your low GMAT score is a hurdle. Do you use any quant skills at work or through your other activities? If so, I suggest looking for ways to highlight them in the application.

As for what areas of your background you should focus on in your application, I think your experiences at the hospital are particularly strong and show career growth. Having an entrepreneurial idea can add an interesting layer to your application, but I wouldn't hook your career goals solely on that. Lastly, it is always important to highlight your activities outside work, especially those where you have taken a leadership role.

Best of luck,

Rachel Beck

http://www.mbamission.com

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[azepp993]

Hi Rachel,

Thanks for the response. I have one more quick question-
UT has 4 deadlines- I was planning to apply for the 3rd on March 23- do you think it would be better to retake my GMAT and wait until the 4th round at the end of May? I've heard mixed opinions on applying to a 4th round- do you find that schools are still accepting applicants in the 4th round? Would my application be significantly stronger if I could raise my score into the mid 600's by the 4th deadline?

And to answer your question about quant work- I often create P&L analysis at the office... I planned to highlight this in my essay and also asked my CEO to mention this in his letter of Rec.

Any additional guidance you can provide is much appreciated. I'd like to know your general thoughts on 4th round applicants and their admission rates.

Thanks!

[rachel]

Hi! Round 4 is very difficult because most of the slots in a class are already taken.