B-School chances for a professional athlete....

[chrisowens24]

Hello,

Thank you for taking the time to review my profile.

I'm 28 years old. Multi-racial (black-white) with dual citizenship (Germany and United States). I'm legally a resident of Texas.

I received an associate's degree from a small community college in Texas and went on to receive my bachelor's degree from an Ivy League University with a 3.04 while also participating in varsity athletics and working 25+ hours a week (work study, Ivy's don't give full athletic scholarships). Since graduating I've gone on to play professional basketball in Germany and in Spain (I'm in the middle of my 5th season). During two of the four summers since I graduated I interned at a top law firm in New York and spent one summer teaching English in Europe. I recently took the GMATS between games in Madrid and scored 700/5.5. I tanked on the math and think I could bag a 740 with a bit more preparation. I speak Spanish and German, although my German needs some review.

I'm aware that my background is atypical...perhaps about as non-traditional as they come for B-School applicants. On my resume, there's not a great deal I can add to Professional Basketball Player...that I had 17 points and 9 rebounds in the 2006 semi-finals doesn't seem like something the admissions board would be interested in. That said, I was thinking about submitting an application to the University of Texas-Austin Program before the April 1 deadline. I'm just not sure if it's worth going forward with it or if it would be a waste of time to apply so late and with my background. Also, if I were to wait, boost my GMATS and produce some terrific essays, does someone with a background like mine have any chance at all of getting into a top 10 program? What can I do to help myself?

I could really use a qualified 2nd opinion before making any decisions. Again, I sincerely thank you for taking the time to read this.

[MBAApply]

As a non-traditional candidate, the schools you'd be competitive for will come down to two things:

(1) GMAT, and

(2) Quality of your overall application (how your unique experience will be an asset to the class).

If you can score above 700 and put together strong applications, you should be competitive for any top 10 (including Harvard, Wharton, Stanford).

Schools really covet pro athletes, particularly those who play team sports. In your case, it's not about rebounds, PPG, etc. but more about your experiences being on a team that is operating at the highest level in your field (professional league). A lot of the lessons you learn about teamwork and leadership as a pro athlete can really apply to many business environments, which is why b-schools really covet pro athletes (if you are able to really emphasize this effectively).

Anyhow, from a practical perspective focus on the GMAT first and nothing else. In your case, shoot for the top as you may be underestimating your candidacy relative to other MBA applicants.

Alex Chu
alex@mbaapply.com
http://www.mbaapply.com
http://mbaapply.blogspot.com

[chrisowens24]

Alex, thank you very much for taking the time to post a response. You echoed the sentiments of one of my peers and you've definately motivated me to give a the top 10 schools a go. Because it's so late in the game this cycle, I'm stongly considering waiting and applying for admitance in '10. I'm sure you're busy, but when you have a moment I have a few (actually 4) questions I was hoping you'd take a moment to answer.

(1) Additionally, although I believe I have a good story and can produce high-quality essays, one problem I may encounter involves the recommendations. A number of the top programs ask for 3 recommendations and suggest that at least 2 be from a supervisor or co-worker. This presents a problem because my supervisors (my coaches, general managers and even local government officials) don't speak or write English well. What, do you think, are some good alternative options?

(2) Because of my lack of experience in any finance related field, I've heard that brand name takes on an added significance when it comes to landing jobs afterward. In terms of diversity of quality job options after graduation, how large (in your opinion) is the gap between the "power" of an MBA from a top 25 program like UT-Austin and top 10 programs such as NYU, Columbia or Wharton?

(3) My friend has applied to several schools (Stern, Tuck, McCombs) via the Consortium. Upon first glance it certainly appears to make applying to several quality programs at once substantially easier. However, I'm wondering whether this simplified application process affects the probability of acceptance....?

(4) And for my final question, I graduated in '04 at 24 years of age, I've now been playing professionally for 4 years. How much will being one year further removed from college in an untraditional field (and one year older) hurt me?

Again, I sincerely thank you for your time and your advice. You're definately providing an invaluable service to all who use this forum...

[MBAApply]

To answer your questions:

(1) That's a tough one, but not uncommon. Remember that a good number of b-school students come from non-English speaking work environments. Don't translate, but you're probably going to have to coach them. Keep in mind that adcoms are more forgiving of this since from your profile it'll be apparent that you don't work in an English speaking environment.

(2) It's too broad a question. It really depends on the kinds of jobs you're after. For jobs on Wall Street, it will make a difference (but there won't be a lot of jobs there for a while...), and for the top tier management consulting firms it is generally a little easier from the top schools. However, for every other job it really depends.

(3) There's no hard evidence that it's easier or harder to get in via the Consortium, but you should since it makes the application process easier from an administrative standpoint and that you have the background that fits the Consortium's mission

(4) No.

Alex Chu
alex@mbaapply.com
http://www.mbaapply.com
http://mbaapply.blogspot.com