Candidacy Evaluation

[rosswollen]

Hello,

I have an unusual background here. Please evaluate my candidacy:

I went to a very good liberal arts school and graduated in 2003 with a 3.53 GPA, cum laude. Humanities major with no relevant coursework.

Let us assume that I will be able to score in the low 700s on the GMAT.

I've been a cook/chef for 5 years. 1.5 of those years have been in a managerial position. Certainly a leadership position, and a business position in some senses - I am required to maximize labor, evaluate food costs, etc - but of course not your average b-school applicant's resume, and only somewhat applicable.

I have a tiny bit of international experience (studied abroad in Scotland, taught English in Thailand) from years ago. I'm taking an online course on "business essentials" from UC Berkeley that I should get an A in. But I have no extracurricular/volunteer activities to speak of.

Basically I want to change my career, cannot articulate a detailed vision for my future, and am having trouble crafting my story. But first thing's first: I have no idea what caliber of school I might be able to get into. (I would assume the best aren't realistic - how about Darden or UNC or Emory?) How about international schools? Be harsh with me!

Thanks.

[mbamission]

Hi Ross,

Thanks for writing in. Your background is definitely interesting and should grad the admissions' committee's attention. But you need to work on that vision/goal of why you are going to get your MBA. Without it, schools won't treat you as a serious candidate.

And that statement is also helpful in determining what type of school you should apply to. With a low-700 GMAT and 3.5 from a well-regarded college, the top-25 should easily be in your scope. Leadership in a restaurant kitchen probably provides a great number of rich anecdotes about deadlines and managing personalities, so I hope you'll be able to write good essays from that.

You mention a lack of extracurricular involvement -- do you have any instances where you were able to significantly impact the life of a friend,family member or employee? These stories can sometimes take the place of traditional community service.

I like that you're taking a Business 101 course in advance to help show you serious about your application. For your next step I suggest thinking more about your goal statement and researching programs that can help you match that. On face value, you certainly have a shot to be competitive at the three schools you mention.

Best of luck,

Daniel Richards
http://www.mbamission.com

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