Non Traditional Timeline - Profile Evaluation Please!

[casey.chopek]

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[mbamission]

Hi Casey,

Thanks for your inquiry. I have actually worked with a client who had a very similar experience - left college before graduating and returned to school while working to finish school as he was applying to MBA programs. He’s in school now - oddly enough at one of the NC schools you are considering!

I think you should take advantage of the optional essays most schools offer to explain what happened in college and that you are in school now. Try not to make excuses, but you do have a non-traditional educational background, so you will need to explain it. I would focus on your positive academic trajectory and, as you mentioned, shoot for a GMAT score of 700 or higher.

You have a lot to talk about in terms of sustained community service and professional accomplishment. I think your story will need to focus on how you have gotten things together since you left college and that you have been successful since then. The GMAT score will be important to shore up your low grades from Penn. You have a high GPA now, but it’s from a less competitive school. If you can get your GMAT score up and tell your story in a compelling way, you should be competitive at the schools you are applying to.

Sincerely,
Akiba Smith-Francis
MBA Mission

646-485-8844

Website: http://www.mbamission.com
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[casey.chopek]

Akiba,

Thanks so much for your input! Here's hoping I can get that 700!

Sincerely,

Casey