Profile Eval (detailed info provided!)

[ryan.mchargue]

Hello! I have little guidance 'round this neck of the woods, so I thought I'd stick said neck out and take all you've got (good, bad, and especially ugly) regarding my strengths, weaknesses, and overall profile in regards to getting into a decent MBA program. So, I guess I'll just dive right in, and thank you in advance!

Nationality: Caucasian American
Gender: Male
Age: 31 (DOB 06/02/1982)

GMAT:
690 overall, 41 Q/44 V/5.5 AWA/8 IR

Education:
BA Anthropology, August 2003, Florida State University, 3.06 GPA
MA History (+1 year of PhD study), August 2005, Florida State University, 3.62 GPA
BA Accounting, December 2012, Ashford University, 4.0 GPA, Summa cum laude, Golden Key International Honor Society

Work Experience (highlights):
5/2007 - 5/2009: Lead Foreign Instructor, Chungdahm Learning, Seongnam, South Korea
- Served one year teaching full time in a renowned after-school English program. Earned recognition as "Teacher of the Term" during this period.
- Promoted to Lead Instructor after 1 year, with teaching duties reduced and other duties added, including managing a group of approximately 6 foreign (non-Korean) instructors, ensuring standards are met, and implementing owner initiatives.
- Planned and executed several projects and initiatives intended to ensure a more stable and consistent workplace and teaching environment.
- Aided in overseas teacher recruitment.

12/2009 - 7/2010: Instructor, Avalon English, Seoul, South Korea
- English instructor for major after-school academy in downtown Seoul
- Aided in curriculum design and development

9/2010 - 12/2010: History Teacher, International School of Chouiefat, Umm al Quwein, UAE
- History Teacher for a prestigious private international school; taught other subjects as required.
- Served as Royal Tutor for the Prince and Princess of Umm al Quwein

04/2011 - 12/2012: Student Advisor, Bridgepoint Education, Denver, CO, USA
- Responsible for the Financial Aid and Academic Advisement of a student population of over 300, from admission through graduation.
- Subject-Matter Expert for Title IV funding, FERPA regulations, and academic policies.
- Consistently performed in the top 1% of advisors in regards to retention, student aging, and student pass rate.
- Consistently leaned-upon to provide best-practice training and technological assistance for other advisors within the campus database and personnel management system.

01/2013 - Present: Invoicing and Accounting Analyst, IQNavigator, Inc, Centennial, CO, USA
- Create and transmit invoices built to client specifications, meeting all applicable deadlines.
- Reconcile invoice extracts with data in front-end invoicing system.
- Ensure compliance with all relevant accounting procedures and client contracts.
- Maintain appropriate records and develop a clear and concise audit trail.
- Responsible for first-level root-cause analysis of unbalanced entries and invoicing issues, including front/back office mismatches, invoice extract generation and the associated SQL code, and fee calculation and booking.
- Ensure proper standards are kept, met, and exceeded for yearly SSAE16 SOC audit.
- Perform internal and client research as necessary.

06/2013 - Present: Night Auditor, Denver Marriott South, Lone Tree, CO, USA
- Ensure proper distribution of hotel revenue on a nightly basis for all hotel revenue centers.
- Close out all transactions and reconcile daily sales with reporting apparatus.
- Guest services as necessary.

Extracurricular activities:
When I’m not working 80 hours a week and studying for something (for example, the GMAT), I volunteer for Junior Achievement Rocky Mountains in their finance education program for elementary and middle-school-aged kids, teaching them all the things they aren’t taught in middle school and high school about financial responsibility. I’ve been doing it about a year now, and plan on continuing to do it until I’m unable to do so, as I love being a leader on both sides of the desk in the classroom.

Why an MBA?
I’m mostly interested in consultancy, as many of my previous employers would tell you that my greatest interest lies in improving results through organizational research, project creation, and implementation. In other words, I’m not so much interested in "running the show" but am extremely interested in (and very good at) coming up with ways to best run that show to ensure efficiency and accuracy. Throughout more or less every single day in every job I’ve ever had, it’s what I’ve tended to think about and put energy into, starting and completing projects intended to make work more effective, efficient, and accurate. Everyone all my life has always told me to speak to and act out my strengths, and I think an MBA at this point in my life and career is precisely where I should be headed, allowing me to harness and use those things I'm so good at doing.

Targets:
1. Notre Dame - Consulting track. Looking through about a hundred different programs, this is the standout for me in regards to value and philosophy, hands down
2. Vanderbilt - Strategy or Human and Organizational Performance track
3. Ohio State University - Strategy or Leadership and Organizational Behavior track


So, any words of wisdom, advice, and harsh dressings-down are absolutely welcome, as are alternative school recommendations.

Thanks in advance, everyone, and I’ll try to stay active hereabouts should any questions come my way!

[mbamissionjenK]

Hi there,

Thanks for your post, and helpful, detailed info for sure! ;) That makes a difference in terms of giving you a profile review.

It was interesting to read your profile, and that is a good thing because hopefully it would capture the admissions committee's interest as well.

Having a 'non-traditional' background for b-school can work well, or occasionally be a challenge, either way... generally it helps you stand out from the crowd, and can be a plus because schools like diversity in background and experience within their classes. As long as you can clearly articulate both a) the skills you've gained that will serve you in the future, and b) clear reasons for pursuing b-school.

The strengths of your profile as I see it:

-non-traditional background, including:
-teaching experience (generally a plus because it means you have strong communication skills, presentation skills, are comfortable in a leadership role and managing others)
-international experience is a huge plus if you can speak to what it meant to you/how it affected you

-quantitative ability evidenced in various roles

GMAT is fairly neutral for you.

Your explanation for 'why consulting' (and therefore why b-school) is compelling and goes above and beyond the typical statements I read, nice job. Consulting is such a common ambition but if you do a good job explaining your WHY and why it really resonates with YOU, that can work really well to set you apart.

The finance education volunteering sounds interesting and could be good for essays/interviews, they'll want to hear that you are genuinely passionate about it but sounds good.

Potential questions or concerns for your profile:

-Biggest one-- another BA?? Why ? That will be an immediate question from admissions committee as well.
-additional reassurance that you have a clear plan and are truly ready for/need b-school will help (especially with 3 different prior degrees)
-GMAT quant score a little low, but should be fine for schools you mentioned

Keep in mind that your application essays are very important in terms of showing who YOU are, so don't underestimate their importance in the process, fyi!

As for schools, I would think you have a good chance at the schools on your list so if you are really excited about Mendoza then that's awesome, go for it! And that should shine through in their essays. If you were interested in any other 'reach' programs you could add an even more competitive one to your list but really depends on what you are interested in and sounds like you've done a lot of research already.

Let us know if you have additional questions at all, and keep us posted on your progress! Good luck!

[ryan.mchargue]

That was a fantastic evaluation right there, and I thank you for it - I've started working in earnest on my applications now. I'm a rather talented writer, so I think i'll do well on the essays, so I'm not terribly concerned with that aspect of the process.

As for the big question - "why a BA again?" That's actually pretty simple: it was free, and I figured that accounting was both a good skill to have, and an employable field to break into (and it worked, too!). All of the other offerings were extremely unattractive (although also free). I saw an opportunity to learn something and start creating a real foundation in business, so I just threw myself into it.

Thanks again for the feedback, it was GREATLY appreciated!

[mbamissionjenK]

Gotcha. You can certainly explain if q's come up then on that BA. Glad to be of help! Please keep us posted on questions and your progress!