Profile Eval

[bstalling]

Hi Alex, can you evaluate my profile? Here are my stats...

26 / Male / white (27 at matric.)
GPA - 2.89 from unknown state school, 3.2 in majors (Econ / Fin); much improved in final two years, although not progressively so.
GMAT - original was 580 (verbal score crashed with a 6.0AWA), retake in Dec/Jan s/b in mid to high 600s, although aim is always higher
Work Experience - 1 year as fin analyst for subsidiary of major retailer on west coast (more of a business development role than anything, ie. valuation, M&A, integration, etc.) ($10-$100M deals) quick progression of responsibilities
3 years with major midwest retailer; real estate focused, quickly added more responsibility (corporate projections, board presentations, LT growth strategies), finally moved into new role basically in charge of all accounting/analysis for distribution side of business ($200M annually). One promotion, two laterals, many interesting projects along the way...
Various PE related side projects along the way, nothing of real importance or note: all small, none sold.

Recommendations should be good, one from an alumni, another from the CFO.
Extracurriculars - UG = few, several with company's charitable opportunities, active triathlete (half ironman in sept), volunteer for several tri/marathon events

Reason for MBA
Interested most in mgmt consulting and L-term owning businesses. Not interested in working in finance in wall st sense or corporate finance sense, although my skillset seems to overlap with PE.

Where? UChicago / Northwestern - PT/Weekend programs, specifically the UC gsb program
I am not opposed to a FT, but more interested in this school(s) and want to continue to work

What are my chances?

[MBAApply]

You have a strong enough resume for the part-time programs you mentioned. I don't think writing essays that showcase your abilities and achievements at work and in your extracurriculars should be an issue - in fact, it should be your strength. What it will come down to is whether your written application and interview will be strong enough for them to overlook your GMAT/GPA combo, which is low - that is an open question and it's hard to say which way it will go - it's subjective and will depend on the individual adcom. If you get in the mid- to high 600s you should be safe -- so at this point focus on the GMAT.

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