Profile Evaluation? Graphic Designer - 29 yr old female

[wcmg]

hi, I took the GMAT for the first time yesterday and got 680 (Q:46 (77%), V:37 (81%)). Giving that Round I and Round II have already ended at B-schools, I'm trying to decide between my two options, any tips and advice are appreciated :):

My main questions are:
1. Whether I should not worry about my GMAT scores and just focus on my essays and recommendation letters and apply for Round III, then if I don't get into a b-school of my choice, then I'll retake the GMAT and re-apply to those same schools in RI in the fall.

2. Should I not apply for Round III and simply direct my energies on studying some more and retake the GMAT to get a 700+ score and apply for RI spots in the fall?

Here's my profile:
Personal - 29 yr old Asian American female

Edu - GPA: 3.66, cum laude, from a top 5 liberal arts college. Major: economics Minor: psychology
- GPA: 3.68 Screenwriting certificate from Emerson College at the graduate school level
- GPA: 3.8 some general courses at a local community college (although it's most recent, i'm not sure whether i should even include it in my application, since the classes I took are for self-improvement purposes, like Investing and Graphic Design classes)

besides my undergraduate studies, all other courses were completed when I was working full-time

Work exp:
-3 yrs as a Research Assistant at a top 10 national hospital.
--During this time, I got a promotion, co-authored several papers published in nationally recognized journals, incl. one where I was the 2nd author.
--Am the first one in my dept to learn a new internal classification system and trained other staff on its use

-Got the creative bug, quit the job and got two internships, one at a production house, the other one was at a post-production facility, in both places I got to assist on projects and being on location shoots for national networks like CBS, MTV, etc.

-put together a portfolio, came out to S.Ca, got a job as a designer at a small internet company.
--worked with international contractors, including supervising 1 overseas designer.
--am the only designer in my company, so I'm a jack-of-all-trades, doing both print and web work.

-currently self-employed after gotten laid off in Aug.

Extracurricular:
-not too much since I graduated, I didn't have much free time b/c I pretty much always had both a full-time job and full courseload.
-right now I joined two women's business leadership associations, I also signed up to volunteer for my local design association and the animal shelter (I'd do that even if I wasn't applying to b-school), but these were way recent and I currently don't hold any leadership position in either organization.

Reason for b-school:
eventually I'd like to have my own business, so going to b-school is always at the back of my mind. but the laid-off prob. pushed the dates earlier, which is fine w/me. I don't want to go to b-school when I'm 35+.

My dream schools:
My top choice is Kellogg, followed by UCLA, USC, Stanford, and Berkeley.
I wanted to get a job in CA after b-school, which is why I picked mostly CA schools. But Kellogg seems to have a very well-rounded roster of national companies that recruit on campus. Also, it has a reputation for being a consulting-oriented school, I didn't want to go to a finance type of school like Chicago. So that's also one of the reasons I prefer Kellogg.

While my 680 GMAT score isn't too shabby, it's not that great either. My quant. section is also worse than my verbal. Although I can counter that by pointing out my GPA as a econ major, also, my school's econ dept has a very good reputation.

My main concern is my unconventional background, esp. b/c I didn't come from the typical i-banking, management consulting background. Also, since my switched careers, my job titles aren't as impressive, I was always an assistant of some type 'til my last job, not some corporate VP with 100 underlings. I've heard that b-schools are looking for diversity, but I really don't know if my kind of work experience would be an asset or hindrance in the application process.

Some of my other concerns are:
What type of qualities should I emphasize in my applications? Do I have enough leadership experience? (it's difficult for me to compare myself with most candidate profiles on the web as I've not read one with a similar background successfully got into top b-schools)
Do I need to include all my transcripts, including those at the community college?
What are my chances in round III? does re-apply hurt your chances more than if you simply wait for round I, when the competition presumably isn't as bad? I'd really like to enter business school in fall'09, but I also want to get into a top school of my choice.

I welcome any suggestions you may have. Thanks so much in advance.

[MBAApply]

Tough call re: R3 this March vs. R1 in Oct.

Here's the thing. There is a difference between being "unique" and being "accomplished". Many of the folks at top schools regardless of their degree of "uniqueness" are accomplished. Being unique is just an extra wrinkle that helps you stand out, but isn't necessarily a game changer.

Also, they are looking for leadership potential more than actual experience (of course actual formal leadership experience is a plus). "Potential" usually means showing a history of being great in teams, having strong interpersonal skills (or having a lot of experience at work or in your extracurriculars that require strong interpersonal skills), and showing a history of being a good decision-maker. Of course what I said here is very high level and vague - so it's your responsibility as a candidate to provide the specifics that illustrate these themes.

In terms of story, *not* being a banker/consultant/engineer can certainly be an asset (if you know how to use it) to show the specific skillsets, perspectives and knowledge that you can contribute to the class. As for specifics, that's something you need to figure out - it's not something I can encapsulate in a post here without knowing who you are as an individual.

As for transcripts, you should include those from the community college as well if you disclose that you enrolled in these classes on the application form.

Now for timing - if you really want to go this fall, then roll the dice for Round 3. Keep in mind though that for reapplications, a good number of the schools will ask you to write an essay on "how you have changed or grown since you last applied" which will be tough because for many it's hard to show that much in just a few months' time.

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