Profile Evaluation Request Please!

[sarahmarkels]

Hi - I am hoping I can get a profile evaluation for my chances to get into schools like MIT Sloan or UC Berkeley Haas.

A little about myself: I have a unique background. I went to Wellesley College and majored in Physics. I was president of both the physics club and my sorority. I graduated with a low, but above 3.0 GPA because of two courses my freshman year. If you don't count the first year, my GPA is about 3.4
I worked in a Neuroscience/Neuroinformatics lab doing research (I headed a project) the summer before senior year. After I graduated I worked there doing research - presented at several conferences in US and one in Czech Republic, but also headed all the PR and marketing for software our lab made. Then, i went to work for software company, started as a Market Research Analyst and was promoted to Manager of Social Media Marketing. I also do some consulting and am working on some independent projects.

My GMAT, which I took a couple weeks ago was: 720 (94%) 45V (98%) and 44Q (68%) and AWA was 5.0 (56%)

I'm concerned about my quant score. I majored in Physics, which meant a lot of math, took computational neuroscience, worked doing neuroscience/programming, so there is a lot there, but my GPA still feels low.

I'd really like to apply for business school this fall. Thoughts? Advice? Should I use the extra essay to talk about this?

Thank you in advance!

[mbamission]

Hi Sarah,

Thanks for writing in. I think your strong physics background will likely grab the adcom's attention and give you a differentiating point from the pack. I think you're school selections are on-target for your profile, although I would be curious to know how you're physics background and work experience feeds into your post-MBA goals.

In regards to your GPA and quant score, overall it seems that both measures are high, just with small "dings." I think a short, optional essay can easily address this. You can mention that two early-college classes impacted your overall GPA, and that you use quant skills extensively in your work and earned high grades in college, and that you are confident you can handle MBA-level coursework. Since you're overall score is in-range for these two programs, this statement could help the admissions officers look past those weaknesses.

Best of luck!
Daniel Richards
http://www.mbamission.com

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