Profile evaluation

[sejin.s.oh]

Hello,

I would like to receive any feedback on my chance to receive full merit scholarship from Ross (University of Michigan). Any advice to improve my chance will also be greatly appreciated! :)

Also, I have pretty good GPAs and am already enrolled in a respectable Masters program at the Univ. of Michigan. Do you think a low GMAT score (690) will be a problem (for admission and scholarship) in this case?


GMAT:690 (Q: 48, V: 36, AWA: 6, IR: 6)
I plan to take once more and hopefully get 700+.

Undergraduate GPA: 3.5/4.0
I attended a top-tier public university in the US (I'm an international student from S. Korea).

Graduate GPA: 3.8/4.0
I am currently enrolled in a professional Masters program (public policy) at Univ. of Michigan. I even took two Ross courses and received A on both of them. Do you think a low GMAT score can be offset by this fact?

There is a good reason (career path related) why I chose to study public policy and now want to study business. I will convey this choice in my essay.

Experience:

1) 3 years at one of top 3 strategy consulting firms
I was based in Korea, though I worked on some global projects. I started as an intern and was hired (through a regular process) as a full-time; I was promoted once.

2) Internships
* 1 investment banking internship as an undergraduate
* One top-tier think tank internship after the first year of my current program

Extracurricular:
1) Office club leader (when I was a consultant)
2) Fellowship program at my current program
3) Couple of non-profit experience (consulting and Board of Directors)
3) Co-founding academic organization as an undergraduate
4) Many volunteering activities

Recommendations:
1) One from my former direct supervisor at a consulting firm
2) One from my former direct supervisor at a think tank
Can get more if necessary

Complication:
I will have to take a year off (maternity leave) after graduating from my current program and before I apply to b-school. I'm applying for the spot in the class of 2016. Do you think taking a year off in between can be looked down?


Thank you so much!!! :)

[mili]

Hello,

Thanks for sharing your profile. It's difficult to say whether you'd qualify for a merit scholarship at Ross, but my opinion is that the chance is somewhat low given your lower GMAT score and the fact that you've been in school for the past two years and will take a year off before applying. In general, taking time off is frowned upon. In this case, I think maternity leave would be warranted (traditionally 2-3 mos.), but it may be difficult to justify a whole year. This is a very personal decision, of course, and taking a job for 9 months might not be the right answer either (or it may be...).

I do think you run the risk of seeming like a 'degree collector,' but it sounds like you've thought this through and will make a strong case in your essays.

Good luck!
Mili