A quick rundown of my background:
26 year old Caucasian male.
BA from a top-15 university in the US.
Chinese major; business minor
1) GPA:
Low! 2.94 cumulative. Slight downwards trend. Struggled with depression/addiction as an undergraduate- not sure if I should present that as a reason or simply leave it off the table. I have no doubt I can spin it into a good story of personal growth... but still debating as to whether it is acceptable to share on an application.
2) GMAT:
Around 740 (practice exams). Taking it for real next month. Expect to solidify a high score. Right now around 80th percentile in Quant and 90's in Verbal. Really focusing on improving my Quant score.
3) Work experience:
Excellent undergrad internships in marketing and business development. Worked on the biz developments of a famous musician one summer, then took part in my university entrepreneurship program the next summer (worked for a small local startup; advertising and marketing analytics).
Post-grad: Two years with a failed startup in San Fran. Sales / business development
Joined the Marine Corps after the company failed, but blew out my knee in training and forced to go another direction.
Now: Teaching SAT, Economics, and Calculus in Shanghai, China. Also involved in both local and international business development for my training company.
4) Extra-curricular:
Former NCAA track & field athlete
Fraternity leadership experience and philanthropy work
Eagle Scout (some work with my old troop after graduation)
5) Others:
Proficient in Mandarin Chinese (have lived in three cities in China for about 2 years total)
6) MBA Interests:
Eyeing programs in Brand Management or Marketing Analytics
Targets:
Duke (Fuqua)
Cornell (Johnson)
Vanderbilt (Owen)
UCLA (Anderson)
USC (Marshall)
Texas-Austin (McCombs)
Are these schools within reach?![]()
26 year old Caucasian male.
BA from a top-15 university in the US.
Chinese major; business minor
1) GPA:
Low! 2.94 cumulative. Slight downwards trend. Struggled with depression/addiction as an undergraduate- not sure if I should present that as a reason or simply leave it off the table. I have no doubt I can spin it into a good story of personal growth... but still debating as to whether it is acceptable to share on an application.
2) GMAT:
Around 740 (practice exams). Taking it for real next month. Expect to solidify a high score. Right now around 80th percentile in Quant and 90's in Verbal. Really focusing on improving my Quant score.
3) Work experience:
Excellent undergrad internships in marketing and business development. Worked on the biz developments of a famous musician one summer, then took part in my university entrepreneurship program the next summer (worked for a small local startup; advertising and marketing analytics).
Post-grad: Two years with a failed startup in San Fran. Sales / business development
Joined the Marine Corps after the company failed, but blew out my knee in training and forced to go another direction.
Now: Teaching SAT, Economics, and Calculus in Shanghai, China. Also involved in both local and international business development for my training company.
4) Extra-curricular:
Former NCAA track & field athlete
Fraternity leadership experience and philanthropy work
Eagle Scout (some work with my old troop after graduation)
5) Others:
Proficient in Mandarin Chinese (have lived in three cities in China for about 2 years total)
6) MBA Interests:
Eyeing programs in Brand Management or Marketing Analytics
Targets:
Duke (Fuqua)
Cornell (Johnson)
Vanderbilt (Owen)
UCLA (Anderson)
USC (Marshall)
Texas-Austin (McCombs)
Are these schools within reach?