Hello,

I have an unusual background here. Please evaluate my candidacy:

I went to a very good liberal arts school and graduated in 2003 with a 3.53 GPA, cum laude. Humanities major with no relevant coursework.

Let us assume that I will be able to score in the low 700s on the GMAT.

I've been a cook/chef for 5 years. 1.5 of those years have been in a managerial position. Certainly a leadership position, and a business position in some senses - I am required to maximize labor, evaluate food costs, etc - but of course not your average b-school applicant's resume, and only somewhat applicable.

I have a tiny bit of international experience (studied abroad in Scotland, taught English in Thailand) from years ago. I'm taking an online course on "business essentials" from UC Berkeley that I should get an A in. But I have no extracurricular/volunteer activities to speak of.

Basically I want to change my career, cannot articulate a detailed vision for my future, and am having trouble crafting my story. But first thing's first: I have no idea what caliber of school I might be able to get into. (I would assume the best aren't realistic - how about Darden or UNC or Emory?) How about international schools? Be harsh with me!

Thanks.

Hi Ross,

Thanks for writing in. Your background is definitely interesting and should grad the admissions' committee's attention. But you need to work on that vision/goal of why you are going to get your MBA. Without it, schools won't treat you as a serious candidate.

And that statement is also helpful in determining what type of school you should apply to. With a low-700 GMAT and 3.5 from a well-regarded college, the top-25 should easily be in your scope. Leadership in a restaurant kitchen probably provides a great number of rich anecdotes about deadlines and managing personalities, so I hope you'll be able to write good essays from that.

You mention a lack of extracurricular involvement -- do you have any instances where you were able to significantly impact the life of a friend,family member or employee? These stories can sometimes take the place of traditional community service.

I like that you're taking a Business 101 course in advance to help show you serious about your application. For your next step I suggest thinking more about your goal statement and researching programs that can help you match that. On face value, you certainly have a shot to be competitive at the three schools you mention.

Best of luck,

Daniel Richards
http://www.mbamission.com

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