Hello, and all my thanks for your patience in reading and answering this post... I'm sure my frustrations are obvious!

I have a few questions in regard to changing industries and what that means for business school and the (in my opinion) weak profile I have to work with. I ask these questions because I've been telling myself I can do anything I set my mind for, and this continues to push me forward.

I'm not sure the easiest way to lay out my profile for you to read, but I'll start from the beginning.
I am a 29 year old white, single woman living in NYC, hailing from the agricultural mid-west. I bring up my background mostly because I believe that the social culture I was raised with makes me stand out from many other people in terms of personality, work ethic, and drive.
I enrolled in dual enrollment type courses throughout high school, and graduated high school with about 16 credit hours under my belt. I concurrently attended a local community college and the local state college, and finished both an AA in Accounting with a 3.450gpa and a BS with double majors Accounting and Marketing with a 2.703gpa three and a half years from high school graduation. I worked very hard to complete my coursework as soon as possible, while maintaining a more than full time job and family. I also want to completely avoid making excuses for my poor gpa, but feel my character traits make up the difference, especially in the industry I'd like to work into. Since college I have realized that I wanted to work in the hospitality industry, and to earn an advanced degree in the industry. I have always held more than one job at a time, more for choice than necessity, but absolutely love working and learning about travel, tourism and guest services.
I overall have good work experience (including supervisory positions), although in the 7 years from graduation, I have failed to hold a position longer than 3.5 years, instead opting for other avenues. Unfortunately, this work experience is very limited in the actual "hospitality" industry. My research has taught me that this industry is very "experienced" based, and since I am forced to be a self sufficient individual, it is difficult for me to start in low entry level positions and work myself up, as the wages don't support that option completely.

My initial questions to someone who knows a lot about graduate admissions are these:

Does making a complete career/education change have an affect on how the admissions offices judge an applicant and previous gpa's?

Does an applicant's background and personality traits have ANY bearing on a decision?

If so, are there resources to help portray this on the application and in essays?

Would the "alternative transcript" option be valid in this situation?

And if so, would it be best to focus on the weak areas of the original transcript, or would coursework in the field be more appropriate?

I have not yet completed a prep course or taken the gmat, but my home sample tests are indicating about a 650 score. I know there is a large amount of improvement required, but I'm willing to put in the time and effort as well.

Unfortunately my dream school is top ten, not necessarily because of the school, but because of their hospitality program's reputation within the industry. Unfortunately there are not a lot of schools that actually offer a graduate level degree in this field. I understand I am shooting for the stars in this one, but any advice is GREATLY appreciated!!!!!

Thank you!!! :D

To answer your questions:

(1) Does making a complete career/education change have an affect on how the admissions offices judge an applicant and previous gpa's?

It's not about whether you change careers or stay in the same career -- it all depends on how you have developed and grown as a working professional and person -- from the girl in college to the young woman you are today. Think bigger picture. They want to know that you've matured and learned along the way - not just "skills" specific to a particular industry or "experience/knowledge" of a certain job or industry, but perspective as well -- perspective that has allowed you to mature and given you a deeper understanding of what it is you want out of a career going forward and what your priorities are. To use an extreme, sleepwalking through the same employer for 7 years isn't any better than dabbling from one job to the next.


(2) Does an applicant's background and personality traits have ANY bearing on a decision?

In short, yes. Your traits, perspective, maturity, focus and imagination (yes, do you have the ability to dream big as well as a concrete plan on getting there) all matter a lot. It's not going to completely mitigate your "raw goods" (GPA, GMAT, quality of work experience, etc.) but it's certainly an important part of the admissions process. Adcoms aren't just interested in the resume, but the person behind the resume.


(3) If so, are there resources to help portray this on the application and in essays?

The resources ultimately come from within -- you really have to do a lot of introspection on who you are, what you've done and what you want. In that process, getting friends, colleagues, alums, current MBA students, or even admissions consultants can certainly help in terms of providing invaluable guidance and feedback, but ultimately the time and effort has to come from you. There is no real template to make someone jump off the page so to speak.


(4) Would the "alternative transcript" option be valid in this situation? And if so, would it be best to focus on the weak areas of the original transcript, or would coursework in the field be more appropriate?

In your case, it would help given your GPA. Enroll in 2 or 3 undergrad-level courses at your local community college, or through a university that offers extension courses. These courses should be quant oriented -- stats, calculus, algebra, accounting, finance, etc. Ace them (i.e. get A's).


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

Thank you for your help!!!

Is there a difference between an online course and a campus course in the eyes of the admissions panel?

Thanks!

No difference, so long as the online course is being offered by a reputable (accredited - i.e. so long as it's not "Fly By Night Prison College") institution.

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