Ms. Scientist Businesswoman

You’re in really good shape for a number of reasons. First, you are a terrific overall candidate for a world class MBA. Your degree in biology and physics from UT-Austin with an impressive 3.5 in difficult subjects is super strong. Your GRE score of 328 translates into a solid 710 GMAT. And your work experience sets you up nicely for a great post-MBA goal. Finally, your selection of schools is superb. I predict that you will not only get admits from most of these schools but that you will also be getting some scholarship money to boot with those offers. So let’s take your first choice school: Emory. Your numbers are terrific for Emory, with a standardized test score that exceeds the latest 685 class average and your 3.5 is above the 3.2 class average as well. Plus, Emory now has an acceptance rate of 44% and I think your odds are more than double that admit rate. You will have a difficult decision ahead because you will likely have multiple offers from which to choose. Well done.

Jen Kedrowski from mbaMission here!
Healthcare is a hot topic in b-school (if not everywhere) these days, and your academic science background combined with business experience that includes marketing and data analysis should position you well as someone who could be a valuable asset to the healthcare industry. That said, if you have any (?) actual healthcare industry experience that would be a plus as well, or something you could consider gaining some exposure to if there is much time before you apply, even through an externship or project work. Your grades and GRE scores position you well for a shot at Emory, and the other schools mentioned also seem appropriate. I would love to see some community involvement in your profile, so if you have any, do include that in your apps, or if you aren’t applying for awhile consider getting involved in a cause that you are passionate about (hey- maybe in healthcare, and cover two bases!). Emory & UNC would be the schools that are safer for you and have higher acceptance rates overall, and you may very well be a candidate for scholarships if you execute your apps well. I would also be hopeful for consideration at Tuck, Darden, and Duke and recommend considering applying early action (Duke/Darden) if any of those were top choices, and taking advantage of some of those optional open interviews those schools offer. That said if Emory is your first choice you may want to keep your list to just 2-3 schools as your chances will be high there.

Hi, it’s Jennifer Jackson from Stratus Admissions. Lots of great stuff here! You have a solid GRE and GPA for Emory (as well as for other schools!) and great work experience. You can tell a great story about how you need the MBA to take what you learned both in your undergrad experience as well as at the CPG firm to the next level at a healthcare organization. I just worked with an applicant with a similar background who wants to go into strategy or operations at an innovative healthcare firm and he is having lots of success, deciding between Ross and UCLA. You would add to the diversity of a class with a scientific background. If you have any extracurriculars tied to healthcare, of course that would be helpful to add to your narrative. In addition to the great schools on your list, you might want to look at either or both of those schools too, which have phenomenal resources in healthcare. Potentially Vanderbilt too, which is known in this area. I also see you being awarded merit scholarship money at some of these schools!