Professional credentials can matter insofar that they help you with your career -- you get a CPA in order to be an accountant, or you get a CFA when working in investment management. However, the credentials alone really don't mean a whole lot. in other words, they are a function of your work experi...

Stats like GPA and GMAT only matter up to a certain threshhold. If your GMAT is 700+ and your GPA is 3.5+, then anything beyond that makes a marginal difference at best. So your stats aside, what do you think will set you apart from other consultants who will have more experience than you, and who w...

As a non-traditional candidate, the schools you'd be competitive for will come down to two things: (1) GMAT, and (2) Quality of your overall application (how your unique experience will be an asset to the class). If you can score above 700 and put together strong applications, you should be competit...

Chances are zero if you don't apply at all, but Round 3 is a roll of the dice. You certainly will be an outlier, so it's really hard to say what your chances are (even if you were to apply in Rounds 1 or 2). Folks like you aren't unheard of at any top b-school, but there's literally 1-5 individuals ...

It varies by individual, not by school. You're going to be an outlier no matter where you apply, so it will come down to the individual reading your application and whether he/she is willing to be sold on your story.

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

To answer your questions: (1) That's a tough one, but not uncommon. Remember that a good number of b-school students come from non-English speaking work environments. Don't translate, but you're probably going to have to coach them. Keep in mind that adcoms are more forgiving of this since from your...

Unless they changed the policy, you can only take the GMAT once in a 30-day period, no?

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

The Wharton view isn't a make-or-break, so when it comes down to it, choose the one that you are most comfortable with. Adcom interviews (on-campus or HUB) tend to be the most formal. The Wharton adcoms are friendly and cordial, but it certainly feels more like a traditional question-and-answer inte...

You're actually competitive for the schools you mentioned - competitive enough that it's worth a serious shot sooner than later. You're being a little too concerned about your job history - being young certainly helps, and it's not like you swung wildly from one unrelated occupation to the next. On ...

Historically: HBS ~50-60% of those interviewed get admitted Stanford ~60% of those interviewed get admitted Wharton ~40% of those interviewed get admitted Columbia ~30% of those interviewed get admitted For top schools, it's around 30-50% for most of the other top schools as well (other than Kellogg...

Don't obsess over the GMAT. You're in the range where it's no longer a factor for admission. As for the 6-month gap, it's not a big deal. Tell the truth. In this economy, adcoms get it. You're hardly alone. In terms of schools, it's hard to say. There are folks like you who get in, and folks like yo...

It's hard to say. First, full-time applications aren't up significantly from last year actually - it was expected to surge but the word from the adcoms is that it is flat to slightly up at best thus far. As for part-time, my hunch is that it will be flat to slightly down -- in this kind of economy, ...

Your GMAT is fine as it is. Retaking it yet again no matter what you score will send a message to the adcom that you don't get it. It's not about your GMAT beyond a certain threshhold - it's about your overall candidacy which is a concern. Judging from your school selection, the biggest concern is p...

It's not that the interviewer was bad -- it's that you went into the interview with a preconceived notion of what the interview is supposed to be. They don't have to ask you a cookie cutter list of questions. What the interviewer is looking for is an overall impression of you in 30 minutes. You're n...

If you're going into advertising, are you looking to eventually become a creative director? If you're looking to have a job where you are focused mostly on creative design and production, then I don't see how an MBA can really help you (especially in a field such as advertising which doesn't really ...