I am a junior at BYU doing a double major in Middle Eastern Studies and Arabic with a minor in Chinese. I speak Mandarin Chinese, Arabic, Tongan, and English at a professional level (English is my native language and I am a heritage speaker of Tongan as a first generation American).
I was a pilot on the US Paralympic (I am an amputee because of cancer) Bobsled Team for two years
, aged 15-17, and won several medals and set some Paralympic records while also holding a position as an athlete representative for the international bobsled federation. I then took two years to be a missionary in England where I was involved at the highest level of leadership. I came back to the States and started a non-profit that works with amputees. I am also the president of a prosthetics engineering student club that builds low-end, affordable prosthetics for amputees in third world countries. I want to do an MBA straight out of undergrad (I have read a lot on this forum about the dangers and difficulty of doing that) and want to know . . .
- What are my chances at a top 5/10 program (3.9 gpa but haven’t taken a GMAT yet)
- Would my work experiences be sufficient to allow me to get the most out of an MBA program (in addition to those more exciting ventures, I have had more typical jobs in college such as a student instructor, research assistant, and real time transcriber for deaf students)
- There is a stress on work experience after undergrad before applying to the MBA program but what types of work experiences are seen as useful? I assume someone working as a bank teller or restaurant manager for a few years after college wouldn’t yield significantly more insight into business than starting and running a non profit? If you disagree please explain.
- I want to use my language skills and passion for business to build a global company that innovates and produces affordable prosthetics.
Any advice, suggestions, anecdotes, and wisdom is greatly appreciated! (I am 22 years old and would be looking to start grad school in fall of 2019)