<p>Breakdancerj: I hope my responses didn’t come across as sarcastic. I know you were responding to some of the other folks that, I agree, verged on abusive/sarcastic. I am a parent, or more reasonably put an uncle on this board. I have checked in here out of curiosity. I have worked for, well let’s just say a top 5 business school in a reasonably senior position. If you want, I can verify that through a private message.</p>
<p>Mission work is a fine thing, but it’s not enough. I tried to help a person with a good business track record after mission in South America (also LDS). He only wanted to go to Harvard Wharton and Stanford. He got rejected the first time from Wharton. And he got waitlisted at all three the second time.</p>
<p>You know the phrase actions speak louder than words. Well, these schools want to see that you really want to be in business and that you care about business. What comes through in your statements here is that you care about the prestige of Harvard and Wharton. First of all, I’d say get over that. At the very least, if you are dedicated to a health career look at all the schools on the alliance for health care management list. There are great schools. But most of all, show through your actions, not your statements, that achieving something in business or in your chosen field of endeavor is what you want to do. The trick is to be able to argue credibly that you will be successful whether or not you get the business degree, but that you’ve realized that you would be helped by having the business degree. Business schools will be more impressed if they have a sense that you are a successful person in your own right. The way your situation reads you think that going to business school will be the difference between succeeding or not.</p>
<p>Go achieve something. Dive in. Chew the heart of what you want to accomplish out. Work, work, work. Progress. Learn lessons. If you need to, take some business classes at night, if they will help you in what you are doing during the day. Don’t take this advice as saying mission work is not worthwhile, but whatever Wharton’s website says, you will be viewed much more favorably if you succeed in another arena. Success, by the way, can involve failure in business as long as you were risking big and have a good story to tell. Start something up. Go big.</p>
<p>Secondly, public health is a great major. And it is especially good given the goals you have. </p>
<p>These are just some random thoughts.</p>
<p>Oh, and sure a good GMAT is better than a worse one, but frankly, above a certain score, the schools don’t care all that much. It is used up-front as a screen often. Below, I don’t know 650 let’s say, and they are much less likely to consider your app at the top schools. After you’ve hit the screen, they’ll generally only use it to round out a picture of you. It’s not in and of itself that important beyond a certain score. Hanging your hat on a high GMAT score would be ridiculous.</p>
<p>You’ve got the beginnings of a great application. Now go prove leadership and accomplishment, again.</p>
<p>And for goodness sake, don’t just apply to Wharton and Harvard or Haas/Berkeley or Kellogg – or the other schools on that alliance list. It was an awkward conversation with the guy when he said he had only applied to HSW and was waitlisted at all three!</p>