<p>Hi everyone. I'm just trying to get a sense of how much of a shot I have at getting into a prestigious MBA program. I'm going to apply to a lot of schools because I am certain I want to get out of the USAF and I'll just go with the best one.</p>
<p>Academics:
3.5 GPA in Finance at Ole Miss
3.5 GPA in Economics at Penn State (online)
680 GMAT</p>
<p>Experience:
I'm a Captain in the Air Force and have been in for 7 years now. I'm a combat systems officer (CSO.) This is a rated slot and rated slots (CSO, pilot, RPA, and ABM) are extremely competitive. Basically I plan the missions and tell the pilot what to do. I'm like the offensive coordinator. I fly in C-130s.</p>
<p>Volunteering:
I have between 150 and 200 while being on active duty. I had over 300 in college.</p>
<p>Ambition:
I'm a highly ambitious business minded person. I want to start as a consultant. One day I want to be a CEO.</p>
<p>I know several military officers who go to Berkeley. One was a captain in the Marines, and the schools do like military personnel. However, it will also depend on recommendations and awards you have gotten. </p>
<p>Stanford, Penn, and Harvard are the best in the world and are always reaches. The top consulting companies recruit mostly from these schools.
Columbia and Berkeley are a little easier but also likely reaches.
UCLA, and Chicago are much easier if you are convincing enough.</p>
<p>If I remember correctly, you get full benefits and retirement after 20 years in the military. A lot of people regret their decision to leave the military, so definitely dont leave the service until you are accepted.</p>
<p>The 680 GMAT makes it a stretch for all the big MBA schools (Harvard, Stanford, and Penn). You should still apply to them. Also consider taking the GMAT again if you want to attend those. </p>
<p>Other very excellent MBA programs include:
Indiana University
UNC-Chapel Hill
U.Texas-Austin
Georgia Tech
Ohio State
Vanderbilt
Southern Cal
Southern Methodist</p>
<p>A 680 should get you in to any of the above. That list is roughly in order of reputation. Yes, Indiana University is considered better than Vanderbilt or Southern Cal.</p>