SMU Cox MBA Recommendation Questions

Background:
29, male, black, from Africa.

Education:
- Bachelors in Engineering at #1 university in my country.
- Ranked in top 10 in college entrance exam (out of 400,000+ students) and received a full merit-based scholarship.
- Graduated with first class and CGPA of 7.7/10 (relatively high).

Work Experience:
- 2 years LDP at the largest company in the country.
- 4 years in project management at the same company working on strategic projects with C-levels and GMs (no title change but several substantial salary increases).
- 1 year gap due to civil war, I had to leave the country.
- Currently working in the UAE but only for less than 2 months.

GMAT:
I took GMAT FE and scored 635. I'm planning to retake but there's no guarantee for the score to increase.

Why MBA:
I want to break into consulting. I didn't get the chance in my country because the industry is non-existent there. When I came to the UAE I couldn't break into the field and that why I'm eager to get an MBA.

EC:
Very minimal, it won't be of any noticeable advantage to my case and no need to mention them here.

Schools:
- I am open to your suggestions on which schools I might have a good chance of getting accepted in.
- Initially I wanted to apply to a wide range of schools to increase my chances:
FOMO: GSB
Reach: CBS
Target: Cornell, Ross, UCLA
Safety: Rice, USC, Rotman
- After taking the GMAT I became doubtful of the school selection I had in mind.

I’m a 23-year-old currently attending Chemeketa Community College in Oregon, planning to transfer to the University of Oregon’s Lundquist College of Business to complete a degree in finance. Since a young age, I’ve been involved in managing and growing my family’s restaurant business, which currently has five locations that I intend to expand. I’m hoping to clarify if my years of experience working in the family business can be considered relevant work experience for MBA applications right after undergrad.

Looking to use an MBA to career switch into Finance. Have a CISSP certification. First Gen College Student. MS in Information Systems right after undergrad (2.9 GPA - concerned this might be an issue). Will have 5 YOE by matriculation (looking to apply Summer/Fall 2025). One promotion to Senior Consultant.

Army Officer and United States Military Academy grad with an engineering undergrad degree. Worried about GRE scores for target schools, casting wide net right now, but may not take test again due to other circumstances.