Hello Livewire,
This is my 4th season applying to MBA programs and I am going all out this time and using every resource I can. I am currently working with an MBA consulting agency as well.

I have a very low GPA but there is a reason for that I'd rather not disclose publicly other than a personal family tragedy that left me completely heartbroken and unwilling to put any effort into my school commitments. As such, I was on academic probation twice and eventually dropped out of school to pursue startup opportunities that turned out very successful. I completed my degree in 2016 along with the GMAT and have applied to MBA programs every year since including the 16/17 season.

I have received interview invites from Sloan, Booth, and other top programs, but I have yet to recieve an acceptance letter.

In addition to a competitive GMAT score (770, Q51, V44), I have also completed additional coursework at the graduate level in MBA related classes - financial accounting, corporate finance, microeconomics, etc (all straight A's).

I have only applied to top 25 programs, and I am probably too much of a gamble for some of these programs. Despite my efforts to showcase my academic abilities post undergrad, I never worked for a major, established company. My start in startups was initally in media/entertainment (a company I still advise), and my current startup is in healthcare consumer goods which is quite a jump. Due to the nature of the healthcare industry, my company takes significantly longer to hit milestones versus media or tech. As such, my current startup established in 2015, has yet to go to market due to the years of testing (especially materials and safety testing since some of our products are for infants). However, I have led the company through the financing stages even though I have no background in finance, and with the secured early stage funding, it is only a matter of time until all the approval processes are met and our products can start being sold. In fact, I am fairly confident my company will sell off all its patents and licenses by the time of school matriculation in 2020, and will be absorbed by another company. I can go into a lot of detail regarding this, but I am under NDA not to discuss the parties interested in a buyout and especially not disclose any specific figures.

My motivations for business school are vast, but the main motivation is to indeed learn and strengthen my skillsets and knowledge. Long term goal is to transition into VC, and I want more experience before making the jump. I'd like to better understand areas I'm not as knowledgeable with- financial modelling, operations management, negotiations, etc. I am from a strategy/marketing background so I'd also like to understand financial statements at a greater depth and in a capacity suited to a VC role.

My extracirriculars are nothing spectacular, I devote my extra time to an organization that helps North Korean refugees integrate into the modern world. I don't have much currently beyond that.

As of 3 days ago, I am also a new father, so as a personal note, an MBA would provide stability for a year or two- my current job requires lots of travelling and schedules can get very unpredictable. I'd like to be in a more structure setting for my first baby.

I applied to Round 1 this year to Tuck, Tepper, Johnson, and Stern. Dinged at Stern w/o interview but that's understandable- my current address is a Boston address, but I moved back from working in South Korea the past 3 years in September (partly because my baby would have to do military service later in life if I had stayed). Upon returning, I just didn't have the time to make it for a school visit to NYC, it was a hectic time. Interviewed at Tepper, Johnson, and completed the self-initiated interview at Tuck. I am waitlisted at Johnson, waiting to hear back from Tepper and Tuck, and preparing R2 applications in case those schools don't pan out/giving myself options later on.

Thank you all for reading! I hope this is the last time I will have to apply to schools, and open to any communications regarding my candidacy or this whole process. I appreciate any insights or advice and at this point, enjoy talking anything and everything about the business school process since it something I've put so much into the last few years.