First, I want to thank all the folks at Clear Admit for building this platform; I have found the website, wires, and podcast to be extremely helpful—I am currently in a non-traditional pre-mba career, and do not have anyone around to gain insight from. So thank you!

I graduated in 2017 with a degree in English from a non-target state school. I was also working on a minor in physics, but life circumstances—becoming a dad—led me to rush graduating.
I currently work in sales/account management for one of the world’s largest manufactures of generic medications. For salespeople, the pharmaceutical industry is extremely competitive to break into. However, as Graham has mentioned sales does not seem to carry the best connotation with MBA-admission officers. I have performed notably well, and will be looking to expand my responsibilities by joining the in-field marketing team, and becoming a sales trainer. Promotions into management do not traditionally happen before gaining at least 5 years of experience, but I will be relentlessly pursuing an opportunity to move into management before applying to b-school.

I am in the process of creating a mentorship program for low academic performing students at the nearby community college. This project is very close to my heart as I was a “turn-around student.” My hope is that this will also give me meaningful experiences outside of sales.

I would like to use the MBA to pivot into a career that will allow me to truly create a positive impact on the pharmaceutical industry. I feel that working in management consulting in a New Jersey based office would offer an amazing opportunity to develop a deep knowledge of the industry, and create a valuable network. My long term goal would be to move into a leadership role at a start-up within the biotech space.

My school selections are based on a few things:
1) Location—my wife’s family is in the northeast, and I do not want to move her or our kids far away from family.
2) Brand name—I need the degree to successfully pivot me out of sales & into strategy. The top programs seem realistically capable of helping me accomplish this. Also, if I am going to tell my wife we’re taking out more debt there needs to be an ROI.
3) needs to be attainable—though I feel I have not listed a school that is a safety for my profile, I feel fairly confident that I am not self-selecting out of programs that are reasonably within reach (i.e. Harvard, Wharton, MIT).

I am sure it would be helpful to know that I am 25 and a Caucasian male.

Thanks again!