I am based in W. Africa and in non-profit/Social Enterprise. I am very much interested in pursuing a 1-year MBA and returning to the region. Looking at doing 1 year program in Europe (UK, France, Switzerland, Netherlands, or Spain mainly). What would be a good tier to be aiming for?

Here are my stats:

-5.5 years Work Experience (2 years in management)
-2.6 Undergrad GPA (3.4 average over last 3 semesters, deans list)
-640 on practice GMAT (Taking first official this month)
-Board member of pretty acclaimed INGO in Africa


I missed a lot of the deadlines when I finally got serious about doing this, so I applied to Hult as a baseline since they were still accepting and I really liked the school when I initially looked at it (even though seems everyone else here shits on it).

I was conditionally accepted (pending satisfactory GMAT), but eventually decided to turn down the offer so I could apply to additional schools.

So....rate me. What tier should I be shooting for? I'm open to applying to about 5 schools, inlcuding re-applying to Hult, partially as a safety, but also because I still really like them!!

[Edited by AtypicalLady on May 05, 2017]

What are your goals? You are in non-profits, but you are looking at masters in business rather than in non-profits or social enterprise. You are in West Africa, but you are looking at Europe. What strategy do these choices support?

Hi Duncan,

My ambition is to be a social entrepreneur in the W. Africa region, however, while I have experience in non-profit and minor experience in s.e., I do not have a strong business background/understanding of business practices, and believe an MBA is best option to provide this. Ideally, I would work in an existing organization post graduation before embarking on my own project. Without the direct experience in traditional business roles, I feel the MBA provides the most well rounded option to offer value to a company .

I did my BA in journalism and felt very pigeon-holed when I wanted to explore other options post graduation. I feel like doing something like a Masters in Non-Profit would be similar. For example, I would be open to working with a for-profit company that invests in projects in Africa with a purely business mindset, but don't think a Master in Non-Profit work would assist me get that sort of position...I'd only really appeal to Non-Profits.

Why Europe? I am not opposed to schools in Africa, however, the South Africa experience and environment is nothing like West Africa. And though a bit more similar, neither is East Africa. Unfortunately, most of the quality programs on the Continent are in these 2 regions. So if I am not able to get a program with direct links to W. Africa, I feel it makes more sense to aim for the best program I can, and use the 'prestige' to apply for Internships/Jobs in W. Africa to apply my experience and continue to learn before going at it on my own.

Take a look at http://www.find-mba.com/board/27082?_ga=2.126509837.1223408149.1494230393-2038877213.1487942336

Some schools will also look for fit with their partnered employers. You will be more interesting for schools that serve industry rather than finance and consulting. For those reasons, INSEAD is not a great fit for you.

You stand a good chance of getting admitted to an excellent school because of your unusual background. Perhaps see https://find-mba.com/lists/top-business-school-by-speciality/top-business-schools-for-sustainability-csr-social-entrepreneurship and https://find-mba.com/lists/top-business-school-by-speciality/top-business-schools-for-entrepreneurs I think IE might be a good strtech schol for you, and RSM could be a safe school. Also consider EMLyon.

A wild card option: the German government's DAAD service funds the SEPT MBA, which could be an excellent fit for you: http://www.sept.uni-leipzig.de/mba-program/

There's also the MBA at Lagos Business School, which is AACSB-accredited and thus may provide a more western-style experience than other schools in the region. Although in terms of global recognition, it is definitely not up to par with Insead, IE, etc., it is well regarded regionally and certainly the cohort would make for better connections in West Africa.

Although I am missing some detail here I would say that your profile looks really good, with the exception of the GMAT score. So my first question to you would be if you are at all open to retaking the GMAT? I am asking because I think a slightly higher score could open up a whole new tier of schools for you so it is really worth considering!

Looks like this candidate hadn't taken the GMAT when they made this post. The 640 was a projection. But keep in mind that 640 isn't actually terrible for a non-technical candidate from West Africa, if it's a balanced score. Especially if they're not looking at going into fields like consulting, finance, etc.

Just completed my GMAT today. I scored 640.

However, I BOMBED my Quant (Which was my strength!!!!%^%^&)

8 Integrated Reasoning - 92 Percentile
36 Quant - 33Percentile (wtfff)
42 Verbal- 71 Percentile.

Do I retake???

Just completed my GMAT today. I scored 640.

However, I BOMBED my Quant (Which was my strength!!!!%^%^&)

8 Integrated Reasoning - 92 Percentile
36 Quant - 33Percentile (wtfff)
42 Verbal- 71 Percentile.

Do I retake???

[Edited by blitzkrieg on Jun 24, 2017]

By the way, how can 42 Verbal be just 71 percentile???

Hi yes,

Sorry, the verbal is 96 percentile, my overall score, 640, is 71 percentile.