Age: 23
Program: Marketing - Behavioral
GRE: 770Q / 590V / 4.5W (not submitted to programs)
GMAT: 730 - 48Q, 41V, 6W
Undergrad GPA: 3.61 - BS in business (marketing / intl bus mgmt). Public university, top 10 school, top 5 program, graduated with departmental honors.
Graduate GPA: No graduate school.
Research Exp: (1) thesis in marketing strategy (unpublished, but on track), (2) research assistant on A- journal article in marketing strategy (paid), (3) research assistant on dissertation work in marketing strategy (paid).
Current Work: No relevant work experience.
Letters of Rec: Three primary, one secondary. The primaries: (1) Thesis advisor, marketing strategy professor (tenured), (2) consumer psych teacher, marketing behavior professor (tenured), (3) personal mentor, marketing behavior professor (tenured).
Biggest Perceived Weaknesses:
(1)Background in math. I have loads of experience with statistics... SPSS, ANOVA, one/two-tail tests, Chi-Square, & so on with all sorts of datasets, including one collected, organized, & designed by myself... but barely any with classical maths like calculus, linear algebra, differential equations, analysis, & so on.
(2) Background in psychology. This doesn't appear to be AS important an aspect among marketing behavioral applications, but all the same I still have to think more = better here. Most important in this regard is experience with running & working within a psychology laboratory, I imagine.
(3) Age. I don't really think this matters TOO much. But, given two candidates of different ages with similar credentials, I have to think that the older applicant would be preferred, & would almost always bring more experience & maturity (that is, readiness for the commitment) to a PhD program.
Rejected: NYU, Stanford, Northwestern, Duke, USC, Indiana, Minnesota, Arizona State.
Admitted: None!
(**Best Results: Top 5 in one program, Top 10 in another program.)
Plan B: Returning to school for my 2nd bachelor's degree. I have very light loan debt from my first degree, & currently no career-path work, so there is little preventing me from doing it. It should take two, maybe two & a half years to obtain my BA in mathematics & psychology, with a minor in economics. I am supremely excited to get back to school, & I think at the end of it, I will be a far more attractive & a better-prepared marketing PhD applicant.