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Before I started my 9-7, family dinner was the only time during the day when we got to be a family. My mom would tell us how much she wanted to gag every time her smelly supervisor walked by. My dad would talk about how he labored over the cars that came into the shop. My sister and I would complain about the amount of school work we had and my little brother, whose half a head taller than me now, would whine about eating his fish and veggies.

Now, I come home to cold and left over dinners while everyone else is busy getting ready for bed. Family time isn’t every night anymore; it’s once or twice a week. I don’t know what goes on at home. I don’t know where anything is either. My mom would joke and say, “Did you just move in yesterday?” And honestly, sometimes it feels that way.

The last heart to heart conversation I had with my dad was right after I graduated from college. He asked me at the dinner table, “What’s your 5-year plan?” My sister said, “5 years? I don’t even know what I’m going to wear tomorrow.” But I knew. I’m a planner. I’ve always been that way. Whatever I have my heart set on, I plan to work for it every step of the way.

Most people would say I’m lucky I don’t have school loans to pay off. What I really want to say is, “You don’t know squat. It’s not luck. It’s hard work and sacrifice.” I busted my ass in high school so I could get a 4-year scholarship and I’m busting my ass now to save for grad school. It was always in my plan to work for two years before getting my MBA. I want to take out as little student loans as possible so I’m saving as much as I can now.

It’s almost a year since I graduated and now it’s crunch time. I’ll be taking my GMAT in April (hopefully) and I’ve already narrowed down a few schools, which will probably be updated after I receive my GMAT score.

• UC Berkeley (San Francisco, CA)
• UPenn (Wharton) (Philadelphia, PA)
• George Washington University (DC)
• Georgetown University (DC)
• Carnegie Mellon (Pittsburgh, PA)
• University of Washington (Seattle, WA)
• Arizona State University (Phoenix, AZ)
• University of Minnesota (Minnesota, Minneapolis)

UC Berkeley is my dream school but I’m having a hard time picking my #2 and #3. Granted, it all depends how well I score on my GMAT. I also plan on volunteering abroad before I start my MBA (more on that later).

What do you think are my chances of getting into the schools I’ve listed?

Here’s my resume which details my educational and professional experience. I’d really appreciate your insights.