Beat The GMAT

cavaliar · Wed Oct 07, 2009 9:26 am

I m devastated with my GMAT score today, as i have got 640.
My profile is

Education: Medicine graduate from Delhi University
GPA: 60% - ranked 10 (considering only 40% students pass without any supplementary examination)

GMAT: 640(q49 v28)

Experience: 4.5 years(by next fall) varies from

Residency in a government Hospital 1 yr
Private practice with a group of doctors 1 yr
Consulting Firm 1.5 yrs till date

Extracurricular: Social work in rural settings, donation camps, setting up of cultural club in organization etc..

I was targeting following schools:
TUCK
DARDEN
DUKE

But, i m confused regarding my candidature for these schools.
I haven't seen any medicos being listed in the general MBA program class profile (i do not want to go into health care focused program as i want to get the flexibility of a general MBA program and combine it with my professional experience.)
Kindly help me out in this dilemma..[/list]

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Jessica Shklar · Wed Oct 07, 2009 11:53 am

Hi - I'm sorry you're so disappointed with the score. I'm not exactly sure though what the dilemma is that you're asking about - is it the lack of doctors listed at these schools? I think your biggest challenge (aside from the GMAT) will be convincing the schools why you want an MBA [i]without having the healthcare focus. Schools want to see a logical progression from your past to your future, with the MBA helping with that transition. If your consulting work is already in the field you want to go into, that will help, but otherwise you risk looking like you're not really sure what you want (first medicine, then consulting, now an MBA). Focus on telling a compelling and logical story. If I misunderstood your question please let me know.

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cavaliar · Wed Oct 07, 2009 12:32 pm

Dear Jessica, thanks for your reply.

My short term goals include getting into the life sciences consulting (and not healthcare consulting)and into Pharmaceutical industry though i also want to look for initiatives into corporate social responsibility based entry strategies in emerging markets for most of the corporate biggies.

My long term goal is in line with my short term goal and want to pursue the corporate social responsibility initiative and want to align it with the goals of big corporations.

Therefore a general MBA can help me focus more on the strategy and finance fields which due to my background remain a lacuna whereas with healthcare focussed MBA, the onus shift towards healthcare delivery and the infrastructure based strategy building, which i m not very much keen into as i have the requisite know how(based on my consulting as well as clinical experience).

But my main question still remains unanswered, considering my low scores for my target school. Would i be a suitable candidate for these schools. Also, will low scores have an impact in finding jobs/internships during an MBA?

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Jessica Shklar · Wed Oct 07, 2009 12:58 pm

To answer your last question first, no, once you are accepted, recruiters will not ask for your GMAT score. As for whether you can get in...the GMAT score is definitely low for those three schools, but it is only one factor they look at. If everything else about your application is strong, your essays present very compelling reasons why you need the MBA, and why you need one from that school, and you can show a clear trajectory and logical flow towards your goals, they will take all of those factors into account as well. You have an interesting background that they may find compelling.

Would you consider taking the GMAT again, and if so do you think you can pull up your score?

Are those the only three schools you are interested in? There are several others that are similar to those schools where your GMAT may not be as much of an issue.

If you do not plan on taking it again and those are the only schools you are interested in, then give it your very best shot. It's a stretch, but you certainly won't get in if you DON'T apply.

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cavaliar · Thu Oct 08, 2009 9:20 am

Which other schools would you suggest with my profile that may have a considerable chance of getting into?
P.S:- I m focussing on schools that do provide financial aid to international school and i ll not have any problems with european schools also as my focus area involves both eu5 and us

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Jessica Shklar · Thu Oct 08, 2009 9:52 am

I'm really not familiar with the financial aid offerings at each school, but if you're looking for schools similar to the three you mention in terms of size and community feel, you could explore UNC-KF, Kelley, Cox, Emory, Vanderbilt, and more. Look at an online ranking for their average GMAT scores; schools that have as their mean or median GMATs below or around 650 will give you more likelihood of acceptance.

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