GMAT Score of 660: Chances of getting into a top B school?

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I just took my first GMAT exam earlier today and I'm less than ecstatic with my performance. My score is as follows:

Quantitative: 46
Verbal: 35
Overall: 660

Since I just took the exam today, my AWA and IR scores have not yet been released so I don't have a complete idea of my performance; I hope those two additional scores will affect me positively but I'll just have to wait and see. Anyway, I was wondering if anyone would be able to assess my current application for B schools so I can have a better idea of where I stand in the admissions pool. I am currently finishing my last term of undergrad and intend to start applying soon. My educational background is;

Undergraduate University: University of Waterloo, Canada
Major: Mathematical Economics (BA)
CGPA: 81.92
SGPA: 92.44
(I'm not sure what these would convert to on the 4.0 scale)

I don't really have any relevant work experience other than call center jobs and proctoring exams for economics courses. However, I am actively involved with a lot of extracurricular groups on campus. I am currently the president of the Economics Society at my university, a member of the board of directors for Feds, the student union at my school, and a member of the student council on campus. As well, the majority of the courses I have taken in my 3rd and 4th years have been upper year math courses, such as calculus, linear algebra, statistics, etc., and it's the grades in my first couple of years in university that's dragging down my GPA.

I intend to apply to Masters of Finance programs in Canada and the US because that's the industry I would eventually like to work in (getting into the MFin program at MIT Sloan would be an absolute dream). However, my career aspirations aren't toward the quantitatively heavy jobs like sales and trading, but more so in M&A or private equity. As well, given that the current job market is being over-saturated with bachelors degree holders, I think that going directly into a Masters program would be the better option for me because of the internship opportunities they provide.

The schools I had originally hoped to apply to were;

MIT - Sloan
Princeton
UPenn - Wharton
Columbia
University of Toronto
York University - Schulich
University of Western - Richard Ivey

I am currently a Canadian citizen so I feel that it would only make financial sense for me to apply to top schools in the US. Otherwise, I should just remain in Canada since the top schools here would be cheaper and a bit easier for me to get in. I am wondering if anyone would be able to tell me what my chances are with those schools I've listed and some suggestions about other schools and programs I should apply to. Also, any strategies that you think would be helpful for me would be greatly appreciated!

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by ivyctor2010 » Sun Nov 04, 2012 6:44 am
Wharton and Columbia would be very competitive. MIT recruits generally have GMAT scores on the higher side. Limited work experience further weakens your profile. Richard Ivey and Schulich won't be very easy nuts to crack either.
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by fzchen89 » Sun Nov 04, 2012 11:03 am
Thanks for your reply ivyctor2010! It's pretty clear to me that I will need to rewrite the GMAT and attempt to get a higher score. I was wondering if there were other things you could recommend me to do. I know that most people would suggest to initially try and find a job in the industry. However, there are people, without any work experience, who have managed to get into MFin programs straight from undergrad and I'm just wondering what kind of profiles they had. With MBA programs, I'm aware that work experience is fundamental in your application and I would definitely take a different route if I were to pursue one. But an MFin delves much deeper into finance than the level of an MBA and it's that specialization that I am looking for.

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by ldiffen » Mon Nov 05, 2012 4:41 pm
anyone can get here and say anything about whether you have a good chace of getting in or not. However, if I were you I would just look at the schools' student profile. it's usually somewhere on their website. look at the range of scores, GPA's, years of work experience, etc of current students to get an idea of what they are looking for.