Beat The GMAT

kschandrasekhar · Mon Jul 24, 2006 9:22 pm

Hi Stacy,
I am planning to apply to US B-school this year and would like to take your advice on a few points of my application.
I am a technical consultant with 4 Years workex(14 months in US) in a top 4 consulting firm. I have completed my undergrad from a top 10 university in India with a CGPA of 3.1/4.0. I attempted GMAT twice and got 660 and 690(Q 50 95%ile, V 32 66%ile). Since my Verbal percentile is poor, I am planning to take GMAT again and am very confident to cross the 85 percentile in Verbal this time. I have a strong interest in Social entrepreneurship and Strategy and am looking to apply to Wharton, MIT, Michigan, Columbia, Tuck and CMU . I have experience of leading various initiative in practices developments and firm activities in my organization. I have done a diploma course in Social Entrepreneurship and am working closely with a society for Handicapped since last year, on developing a plan and funding proposal for sustainable employment for rural handicapped people in India. Apart from this, I also lead a major fund raising activity in my organization and it was nominated as one of the best projects throughout organization wide.
My queries are:
1. Can you please comment on my involvement in the Social entrepreneurship front? Though this is my passion, I would love to work for 6-7 years in strategy and management consulting and then gradually start my SE initiatives in India after getting substantial financial stability.
Honestly, finances are the only reason for this decision. But will the b-schools believe my explanation if i say that I want to work in a lucrative consulting career and then switch to social-entrepreneurship?
2. Is my selection of schools good and do you recommend any other schools/do not recommend any from my selection?
3. I have a fear that poor score in my previous attempts in GMAT (690 with 66 percentile in V) and my average CGPA in undergrad would be a weak point on my CV. How should I rectify these problems?
4. What time would be best to visit to the schools? Before I apply to the schools or after I apply.
5. What other aspects can enhance my candidature? How best can I use the next 3 months to strengthen my application?

It would be really good if you can address some of these queries. I want to join the big league and am very determined to do anything that can enhance my candidature. I would be great if you can share you opinions with me.

Thanks,
KSCS.

Back to top

Stacy Blackman · Tue Jul 25, 2006 3:56 pm

1) Your social entrepreneurship goal is believeable because you have already accumulated some experiences along those lines. Hence, you are "doing" not just "talking". You may want to explore other career paths for the first 6-7 years if finances are your only reason for going into consulting. There are probably other options that would help you to become financially stable and also would be enjoyable and interesting. For the purpose of the application you will have to come up with some other reasons and demonstrate true excitement over your stated career path.
2) I think your school selection is reasonable. However, these are all very competitive schools. You may want to consider 1-2 less competitive options - your success will depend on many factors which I cannot predict solely based on your email.
3) Previous attempts at GMAT will not hurt you - they take your highest score. Your below average GPA will impact your paplication and it is a good ida to address the GPA up front. If there was a reason for your lower grades, you can discuss this. Do what you can to show them that your GPA is not indicative of your passion for learning or academic abilities. Perhaps you can take a class now to demonstrate competence in an important subject, such as accounting or Calculus. Or a supervisor at work can speak to your quantitative skills.
4) I recommend visiting before. You can discuss your visit when you are writing about why you want to apply to a particular school. Also, it demonstrates interest in a school which can only help you in your application. Finally, it may clarify things for you and help you decide where to apply and why.
5) You should read the essays at the schools you want to apply to and think about whether or not you have solid answers. If not, think about what you can do now at work or in extra-curriculars to create material for your essays. However, now is not the best time to work on your candidacy - you need to be actively studying for the GMAT and working on your apps. It is not too soon to begin.

Back to top

Beat The GMAT

Needed advise to my admission queries

Free GMAT Prep Resources

GMAT Prep Discounts

Free Upcoming GMAT Events

Latest GMAT Articles

Latest GMAT Videos

Popular Resources