Ask an MBA Admissions Consultant

Hi All,

Need some serious help!!

Background:
Undergrad in Hotel Administration GPA 3.7 -3.75.
GMAT 650 ( Planning a retake ) Hopeful of a 680 if not more.

I work in the hospitality industry as a Revenue Manager.
.Just to shed some light on what a revenue manager does:

Responsible for pricing strategy of the hotel.
Top Line budgeting
Revenue Maximization by optimizing rates.
Responsible for Distribution Channels of the hotel.
And pretty much responsible for strategizing to achieve Top Line.
Revenue Management usually has one or two people handling the entire show.
The Reservations team of 8 reported into me.
Reporting is directly to the General Manager and Corp Director of Revenue.


Work Experience:

I ve worked as a Revenue Manager at the Taj Group of hotels, handling a turnover of 50 Million USD for abt 2 1/2 years.
Was hired as management Trainee and within 6 months given independent control of the one of the largest revenue generators for the entire group.

Moved to Chennai due to family issues and joined the Hyatt as a Revenue Manager

At both these positions I have a good turn around story to tell.

Extracurriculars:
Headed two commercial food festivals at college each with 150 junior students working.
Presented a paper on innovation in hospitality at an international symposium
Headed Public Relations for College Annual Charity Fund Raiser. ( We raised close to USD 20k )
President of Arts Club at college.
Educating underprivileged children has been an issue close to my heart, so i ve been associated with the cause in one way or the other for the last 8 years.


So here's my issue, I know 650 is not a great score and i ll in all probabilities be dinged by top schools
I am not quite sure if I can go beyond 680 in the limited time I have.

So am I better off applying with a 650 or will a 680 make a significant difference.

I know the demography I represent will surely work against me but I was hoping my work ex and undergrad would help me stand out in some way.


Any assistance would be appreciated.

Regards

Sb

Sb,

Let me answer the GMAT part first.

650 to 680 or more is definitely a high value gained. Had your score been around 680-700, a similar jump wouldn't have mattered this much. So, try getting 680+, preferably 700 or so.

In B-school application, professional experience matters a lot. And you have some turnaround stories at both (and they are good brands) the positions. I think these experiences will play an important role in your application.

All the best for your GMAT.

Dear Sb,

A few more things to add here:

1. Your profile is fairly non-common even if you are from a competitive demographic. That will definitely catch the adcom's attention. Yes, a 680 or score will be great - but ideal will be to try and manage (if you can) both GMAT and essay work together. Even if you dont reach that level, I would suggest you give the applications a shot. On the GMAT front, if you've not taken professional help, that's another thing to explore
2. A very important aspect missing from your post is your goals story. In general, hospitality industry is not very open for international MBA candidates. Though you have a nice story right from undergrad to now, the post-MBA story will frankly determine how adcoms look at it. So think hard and deep on this if not done already. Without knowing this aspect, its pretty tough to assess your chances overall frankly

Hope this helps a bit more

Cheers,