Profile Evaluation : 710, 3 years, exceptional EC.

[obliqueskeptic]

Greetings,

I hope this message finds you in the best spirits.

I appeared for my GMAT today and scored a disappointing 710 (Q48, V40). During the course of my preparation I was averaging around 740-750, so I believe that my real score is a mere correction of reality.

However, the GMAT score will not be the main subject of this message.

Prior to the score, my list of dream schools was as follows(in no particular order):

- ISB, Hyderabad
- Booth, Chicago
- Johnson, Cornell
- INSEAD
- Harvard (kindly note the use of the words 'dream school' above)

Its been three hours since I finished my test, and after having cried out sitting alone in my room and consuming two bottles of aerated beverages I think its time that I start seeking expert advice.

I will have had 3 years of experience as a Product Planner with India's largest passenger-car manufacturer. I also have an illustrious graduate experience with very strong extra-curricular activities and a failed entrepreneurship venture to brag about. My academic performance has been more or less consistent over the years. (90%, 90%, 7.2/10 in Class X, Class XII and Bachelors in Engineering respectively.)

I would like your genuine feedback about my chances of getting an admission into any of the schools listed above.

I would also welcome suggestions of schools that might be comparatively more "reachable."

I shall look forward to your response.

Thank you very much for your consideration.

Regards.

[mbaMissionBrianE]

Hello obliqueskeptic, thanks for question.

Easy on the aerated beverages; there is no need to despair! The good news: your GMAT score - overall and splits - will put you in play at every school you list! However, let me also say that you come from an overrepresented demographic that scores disproportionately high on the GMAT, so while your score in no way hurts you, it also will not distinguish you as much as it would otherwise. Same goes for your GPA.

Hence, your essays will determine your success at the programs you mention. I'd love more detail about both your work experience and your extracurriculars, but in general I would urge your draw upon that background to clearly demonstrate in your essays your leadership, initiative, and your ability to drive results.

Your failed venture has good potential for the essays, but what exactly did you learn from the experience? How can you use it to show the admissions committees what you're made of and what recommends you to their programs? The experience, itself, is not enough. Show the programs what you took from the experience.

You don't mention your post-MBA goals. If you can paint a compelling picture of your future career path and how you require an MBA to position yourself on that road, that would strengthen your candidacy.

Regarding your extracurriculars, the more recent the better, in general. Some schools even ask outright for only experiences within the past 3 years. I'd love to know what you've been up to in this realm since university and graduated school. This is another area where you could really differentiate yourself from the pack. Again, the emphasis should be on your leadership - mere participation in an extracurricular is less compelling than leading or organizing it. But don't devalue smaller, less showy experiences as well - times when you made a difference in someone's life, whether through a volunteer experience or just because of who you are. Those can be powerful essays.

Not knowing the particulars about your experience, I think you could be competitive at all the schools you list. HBS usually looks for a "wow" factor, so that would depend on how you leverage your experiences, especially the failed venture and your extracurriculars.

Best of luck,
Brian